Feeding the Older Dog

Dog Food for the Older Dog

What changes do you need to make to your dog feeding regime as your dog gets older?

The changes you make to your dog feeding regime, and when you make them will vary depending on the age of your dog, and the breed of your dog.

It is considered that the larger and giant breeds of dog age earlier than the smaller and toy breeds of dog.

Your objective in managing the nutrition of the older dog is to enhance his quality of life, delay further ageing changes, and to extend his life whilst maintaining his optimal weight.

You are also trying to slow down the onset of disease and improve immune function.

Older dogs will generally be less active than younger dogs so as a rule will require a less energy dense dog food, unless of course the dog's appetite is reduced for some reason.

Continuing to feed a dog the same amount of food with less exercise will inevitably result in obesity, a problem all too common in many dogs today.

In the old dog obesity can be a bigger problem than in the young dog as there may also be concurrent arthritis and organ problems which will be made worse.

A keen eye is needed to assess the energy needs of your dog as it ages, so be aware and switch brands if your dog's weight shows marked changes as it ages.

For the older dog a good quality animal protein based on meat, fish eggs, milk or cheese is better than cereal protein.

A balance needs to be struck between providing too much protein which may be a problem for dogs with renal failure (a common problem in older dogs), and providing too little.

As ageing dogs tend to have less muscle and bone they will have less of a tissue protein reserve and need a certain level of protein in their diet to avoid a negative nitrogen balance.

Your veterinarian is the best person to monitor your ageing dog's renal function and advise the appropriate level of protein in his diet.

When your dog's protein intake is low due to inappetance, this can be increased by heating the food to increase palatability and release more aromas, and by feeding smaller more frequent meals and by supplementing with vitamins.

Carbohydrates are mainly provided by cereals and legumes in the diet, and these are a cheap source of energy.

Care should be taken with the sugar content of some of these foods

Fats are essential in the diet to provide a vehicle for fat soluble vitamins, and are essential for the health of old dogs.

However too much may result in obesity, so again moderation is the rule.

Fibre has a role too in the elderly dog as many are predisposed to constipation.

Adding fibre in the form of wheat bran or cooked vegetables two or three times a week will help to keep your elderly dog regular!

Most dog foods will have more than adequate levels of calcium and phosphorus for the older dog.

There may be a case for reduced levels of phosphorus and salt in the diet.

Some supplementation of zinc and vitamins may be helpful in the older dog, particularly the vitamin B complex.

The main food types for the older dog are - dry, semi-moist or canned.

Diet changes should be made slowly to prevent tummy upsets and diarrhoea.

Be sure to have plenty of water available for your dog, particularly if fed a dried food, and also if kidney and liver disease is a problem.

Reduced appetite in older dogs may be helped by feeding them 2 or more times per day with smaller portions so that they get their full daily requirement.

There are many commercial senior dog food diets now available.

It will pay you to thoroughly examine the different types to increase the life span and vitality of your older dog.

About The Author
Leonard Mutch is a dog owner and trainer. Read more about dog food and dog nutrition on his web site at: http://www.tastydogfood.com

Your Dogs Nutrition 101

Dogs have specific nutritional needs, but most pet owners do not realize that all dogs and most pet foods are not alike. Many commercial dog food brands are lacking in key nutrients, so reading the labels is a must. Price and brand names are not good gages of quality when it comes to food.

Dogs are carnivorous so they need meat and protein, along with carbohydrates, vitamins, fat, minerals, and water. The manufacturers have choices as to the types and amounts of proteins, minerals, and vitamins that they put into their products. Higher levels of animal protein like chicken, lamb, and beef are needed by active dogs, while proteins found in plants or grains such as corn, soy, wheat, and rice are sufficient for less active dogs.

Puppy foods generally contain more protein than adult or maintenance foods. What you are looking for is a food that has two animal proteins in the first three ingredients listing. This is a good rule of thumb that applies to all dogs and breeds, not just puppies.

Carbohydrates are important buy only in small amounts. You should avoid foods that contain soy, because altogether soy is high in protein, it is also a carbohydrate that slows down digestion and prevents other vitamins and minerals in the food from being absorbed.

Vitamins come in two types, water soluble, and fat soluble. Vitamins B and C are water soluble, while vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble. The B and C vitamins are lost through urination and need to be included in every meal, while vitamins A, D, E and K are stored up in the fatty tissues of the body and liver.

The type of dog food is important, because of digestion time. Raw foods, such as meat, vegetables, and even fruit are the easiest foods to digest, and usually in about 4 ½ hours. Semi moist processed dog foods take longer, usually around 9 hours to pass through the stomach, and dry dog foods take up to 16 hours before the dog is receiving energy from the food.

For more information, please consult your veterinarian, as they are the best judge of your dog's individual needs. But it is up to us, the pet owners to care for our four legged friends by continuing to read those labels!

About The Author
Brent Jones and his partner Randy Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed the website http://joncopets.com/ on the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest trendy items for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at http://joncopets.com/.

Choosing Healthy Foods For Your Dog

Today's pet food market is larger and more diverse than ever before. While this offers a large number of choices in various types of pet food, it also presents a dilemma in choosing the healthiest food for your dog. Are generic or store brands suitable for a dog? What about familiar name brands like Purina and Alpo? Are the pricier brands that advertise specially formulated ingredients (Science Diet, Eukanuba) really living up to their claims and worth the extra money? All of these are valid questions that loving dog owners deserve to have answered.

Dog Food Considerations

There are several factors to consider when choosing the right food for your dog. Different dogs have different nutritional needs at different stages in their lives. Some things to consider when selecting the food you'll give your dog follow.

• The Dog's Age

Puppies have different nutritional requirements than adult dogs just as human children have different needs than adult people. Senior dogs also have different requirements than younger adult dogs. Make sure that you select a food that is appropriate for your dog's stage in life.

• The Dog's Health

Does your dog have a specific medical condition? If so, the food you choose may need to be partially dictated by that condition. Diabetic dogs need low-glucose foods and dogs with specific allergies (yes dogs can be allergic to all sorts of things, just like people) may require certain foods as well. Your veterinarian can help you choose foods that are appropriate for a dog with a specific medical condition.

• The Dog's Size or Body Type

Some dogs are overweight. Some dogs are underweight. Some have a natural tendency to get lots of exercise while others tend to prefer to lie around a lot. There are, of course, small, medium, and large dogs as well as the ultra-tiny "toy" dogs. All of these different types of dogs will have different requirements for the type of food they need as well as how much of it.

• Your Budget

Dog food can be expensive, there's no doubt about it. And where dog food is concerned, the rule really is "you get what you pay for." Low cost generics and store brands will lighten the burden on your wallet, but may not be the healthiest choice for your dog as they are made with cheap ingredients and lots of fillers. You should buy the best dog food you can on your budget to help ensure your dog's nutrition.

About The Author
Kirsten Hawkins is a dog lover and animal expert from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.doghealth411.com/ for more information on dog health, the care of dogs, and dog travel.

Treats That Pooch CANNOT Eat!

Anyone who has ever owned a dog will know that they are not particularly fussy eaters, to put it mildly! Anything and everything that can be consumed will pass through pooch's digestive system at some point, and by no means will all of it be food as we know it!

Your dog also has a very well developed sense of smell, so that what he or she considers to be "foodstuffs" (yesterdays chicken bones in the kitchen trash can, for example), stuff that you may believe is hidden (i.e. out of sight) is as evident to your dog as the nose his face. Rest assured that your dog will find anything that can be eaten, wherever it is!

Ninety-nine percent of the time, this will not be a major problem. An inconvenience maybe when tonight's dinner that was cooling in the kitchen miraculously disappears, but not a major drama.

The problem is that dogs (obviously) have little or no knowledge of whether what they eat is good or bad for them, nor do they care. Reverting to the previous example, every human probably knows that, whilst beef or lamb bones are a delectable treat for Fido, chicken bones are a definite no-go, owing to their tendency to splinter and stick in the dogs throat.

However, not every dog owner is aware that some of the everyday foodstuffs that we consume and take for granted, and are happy to give to our families, could be very dangerous, even potentially lethal, if given to your dog.

For example, were you aware that the simple chocolate bar that is stashed at the back of your fridge might actually constitute a potentially deadly hazard for your four legged friend? This is potentially a major problem, as the majority of dogs seem especially partial to chocolate, in my experience.

Whilst it has been recently reported that it may be high in human-friendly antioxidants, the problem for your dog is that chocolate contains various chemicals, which can be highly dangerous, if not lethal.

Sadly, consumption of relatively minor traces of these chemicals can cause your dog such serious medical problems as increased heart rate, palpitations and so on. Large amounts could even lead to total cardiac failure, seizures, coma and eventually death.

Of course, we have to keep this in perspective and it is extremely unlikely that one small piece of chocolate given as a "treat" every now and then will harm your dog in any way. However, be aware that different breeds of dogs show different levels of resistance to the chemicals in chocolate, and that the dogs size and weight would also be a factor to consider. Whilst a pound of the wrong kind of chocolate might kill a smaller dog, it may merely cause a Bull Mastiff or a Doberman to have a day or two of digestive discomfort, and no doubt one or two unpleasant "accidents" along the way!

The simple answer is the obvious one, so don't give the family pet huge amounts of chocolate! At the same time, take precautions to minimize the risks, by making sure that any chocolate in the house is stored above the dogs "forage level" and that your family members, especially young children, know not to give their chocolate away!

There are a few other goods that we consider to be food that, again, may not be too good for the family dog. Some strains of mushroom, for example, can cause your pet problems (liver and kidney damage, abdominal pain) and, whilst garlic is extremely good for humans, it can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs.

The bottom line is, do not assume that just because you can eat it, so can your dog.

Whilst he will regularly devour a host of things that you would never go near, understand that there are a few things that your digestive system handles without problems that your dog just cannot cope with!

For more dog caring and training hints, tips and suggestions, visit my site at http://webbiz99.com/dogtraining/index.html

About The Author
Steve Cowan is an Asia based businessman and writer,as well as an international racing driver and full time father.To discover more,visit his blog -What's New Today,Stanley?- at http://webbiz99.com/