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Articles > Senior Dog Food > Feeding Tips9 Tips to Feed Senior Dogs the Right Way When dogs begin to age, they start presenting not only visible physical changes but also metabolic, immunologic, and body constitution ones. To help them stay healthy through this stage, follow these 9 tips on how to feed them the right way: 1. Determine when it’s time to feed your pal senior dog food through his size. In general, the rule is this: - Small dogs weighing less than 20 pounds: at 7 years of age - Medium sized dogs weighing between 21 and 50 pounds: 7 years of age - Large dogs weighing between 51 and 90 pounds: 6 years of age - Giant dogs weighing over 91 pounds: 5 years of age 2. Your main goal when feeding your older dog should be to keep him healthy and fit, to delay and prevent chronic diseases, and to lower or improve symptoms of existing diseases. 3. Some of the health conditions that an old dog may present, and you should be attentive to, are: - Skin and coat problems - Loss of muscle mass - Intestinal problems - Dental problems - Arthritis - Obesity - Inability to resist infection 4. Your senior dog may get fatter even when eating less calories, because his level of activity is lower and his metabolic rate has changed; thus, choose low-calorie senior dog food to help him stay fit while keeping his protein intake high to maintain muscle mass. 5. Discard low-protein senior dog foods; your old pal requires as much protein as a young dog does. 6 .Ask your vet if your dog should take more Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is an omega-6 fatty acid that helps preserve the skin and coat. 7. Make sure your pal’s senior dog food has fructooligosaccharides (FOS) to help in the growth of good gastrointestinal bacteria. 8.Senior dogs should eat high levels of antioxidants like vitamin E and beta-carotene to help eliminate free radicals, which damage the body’s tissues, and to boost their immune system’s effectiveness. 9.Take your senior dog to the vet regularly and follow a strict daily routine in every sense. Sudden changes and stressful environments should be avoided, since these are not good for senior dogs. Always discuss with your vet before implementing or changing a diet for your senior dog.
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