When should I transition over to a Senior diet?
Written by: Zoe Russell BSc (Hons)
Graduate Nutrition Officer, Naturediet
During the colder months, some dogs may start to get a little stiff in the joints (just like us) or become less active due to the deteriorating weather conditions. Therefore it may be a good time to review both how much you are feeding, and what you are feeding your dog.
What defines a senior dog?
There’s no strict definition as to when a dog becomes ‘senior’, as all dogs are unique in the way they age and will have different life-spans depending on their breed. However for large breeds, they can generally be classed as ‘senior’ from around 5-8 years of age, while smaller breeds can be classed as ‘senior’ from around 10 years of age.
When should I move onto a senior diet?
Providing a dog is happy, healthy and a good weight, they can generally stay on a “normal” adult food right throughout their senior years. You may simply need to adjust their daily intake, particularly if they are less active, while keeping a close eye on their weight and condition.
However, if a dog is putting on weight (even on a reduced portion), or they require a lower fat, lower protein diet, that’s when a senior food may be suitable. The Feel Good Senior Lite is our lowest protein recipe at 8% protein, and one of our lower fat diets at 6%. This also makes it one of our lowest calorie foods at 91 kcal/100g, which may be beneficial for dogs who need to lose a little weight. Keeping excess weight off is also a good way to support those ageing joints.
The Feel Good Senior Lite is made with turkey and chicken, which are lower fat, highly digestible sources of protein, to help support lean body condition. We also use vegetables such as carrots and potato, which provide a source of vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre to support healthy digestion. Our recipe is also complete and balanced, which means it provides all the nutrients a healthy dog needs.
Why choose a wet diet?
Feeding a wet diet can be beneficial for older dogs. For some senior pets, they may not eat as much as before, perhaps due to tooth degradation, gum disease or reduced sensory perception. Wet diets provide a higher level of moisture and can therefore be highly palatable and soft on the teeth and gums. Our wet foods are also gently steam cooked, so can be highly digestible for sensitive or challenged digestive systems.
Thinking of moving onto the Senior Lite?
When changing diet, we would suggest making changes slow and gradual over 7-10 days. With any dietary change it’s not uncommon to see some loose stools and flatulence which can take up to 6 weeks for the digestive system to adapt.
How much should I feed?
You may notice that all of our cartons provide a set of concise guidelines based on your dog’s current weight. However for a more detailed guideline, please get in touch with our nutrition team who would be happy to provide one for your dog. Although it’s important to note that our guidelines may still need adjustment to suit your dog’s individual needs.
Contact us
Looking for more information? Please give our nutrition team a call on 01362 822 320 or email us at nutrition@naturediet.co.uk and we would be happy to help.
