As dogs get older, you need to pay particular attention to their diet.

Just like humans, we get our nutrients from food, so the contents of a dog's diet can affect its health.So, what kind of food is best for senior dogs?

This article explains what to feed senior dogs, so please use it as a reference!

【Which is better: dog food or homemade dog food? 】

The bottom line is that there's no clear winner.

Like humans, dogs experience a decline in digestive function and metabolic rate as they age. They may also lose teeth, lose chewing strength, and experience a decrease in saliva production.

For this reason, they need soft, easy-to-eat food. Whether you choose dog food or homemade food, you can choose the right food by taking the above factors into consideration. There's no clear nutritional advantage to homemade food, but homemade food requires considerable knowledge to provide a balanced diet.

For this reason, dog food may be easier to maintain in terms of nutritional balance.

【Nutrition Needed by Senior Dogs】

So, what nutrition does an older dog need?

Let's break it down into points.

High protein, low fat, low calories

As dogs get older, they tend to exercise less.

Of course, some dogs remain active even as they get older, but for most dogs, this decreases as they get older.

If you feed your dog a high-calorie diet because it reduces their exercise,

They'll quickly become obese.

Furthermore, as dogs age, their organs also age, and if they become obese, this puts even more strain on them. Their digestive system also weakens, so it's best to limit their intake of hard-to-digest fats. Furthermore, as dogs age, their muscle strength also declines.

To maintain this muscle strength, they need a high-protein diet. Generally, dog food contains a lot of plant-based protein. However, older dogs need more animal protein to maintain their muscle strength.

・Is the food easy to digest?

As dogs age, their digestive organs gradually age.

In addition, internal organs such as the kidneys and liver also age, leading to a decline in digestive enzyme secretion, metabolism, and detoxification.

Feeding your dog foods that are difficult to digest puts a strain on their internal organs, causing them to become fatigued. To maintain their immune system, feed them foods that are easy to digest.

For elderly dogs, try to provide foods that are as low in hard-to-digest proteins, lipids, and unnecessary synthetic chemicals as possible.

・Does it contain ingredients that are good for joints?

Just like humans, dogs' joints weaken as they age.

To protect the joint health of elderly dogs, choose foods that contain as many joint-friendly ingredients as possible.

Typical ingredients include glucosamine, which is good for strengthening cartilage, chondroitin sulfate, fish collagen peptide, which strengthens bones, and MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), which suppresses inflammation.

Joint pain can become chronic, so by taking good care of your dog's joints through proper diet, you can help reduce the strain on your elderly dog.

【What kind of food should I choose? 】

If you're making your own dog food, you can make sure it's nutritionally balanced based on the above information, but what should you keep in mind when buying dog food?

It's difficult to take all of the above into consideration, but I'd like to introduce some recommended dog foods. These are purely my personal opinions, so please use them as a reference.

① Piccolo

This dog food is designed for overweight and elderly dogs, so it's high in protein, low in fat, and low in calories. It also contains the joint-healthy ingredients mentioned above, such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM. Furthermore, instead of grains, which are difficult for dogs to digest, we use high-quality fiber-rich ingredients like sweet potatoes and peas.

And finally, a whopping 70% of the total weight is chicken and salmon. All of these ingredients are high-quality, human-grade ingredients.

② Butch

Dogs are omnivores, but they tend to be more carnivorous.

Comparing the length of their intestines, a dog's intestines are about six times longer than their total body length. It's about 12 times larger for humans and about 20 times larger for cows. A short intestine is a characteristic of carnivores. For dogs who are meat-eaters, this product recreates the texture of raw meat as closely as possible.

It has the same moisture content as raw meat (70%) and up to 92% meat, which is essential for building a healthy body. What's more, it uses animal protein instead of plant protein, as mentioned above.

While wet food may be a little hesitant, it offers all the benefits your dog needs, so please give it a try.

③ Naturol

We mentioned that high-protein food is good for dogs, but some commonly sold high-protein dog foods contain a lot of low-quality protein.

This product is characterized by its high-quality protein content, made with carefully selected ingredients. Also, dogs, like humans, need a healthy intestinal environment, and this product contains lactic acid bacteria to help regulate that environment.

Lactic acid bacteria are sensitive to heat, so Naturol uses low-temperature cooking to ensure live lactic acid bacteria reach the dog's stomach.

【Summary】

Although we've summarized it in one word, "senior dogs," their health conditions vary.

It would be best for your dog if you thoroughly understand which of these nutrients it needs and then prepare the food it needs.

I mentioned that a high-protein, low-fat, and low-calorie diet is best, but if your dog is sick or very weak, it's important to choose the right food for him, such as switching from high protein to low protein.

Dogs are also members of the family we live with. While food alone won't keep them healthy, I believe that proper nutrition is the first step to a healthy dog.

To ensure your pet stays healthy and happy, we want to make sure we provide it with proper food.