[A. Hoff]

Hello,

I have two siblings, altered female & male just turned 11. About a year or so ago I started realizing ‘wow they’re senior dogs I can’t believe that statistics say I likely have only a few years left’ and so I started trying to modify their diet to make it more healthful as I really would love for them to be around for way longer than average. We know their mom was a border collie. We believe their dad was likely a Lab mixed with something else my guess is Burmese Mtn. Dog but nobody knows. The female is 50 lbs & male is 60 lbs. The vet says they are basically at a good weight, he said just slightly chubby but nothing to be concerned about.. 6/10 where 5 is perfect.

For the longest time until they were about 9-10 years old my dog’s were fed the following divided among 2 meals (approx 7 am & 5 pm, I listed approx total daily intake)

1/2 cup kibble, Taste of Wild Pacific Stream (have used other brands/flavors like 4health/BlueBuff but have kept them on TOTW for proably at least 4-5 years and this one flavor for a while as they do well it seems) ~ 200 cal/day
1 can Blue Buffalo wet food (was using 4Health when they were real young but something happened and quality seemed to go down, there would be excessive fat and I switched)- alternate flavors mainly beef & chicken, salmon & chicken, turkey & chicken, and the ‘red meat dinner’ varieties but I’ve tried others like trout, etc. ~ 500 cal/day
1/2 – 1 egg ~ 35-70 cal/day
1/2 can unsalted green beans ~ 30 cal/day

Treats – would be a rotation of those “Milo’s chicken meatballs”, “Milo’s steak griller strips”, “Blue Buffalo baked biscuits (made w/ apple, bacon, etc. varieties), very rarely I would give them something lower quality like milkbones or pupperoni, etc. ~ 100 cal/day

Supplements – Cosequin/Dasuquin 1 tab per day since they were pups (had an older dog when they were pups they just all got one), PetHonesty 10-in-1 multivitamin & probiotic – 2 per day (they started getting this when they were about 3 or 4 because they would have somewhat frequent loose stools or incomplete digestion. It was weird they would take 2 poops on their morning walk, 1 would be perfect, the 2nd would come out 70% perfect and the last 30% would look like a slimy slug), I use “Missing Link” lightly for some extra fats and fiber. I started using this with a previous dog who would get itchy skin, it was recommended by the vet and seemed to do wonders for his coat so I have always sprinkled about 1/4 tsp on a meal at least 1x day.

Total ~900-1000 cal/day

What I started doing different..

I started feeding them 3x day. Same calories, I multiplied their meals by 2/3 and give them that around 7 am, 12:30 pm & 6 pm. I read it might be better for seniors and thought the 14-15 hours between their dinner and breakfast was maybe too long for them to fast.

I started adding more fruits and veggies – I take some carrots & fresh spinach and put them in a food processor and mince it up finely and give them about 1 tbsp per meal.

I started giving them bone broth, I get it boiling and then bathe the kibble and veggies in it and once it has cooled and the kibble has absorbed it and softened I mix the rest in. I also will add a few blueberries and mash them up whenever I have them, or sometimes a strawberry and put it in there.

I reduced the amount of wet food they get from 1 can/day – 1/2 can per day and substituted some real fat/protein that I make for myself (unseasoned). Mostly I use chicken leg quarters, ground beef, eggs, and salmon. I look up all the nutrition information and weight it all out so the calories should be the same as well as the protein:fat ratio should be very similar to the wet food.

I stopped giving them Milo’s & Blue Buffalo and other types of store bought treats almost entirely. I buy sweet potatoes and cut them up into little bite sized pieces (weighing about 0.25 oz each) and air fry them until they are cooked and soft. I also give them pieces of apples, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, or egg for some variety. Sweet potatoes are about 50-60% of what they get treated with and everything else I just named rounds out the rest largely apple or banana.

Supplements is all the same.

I’m just wondering if you think all the changes I made are positive changes or is there anything to be concerned with? Any recommendations for further improvement? They are very healthy for 11, only Rx they are on is my girl is on proin for incontinence for about 1.5 year and it controls it well.. I would say I feel I have noticed some improvement in their coat and energy and overall health but I don’t know if it’s just in my head.

I told the vet about the changes and they seemed to think it sounded good/fine but I don’t know they really listened to me or thought about it, surely it’s better than feeding them straight ol roy kibble like half the dogs they see..

Some things I read that maybe made me think to come and ask:

– Vitamin A in excess levels can be a problem for dogs? Could my dogs be getting too much from the spinach, carrots, & 10-in-1 vitatmin/probiotic?

– I read some warnings about giving them fatty meats and causing pancreatitis.. I assume everything is good with giving them a little chicken w/ skin or ground beef because the protein:fat ratio is roughly the same as dog food and it’s only about 70-80 cal/meal, 3x per day replacing the 1/2 can of wet food I removed with roughly the same ratios.. am I overthinking it?

[Kelly S]

Hello everyone,

We have been feeding our sweet senior Royal Canin hepatic formula at the advise of our vet for years now. She’s now barely eating it, but is foraging around the house all day looking for other food. I realize SOME of this may be cognitive, but am wondering if a small part is her just being sick of the same food, day in and day our. Any recommendations on other foods that are still ok for high liver enzymes and beginning of kidney disease?? Thank you!

[Pet Servo]

At Pet Servo, we understand that proper nutrition is the cornerstone of your dog’s health and happiness. Our extensive range of dog food and supplements is designed to meet the dietary needs of dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds. From premium dry and wet food options to specialized formulas for puppies, adults, and seniors, we have everything you need to ensure your pet receives a balanced and nutritious diet. Additionally, our collection includes a variety of supplements to support joint health, skin and coat condition, digestion, and overall wellness. Browse our selection to find high-quality, vet-approved products that cater to your dog’s specific nutritional needs, promoting a long, healthy, and active life.

[Leslie W]

I went ahead and switched over and she hasn’t had any obvious issues but my vet said although it has similar ingredients he’d like to know how it’s processed so trying to find out who makes it for them. She’s a senior dog now and had a base ultrasound & found mildly thickened small intestines so he was questioning what food I used.

[Anna F]

I am trying to figure out how much I should be feeding my dog per day. I know there is the recommendation on the side of the bag, but I am curious whether that recommendation is for neutered or intact dogs. I know that desexed animals generally need 30% less calories per day than their intact counterparts, but I also understand that simply reducing my pets food intake by 30% can lead to nutritional deficiencies if the food is not formulated to be fed as such. I attempted to reach out to the food company to ask them this exact question, but they responded vaguely, saying:
“*Pet food* is approved for all life stages. With the exception of Optimal Weight and Senior Health, these are formulated for adult dogs only. Our formulas meet the nutritional standards established by the National Research Council and AAFCO to ensure a feed has all known required nutrients in proper amount and proportion based on a dog’s life stage. We recommend following the feeding guidelines listed on the label as this can vary depending on the *Pet food* Recipe you are feeding, these measurements are given for their daily intake.”
However, AAFCO recognizes only three life stages: growth, maintenance, and gestation/lactation. My understanding of foods labeled as “all life stages” is that in order to qualify as nutritionally complete for all the recognized life stages, they must be formulated for the one that has the highest calorie requirement, gestation/lactation. I am wondering if I should then be feeding my dog less than it says on the bag. If so, by how much? I am hesitant to consult my current veterinarian about this because in the past they have labeled my animals as either under or overweight seemingly based purely on weight alone without factoring in body condition or activity level. I really just want my pets to be healthy and to do right be them.

[Ron D]

In the “BEST” ratings of senior dog foods, you give four and a half stars to “Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Adult 7 Plus Senior” food. The second ingredient is “poultry by-product meal”. The next ingredients are “corn”, “rice”, and “corn gluten meal”. Based on every article I have ever read about dog food ingredients, this product is an almost perfect recipe to destroy a dog’s health.

A commenter stated that Dr. Mike Sagman is no longer affiliated with your website; and your website is now owned by “WAG”, which is apparently a dog-walking corporation.

I will never again look to your website for any advice.

[Julia A]

My senior dog will be having her TPLO surgery on Thursday. I was wondering if there’s a specific food I should feed him before and after the surgery. I’ve read a lot of information about TPLO surgeries at https://tploinfo.com/ which is very helpful as well. I was just wondering if there are foods that he shouldn’t eat after the surgery. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks a lot! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

My senior dogs do great on Purina One. I vote for it! I know what you mean about food getting so expensive. I think it goes up every time I buy a new bag.

Anyway, much to the surprise of many people, Purina is a great company! They have been around for a long time and know their stuff. They employ a team of experts, own their own manufacturing facility, and most importantly, (in my opinion) do feed trials.

Good luck!

[Christy K]

My 12 year old girl who used to eat anything and everything came down with HGE in November, a few weeks after getting a puppy. I was pretty good (not perfect) about making sure she didn’t eat my puppy’s food (Orien Large Puppy 16% fat) because she is overweight and will eat it all. I was feeding a mix of Kirkland Nature’s Domain (16% fat) and Authority Grain Free (22% fat) as well as fish oil for the last few years. I then switched her to Orijen Senior (15%) fat about a month or so before the puppy. I did also give her some treats more often (puppy training) but not a ton. After the first bout of HGE, I stopped the oil and she seemed great. Right after Christmas – I let her and my puppy lick some turkey drippings out of a pan and she also had a real bone (the dried kind from the feed store). I noticed a little bit of blood but solid poop. I switched her to Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal (over the course of about a week, still 1/2 and 1/2). About two weeks after I noticed her stools got looser and then real bad diahhrea. Took her to the vet the next day (after feeding straight GI food and electrolytes) and she had really bad bloody/water diarrhea. She is getting better but the vet thinks I need to switch her to a low fat diet the rest of her life.

I am on the fence because she was eating much lower than she used to. I also saw her drinking some water in big dishes I leave out for my tortoise and chickens, which had sat out a couple weeks. I think it might be a bacterial thing. However, they messed up and never tested her stool and she now on antibiotics so I won’t ever know.

That said, I don’t like Royal Canin GI because it’s slaughterhouse waste and I think way too low fat (5%), but I would like to get her on some lower fat food as well as a good digestive gut health food. But, most gut health foods are 12% or more. The low fat foods (dog food advisor recommended) for low fat that have lower fat are Nulo Healthy Weight and Merrick but neighter seem particularly focused on gut health. I could always get extra pre and probiticvs but it would be bnice to have them in one.

So, – food recommendations? Pre and probiotics recommendations? Experiences with HGE?

[Jennifer R]

I am new to fostering and got my first foster last week. I will mostly be working with rescues that pull small/senior dogs from a high-kill shelter in my area. I have been told by most rescue groups to put the dog on any kibble, because they don’t know what they were being fed in the shelter.

I would like advice on what kibble to choose, that I can feed to multiple fosters. I will be getting another foster in as soon as this one’s kennel cough clears up.

I do not generally feed kibble (in the past I fed raw/homemade), so I’m not sure how to proceed.

My current foster is very underweight and has terrible skin. I have her on Open Farm Grain Free Salmon kibble.

Thank you for any advice.

[aimee]

Hi Patricia,

AAFCO only makes 2 nutrient profiles: 1.an adult maintenance profile and 2. a growth/ reproduction profile. Every single diet formulated to meet the growth/reproduction prolife is an “all life stages diet” The manufactures may choose to market a diet that meets the growth/reproduction profile as an adult food, a puppy food, an all life stages food, a food for pregnant and nursing dogs, or even a senior food. Whereas a diet formulated to the AAFCO maintenance profile can be only be marketed as an adult diet or a senior diet

BUT and it is a big BUT if the “all life stages/puppy growth/reproduction diet” has more than 4.5 grams Ca/1000kcals it must be labeled that it is not appropriate for growth of large breed puppies because while small and medium breed puppies and adult dogs can tolerate large amounts of calcium in their foods, large breed puppies can not .

So in the case of Stella and Chewy’s kibbles, most do not say “puppy” on the front panel but since the company apparently formulates them to meet the AAFCO growth/reproduction table they are essentially all puppy/all life stages foods, BUT they apparently are puppy/all life stages foods that exceed AAFCO maximum for Ca for large breed puppies, so S and C has to disclose this by saying in their nutritional adequacy statements that large breed puppies are excluded.

My concern with their statement in the FAQ is that they are saying there is not enough Ca for large breed puppies in their diets that are not specifically marketed as puppy foods, when in fact, the only reason those diets could be ok for small and medium breed puppies, but not large breed puppies, would be if they had too much Ca in them for a large breed pup.

The maintenance profile for dogs requires a min of 1.25 grams Ca/1000kcals and the growth/reproduction profile, which is what is also called all life stages, requires a min of 3 grams of Ca/1000kcals Therefore every all life stage diet has over twice the min amount of Ca needed for an adult.

[aimee]

Hi Patricia,

I’ll address your first question first because it is a good one. IMO the engagement specialist from Purina really dropped the ball. She gave a canned answer instead of a providing the research studies that support the claims. Maybe Purina needs to revisit the training of their customer service agents?

IMO Purina does some awesome research, yet as a company I feel they really fall short in making it known. IMO it should be cited whenever a claim based on that research is made.

The concern I have with this blog, is that IMO as it is written, the blog seems to leave the reader with the impression that Purina may not have any research to support the label claims. I think the point that the blogger should have made is Purina does a lot of research and publishes it regularly to the scientific community but that they need to do a better job in relaying that information to the general public.

Here are some supporting studies I found after a 3 min(?) search. There certainly may be others

Interventions in the Longevity and Maintenance of Long-Term Health in Agine Cats Cupp et al 2008 From the abstract “Cats eating the diet containing the nutritional blend lived significantly longer and showed significantly slower deterioration in a number of clinical health parameters compared to cats fed a standard adult maintenance control diet”

Effect of Nutritional Interventions on the Longevity of Senior Cats Cupp et al 2007 From the abstract “After 5 years cats fed the diet with the antioxidants Vit E and Beta-carotene, dried chicory root and a blend of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids lived significantly longer than cats fed the control diet.”

Cognitive Enhancement in Middle aged and old cat with dietary supplementation with a nutrient blend containing fish oil, B vitamins, antioxidants and arginine. Pan et al 2013
From the abstract: “The cats fed the test diet shoed significantly better performance on three of four test protocols..”

[YorkiLover4]

I have a rescue dog that was overweight when we got him and pooped a lot too. We switched him to Small Batch Raw and also give him Vital Essentials treats. The problem is he is always hungry so to help him lose weight we add in lots of vegetables and divide the food into 3 meals a day. We buy frozen vegetables and cook them. The vegetables give him lots to eat, fill him up and are well digested. The raw food by itself, especially the raw freeze dried as treats is constipating and really firms up stool. His poops are normal and formed and 2x a day. We have to always watch his weight but he is a senior now and has down great on this diet.

[sky S]

Ok here’s the main question, is there a dog food out there that will work for both a senior and a puppy, that doesn’t contain wheat or corn that will not cause to much weight gain for the senior?

A bit of the details

Jax is a 6 year old (ok he’s not really senior but he has some senior problems) chihuahua/pitbull mix (yes i know, laugh, but it’s cute!) with hip dysplasia and who could stand to lose about 3 of 4 lbs. He also definitely has a wheat allergy, but his current food also doesn’t contain corn or soy and I’m pretty sure he’s at least sensitive to those as well. Currently he’s on 4health weight management, which is working well-ish for him but I still can’t feed him the full recommended amount without him getting really fat really quick and with his hip issues that’s really not a good thing.

Niko is a 5 month old lab/husky mix puppy I will be getting soon from a neglected/borderline abusive environment. He is currently on Purina One, no known allergies or medical problems that I know of yet, however he is on the thin side even for a gangly puppy. I am not sure how much of this is due to neglect and not getting enough exercise and how much may be due to food.

Ideally of course I’d love to only have to get one food for both of them, however with them having much different needs right now I highly doubt I’ll be able to find that.

Any suggestions for either one would be highly welcome!

Thanks!

[Frances F]

Are there foods that address both allergy and kidney problems? And ones that are not terribly fattening would also be beneficial.

[Kathleen C]

I started my 11 year old Boston Jack on 3 meals a day when he came down in March with, as of right now, an unknown reason for severe diarrhea and the vet convinced me to switch him to Royal Canin, which I did not want to do. I still believe there was something in his senior/small dog Wellness food that may have caused the problem. Whatever, the vet believed the RC Hydrovised (?) food would cure him and even control his weight. It cured him, I guess if there was a problem, but did not control his weight. The bag shows 17% fat but she says when you subtract the water 10% that brings it down to 8%??? I never have heard of that math! Anyway, Jack is now used to eating 3 meals of 1/4 cup per day, but because of weight gain I’m going back to 2 meals a day. Calorie content with RC is low, but I can’t accept percent of fat amount vet says. However, getting back on Subject: I see no reason not to feed 3 times a day unless it leads to weight gain like Jacks. I will give him maybe 1/3 cup food twice a day and see if that helps weight. I would rather find a good no chicken to change him to but very hard to do so. Oh yes, during all this expensive vet testing stuff she has discovered he’s allergic to chicken. At 11 years of age I doubt there’s any time at all when he was not eating chicken! What causes that???

[Sean W]

Hi everyone,

We recently had our 9-year-old chocolate lab allergy-tested and he came back with the following things testing positive and their HERBU scores are:

Barley: 14
Chicken: 29
Fish Mix: 45
Lamb: 19
Milk: 19
Pea: 27
Peanut: 57
Pork: 24

He was previously on Hills Prescription Metabolic & Mobility which is $106 for a 24lb bag to try and help him lose a little weight and with him being a labrador retriever, the mobility was to help stave off joint issues. I’m having a hard time finding a food that doesn’t have some ingredient in it that he is allergic to. Do you guys have any advice?

Thank you!

[Penelope S]

Here’s the thing….I have a senior dog (going on 14) who was also diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. At the time, he was in major need of a teeth cleaning & that was the reason for the bloodwork. Other than the bloodwork saying something was wrong, he was (& still is) utterly asymptomatic – & as fit, energetic & active as a young dog. We did all the tests, including ultrasound & his kidneys themselves were perfect. Still, the vet didn’t want to do the teeth cleaning…despite all my arguments to the case that dental disease could be a contributing factor. So, I did the whole kidney prescription diet for nearly a year in an attempt to get his levels low enough that my vet would do the cleaning. It was a nightmare for both of us. He HATED – I mean HATED – the food. No matter what flavor or prescription brand I tried. He looked like I was punishing him every time I put a dish of it in front of him. The wet food especially – it smelled like a jar of old pennies so I can’t say I blame him. I could get him to eat it ONLY if I pretended it was a treat & fed him one kibble at a time – so that’s what I did. Guess what. After almost a year on that stuff, his kidney levels barely improved by a fraction of a fraction. His teeth got worse though. Like really a lot worse. Also, because of the super low protein content in these foods, he lost significant muscle mass. I read the ingredients…literally garbage. Wheat gluten, corn gluten, egg “product”, and chemicals…and way more fat (not from quality sources) than the high quality foods I’d been feeding him prior (are muscle wasting & pancreatitis a good tradeoff for kidney disease…?).

Last summer, he almost died. Spent a week in the emergency room after I rushed him there w a swollen face & 103 fever in late July 2020, came home a skeleton (they sent him home to die). Lost a tooth his last day at the ER – & was likely so sick thanks to a nasty abscess. IV antibiotics – heavy duty – the whole time he was there & immunosuppressant doses of prednisone. I syringe fed him high calorie dog food at home for a month, carried him downstairs for potty breaks because he was too weak. He lived though – got stronger. I weaned him off the steroids & did not go back to the prescription food. I started feeding him the food he was on prior to the whole mess – grain free, limited ingredient food, plus green tripe, egg whites…other things like boiled ground meats to vary his diet. Kept his protein high – (because it’s actually BAD to reduce protein in senior dogs & there’s no actual basis for doing so in early stages of CKD), fat moderate, looked up protein sources lower in phosphorus like lamb & beef (in comparison to poultry & salmon). He gained weight, including muscle & his energy levels came back. Most notably, he was excited about meal times again.

I switched to a new vet about 3 months after his ER visit. She said she didn’t understand why the first one wouldn’t do the teeth cleaning way back when. She also said that his bloodwork showed much greater improvement in his kidney levels since I switched back to his old diet compared to tests taken just prior to his ER stay. So we scheduled his teeth cleaning. Before all this started, the old vet had estimated he’d need about 5 or 6 teeth pulled. He ended up losing 14 because they had deteriorated so much in the time since this entire ordeal started. He flew through the cleaning w no issues & was up & running a couple days after. I’m still feeding him the same way & his kidney levels are consistently improving – almost normal levels when I had him tested a couple months after his cleaning. My new vet said I have been doing an excellent job w his diet, is happy w all his bloodwork & now he only has to get it checked at his semi annual checkups (instead of every month like the old vet at $250 a pop). He’s in excellent condition now. He’s a Shepherd/Shiba mix &, when I tell people he’s nearly 14, the reaction is complete disbelief. He keeps up no problem w my 2yr old female APBT mix who is extremely high energy. I have no doubt I will get several more years out of my good boy. Bottom line – do the research, get the 2nd opinions, & never assume your vet (or your own doctor for that matter) know a dang thing about nutrition. Basically find a vet who will work with you rather than one who can’t think “outside the box” or be bothered to keep up w more current research. They sell these foods based on what the manufacturers “sell” them. I wish there was a way to upload photos here – you would not believe the before & after.

[Staci W]

My dog has allergies and they effect his skin badly. I was informed by my vet to go grain free. That helped some but he was still having some major issues with loosing his fur and odors and well as bad skin. He was really starting to look like he had mange. Vet says no Potatoes. He has yeast and Potatoes feed yeast. Ok so I go find a food that has no grain and no potatoes. His skin is healing within days of this switch. But now he smells like cat pee. We do not have cats and he is a senior dog who does not hang outside long enough to roll in cat urine. I googled it and turns out it is common in dogs who are sensitive to high Omega 3 & 6. So now I need to find a dog food that is Grain Free, Potato Free, and low in Omegas. NO I’m not going to feed raw and NO I’m not going to cook for him. I barely have time to cook for myself let alone my doggo.

[philip M]

Orijen dry grain free, for month of Oct. YOU gave a 5-STAR rating.. At the same time,
(Petful), reported a class action lawsuit recently against Orijen, for high amounts of Arsenic, Mercury, and Lead.. So which is it, a 5-STAR rated dog food..? Or a Dog Food company, with major legal problems..? CAN NOT be BOTH..

[Tammie B]

Hi, this is a rather in depth video, but crystals and stones are the first topic. Please feel free to reach out to me via fb with any questions or concerns. My Harley had a UTI and as a senior, started leaking. Unfortunately we discovered this because he sleeps with us and waking up to a wet bed is no fun. I started giving him the Bladder Support and no more leaks! He gets it everyday. I have a friend who’s baby had crystals, and haven’t had any issues since starting the bladder support. Here’s a link to the video I mentioned.

https://www.facebook.com/117246353015706/videos/2876111409326853

[Susan]

Due you know in Australia & other countries around the world we had NO problems with Grain Free dog foods, its seem to just be USA?? & the amount of cases were low/
Have you read the latest whats was put out by FDA about DCM?? they do not have enough proof & G/F kibbles have gone back to using legumes again..

ROTATE your dry dog foods that your dogs do well on & if you want the best for your dogs look at feeding Air Dried & Freeze Dried Raw instead of Kibble, kibble is over processed cooked & cooked high temps with no real nutrients….or add fresh healthy ingredients to your dogs dry kibble.

also with Edie start walking him daily exercise, take away some of his kibble 1/4 cup & replace with beans veggies so weight drops, you don’t want an over weight senior, also put him on a good Krill Oil or Antinol for his his joints, brain, heart, skin, coat eyes, kidney health..

[aimee]

Hi Crazy4 Cats,

The best you can say is you have to look at the individual foods nutrient profiles and the resulting mix. There is so much “marketing spin” and no consistency across brands in regards to the profiles used for a “senior”food or a “weight loss” food.

What a senior needs is individual to that particular dog or cat. What a dog needs for weight loss is individual to that dog. I tend to not look at what the foods are being marketed as being, and instead look at the product’s nutrient profiles and match to the needs of my dog.

[crazy4cats]

Aimee-
Thank you for your input. So, in other words, if you are mixing two foods, one food for senior benefits and the other for weight loss benefits, you might be diluting both and not getting the results you are hoping for from either. Makes sense. I think I need to make a change! 🙂

[aimee]

Hi J B,

This is an interesting question and I’ll give you my thoughts. When two complete and balanced foods are mixed the resulting mixture is complete and balanced. However, feeding for weight loss is a special situation, a complete and balanced food, when fed to achieve weight loss, may not meet nutrient needs.

This is because nutrient levels in foods are tied to an assumed average intake. Because a caloric deficit is needed to achieve weight loss, weight loss foods need to be fortified with nutrients so that when feeding fewer calories a dogs nutrient needs are met.

In this situation you are asking if feeding a presumed fortified with a non fortified food will meet the dogs needs. To answer that you’d need to know the nutrient levels of each food to calculate the levels in the resulting mix, factor in the amount being fed and then compare to needs.

To add to the puzzle is that the nutrients in the vitality formula to support senior health will be being fed at a lower level which may or may not affect outcome.

You said your dog weighs 83 lbs. How much of the vitality formula is she eating a day? What other calorie sources are consumed? Treats, Supplements, dental chews etc. In my experience, Hill’s feeding guidelines are well calculated and so if currently she is consuming an amount at the higher end of the feeding recommendations I’d simply cut back to the lower range and trim other sources. If however she is already consuming at the lower end of the Vitality feeding range, and you would need to feed less than the recommended amount of that diet to achieve weight loss I’d consider switching completely over to a weight loss formula

Finally, Hill’s has a vet support service and you can ask your vet to contact Hill’s, discuss your particular dog, and get customized feeding advice.

[Hav mom]

Oh My! It is so hard to lose weight . But, I think you should start by adding a small amount of the Perfect Weight at each meal with her Senior Vitality formula. About a week should do it until it is completely Perfect Weight food. She should be more or less starting to lose weight by the second week on the Perfect Weight food alone. But, if you prefer the 50/50 method, check with your vet and see if that would be alright for her at this time. ( It is like when you change the dog to a different food .) Actually, she is halfway. there.
Also, you could add a few veggies when you cut the Senior Vitality out. Carrots, broccoli, tiny pieces of apple. etc. that should help the transition, also less calories, filling and healthy for them. Hope it helps. Perhaps someone else has a better solution to help you with this.
. Good Luck.

[J B]

I feed my 12 yr old lab mix “Science Diet Senior Vitality” dry food, and she eats it fine. So, she’s 83 pounds and could afford to lose a few pounds for her health. “Science Diet Perfect Weight” dry food formula has less calories. Both are chicken based. Can I do half and half of each, so that I cut the caloric intake by at least some from half of it being the lower calorie “Perfect Weight” formula? I like that she likes the “Senior Vitality” AND that it has, supposedly, good nutrition for an older dog. But, I want her to take in less calories. Is there any real downside to giving her a 50/50 mix of both? Thanks

[Steven I]

Hi everyone. I have a soon to be 17 year old female chihuahua.

Her vet advised she should go on a limited ingredient diet because of allergies and age.

She has the fresh pet refrigerated food now but what similar food would be good for her?

She prefers the refrigerated fresh food over kibble and has some teeth missing so she likes softer foods best. Thanks for any suggestions you can give.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Steven I.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Steven I.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Steven I.

[crazy4cats]

I feed our senior dogs Purina Vibrant Maturity. It is Ok for all sizes of seniors. The kibble is quite small. They love it and are doing great on it. Give it a try!

[S R]

I have been feeding my dog Wellness Complete, Small breed, Senior, grain inclusive-deboned Turkey and peas, but I don’t see it recommended anywhere on the dogfoodadvisor site. I didn’t know if you had any experience with this specific dog food?.

Thank you for your comprehensive feed back and continued responsiveness!

[Jenny Rellick]

When shopping for senior food, I noticed that, among the highest quality brands, the only difference in ingredients in their senior food is that it contains glucosamine and chondroitin to help with arthritis. Other healthy aspects of senior foods are that they contain 1. probiotics (to aid digestion and boost the immune system) and 2. omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids (for heart health, joint lubrication, and skin health.) However, high-quality brands typically include probiotics and omegas 3 and 6 in all of their foods. You can give your dog glucosamine and chondroitin in treats such as Zuke’s Hip Action, which can be broken into small pieces, instead of searching for a grain-inclusive senior food with those ingredients. The CANIDAE All Life Stages Formula Dry Dog Food line may be what you’re looking for. It has 4.5 stars. The label specifically says it’s appropriate for all dog sizes. They only make a specific small-breed size for their grain-free food because the standard kibble size for their grain-free food is larger. Also, even the grain-free senior food that I buy has much smaller than average kibble, which is a good sign the All Life Stages really is okay. If you buy it locally and it’s not appropriate for your dog, you should be able to return it or call Canidae for a refund because it says ALL sizes on the label. By the way, don’t buy this brand on Amazon because multiple recent reviews say it’s counterfeit.

[S R]

I notice you don’t have a separate “small breed, senior” dry dog food category.

With that said, what small dog, senior, dry, grain inclusive food do you recommend?

Thank you for responding

[Farouk F]

If you have a puppy all the way to a senior dog…listen very closely – the sooner you remove this item from your home, the healthier your family dog will be.

With this common household item that nearly 100% of DOG OWNERS have in their home, I shortened my dog’s life, killing her with cancer…without even knowing it…

…and I guarantee, YOU are doing the same exact thing to your dog…

…each…

…and…

…every…

…DAY…

Luckily, it’s not too late to turn things around and save your dogs life…

Today – I’m going to show you a simple, inexpensive, and fun way to add years to your dog’s life…

…and quite possibly, cancer-free years!

This can rapidly improve, literally, every aspect of your dog’s health…

…diminish arthritis, soothe painful joints…

strengthen your dog’s bones and muscles…

drastically reduce shedding while giving them a soft, shiny coat…

End bad breath…

stinky odor…

smelly farts…

And even protect your dog from cancer and organ failure.

I should also mention, this works on all dogs…

From puppies to senior dogs and everything in the middle…

It doesn’t even matter the size or breed of your dog.

In fact, this simple method has been used by tens-of-thousands of dog owners all across the world…
…not used since the early 1900s and…

Buried by greedy corporations…

Corporations filled with the greed of money and the highest profits ever recorded…

However, I will share this method with you today.

Dog owners that use this method are happily reporting their four-legged-friends now have…

More energy, better mobility, and a stronger immune system than ever before.

Click Here For more Info : https://bit.ly/3uAXYKh

[Abraham]

A common problem that arises in senior dogs from food component mismanagement is digestive problems that said, finding the best senior dog food for a sensitive stomach has just one major problem. The top food for dogs sensitive stomach. https://reviewistic.com/the-best-senior-dog-food-for-sensitive-stomach-reviewed/

[Abraham]

Top best wet dog food for senior dogs on reviewistic.com.

[Susan]

Hi Ryan,
I feed Patch – “Canidae Pure Senior” its has 10.80%max- fat, high protein-30% & low/med carbs around 30%carbs, also the lower the fat% & lower the protein% kibbles are higher the carbs, same with HIGH fiber diets can also cause Acid reflux, too much Omega oils, NSAID, steriod medications, joint, Arthritis, skin supplements, can also cause acid reflux…

Look at Canidae Pure Weight Management kibble its 9%-fat, has same or very similar ingredients to the Canidae Pure Senior kibble & the fiber is 5% alot of Weight Management kibbles are low fat but high in fiber.
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-pure-grain-free-weight-management-dry-dog-food-chicken/

I try & stick with around 10-13%max- Fat, 30%-Protein & 30%-Carbs, fiber-5% & under & the kibble has to have Potato or Sweet Potato or both.
People don’t realise the dog also needs low/med carbs & try & avoid fermentable grains as they ferment in the gut causing acid reflux – wheat, barley, oats and rye, most vet diets contain these grains Patches acid reflux seems to get worse when eating grain Gastrointestinal vet diets .
What I’ve found over the years, dogs who suffer with Acid reflux seem to do better on a Grain Free Potato diets, when the dog is having a acid reflux attack- I boil Sweet potato in small pieces & I freeze – take out 1 piece sweet potato, put on plate in Microwave to thaw then I mash the sweet potato give to dog, the potato settles dog or human esophagus, throat & stomach…
For Lunch I buy Tin- Yellow Fin Tuna, Tuna is the lowest in fat & low in omega oils, Sardines & Salmon are too strong for Patch, he mouth licks, I add boiled mashed White & Sweet Potato also add the white of a boiled egg sometimes, the yellow egg yoke is high in fat.
For his Arthritis he’s 12yrs old now, I’ve been doing Physiotherapy twice a day as he cant take NSAID drugs, his vet said Physio will extend his life as alot of dogs get Put To Sleep cause they become so stiff & cant walk in the end, he takes Panadol Children Chewable 3+years 120mg when in pain, 10mg per kg..
I do the Sausage Roll Massage as your massaging & rolling dog skin you’ll feel dogs skin flinching stop & hold the twitching roll/skin for 5-10sec it will be a bit uncomfortable at first so offer the dog treats or his kibble after 1 week its not as painful & Patch rolls have stop twitching.

Have you joined F/B group called “Acid Reflux in Dogs” I cant believe how many poor dogs are suffering with Acid Reflux.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635198406751056

[Amanda H]

I have a 14 year old Jack Russel Terrier who eats just about anything, hhe is in good health and pretty ideal weight. We have been feeding him him small breed kibble, no specific brand, tried staying with Nutro but would switch it up cause he needed to get bored…. Now we have an 8 week old great dane, who came with Diamond naturals puppy food. She has pretty much refused to eat her kibble, but instead prefers the JRTs, cheaper less quality food. Even when topped with large breed puppy canned food. I know the great danes diet is critical for her health. can my senior JRT eat her food and still maintain a healthy life? My jrt has always been a nibbler only eating a little here and there so I can’t just take the food away out of their reach…

[Eiron M]

Hi –
I’m looking for some advice on home to help my senior dog. She recently was diagnosed with the beginning stages in kidney disease. The vet put here on Royal Canin and then Adyzol (spelling?) She got horrible diarrhea and after several more trips to the vet and a handful of medications she was still suffering from the runs. I stopped giving her the Adyzol which has helped some but she’s still not back to normal. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
EMM

[kerry S]

Hi Everyone,
hoping someone here can provide some advice guidance/recommendations. I have a 13 yr old Shiba whom we just adore, who started having major vomiting /eating grass issues last April. We had him do rounds of tests at a bad vet with no resolution. I suspected he might have food allergies and got him on a protein he had not eaten and food that was grain free. He did GREAT ont his new food majority of the covid summer (had him on Just food for dogs DIY Venison and Squash).
He recently had a very bad episode of vomiting, loose stool and no appetite in November. We got him to the emergency vet and their team there recommended we put him on Ultamino by royal canin for IBD. He eats the kibble but itches and itches/licks his paws 45mins after feeding, and he’ll do this for quite some time (1-2hours sometimes more). I think something in the food is irritating him, but I don’t know what.
I called the vet and she just said to try a different food. However all the Royal canin Hydrolyzed brands seem to have the same ingredients… I can try a different brand… Does any one know of any Limited ingredient Hydrolyzed protein foods? He’s allergic to grains , chicken and beef (those are the ones I know of)
Blue Buffalo makes one (Hydrolyzed Salmon, grain fee, preservative free) , but the vet said there is no science or verified results on that brand that is proven effective for IBD and that the ingredients I think I am getting might not actually be the ingredients I am getting… I heard allergy tests are not reliable. Any advise would be much appreciated! I feel like I am running out of time to get him better since he’s a senior pup
many thanks!
Ker

• This topic was modified 5 years ago by kerry S.

[Anonymous]

Hello, my dog is a maltese, 10 years old and lately she has allergies. I’ve been feeding her from day 1 with Orijen (red, but now Senior). I am looking information for Acana Lamb & Apple, and if it is suitable for a 10 years old dog.
Thank you!

[Susan]

Hi Isabella,
there might be too much organ meats in the pre made raw your buying read ingredients, also too much bone, my boy cant have too much organ meats- liver, heart, kidney, or bone causes diarrhea with him or the fat is probably toooo HIGH in the raw you’re feeding …
The fat in raw diet, cooked meal & wet can foods & dog rolls hasn’t been converted to dry matter like a kibble has, so when you see say-5%min fat, I times the fat % by X 4 = 20%min-25%max fat you’ll get an ruff idea what the fat is, also it depends on the moisture %, if the moisture is 78% max & under the max fat will less, if the moisture is 79% or more then the max fat will be higher.
Or contact the Pet Food Company & ask them which raw formula has the lowest amount of fat you’d be looking for 3% 4% max fat to get around 10-16% fat, ask can you have the fat converted into dry matter.

Best to make your own premade raw diet my vet said cause most pre-made raw is high in fat, when you make your own raw you control ingredients, organ meats, & fat unless you find a local small business who makes pre-made raw with fresh human grade free range meats.

Turkey & Pork is really good lean white proteins when the fat is removed & buy green fresh vegetables – parsley, broccoli, celery, small spinach leaves, apple, peel de seed cut up apple & put veggies thru a blender, blend into a pulp & put veggies/fruit mix into ice cube trays – 1 spoon & cover ice cube trays, then freeze & take out night before put in fridge or use as needed, add 1-2 veggie/fruit mix spoons to 1 cup meat also buy tin Salmon drain the salmon & put in container & store in fridge, add 2 spoons salmon per meal to help balance diet & add Omega 3 to dogs diet.
Or look for Freeze Dried Raw or Air Dried Raw- Ziwi Peak has their Venison formula for Skin & bowel problems & has the lowest fat% but fat is still too high for my boy, in Australia we have Prime SKD rolls – Kangaroo & Pumkin, Wild Boar & Pumkin, Salmon & Tapioca, Duck & Sweet Potato, Crocodile & Tapioca, Kangaroo & Potato, Turkey & Flaxseed rolls, these rolls are really good for dogs who suffer with food sensitivies then you start an food elimination diet what you need to do.
I dont know if there’s same type of rolls you have in US??
So you’ll know what ingredients your dog is sensitive too?? as food sensitivities cause farts, sloppy poos, wind pains, yeasty ears, yeasty skin, rubbing bum on ground, anal problems, vomiting itchy skin,.
Food sensitivities can take 20mins for dog to react after eating a food, up to 6 weeks to react??
Id start a food elimination diet now Winter is coming best time as environment allergens are at their lowest so less chance confusing results.

“Sudocrem” is excellent its an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, healing cream for skin problems, Eczema, Dermatitis, itchy dry red skin, Sudocrem acts as a barrier & protects skin from Allergens normally dogs who get Hot spot suffer with Environment allergies & yeasty ears, skin paws can be from environment allergies & food sensitivities..my boy suffers with both..
Weekly Cool Baths in a medicated shampoo are the best you can do to wash & cool skin, if dog is really itchy then bath twice a week in medicated shampoo, I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, it kills the yeast & bacteria on skin, days you do not bath buy baby wipes that have aloe extract leaf & vitamin E, wipe the dog down after being outside wipe off allergens, before bed wipe dog down & apply the Sudocrem to stop any itchy skin & heal red itchy skin even ears I use cotton tip & lightly apply Sudocrem & before going outside apply Sudocrem it acts as a barrier to protect skin from allergens.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sudocrem-Antiseptic-Healing-Cream-125g/553023443

I like “Canidae Pure Fresh Pork -16% fat or Canidae Pure Fresh Duck & Sweet Potato 16-17% fat or Canidae Pure Fresh Salmon & Sweet Potato has highest fat% 18-20% fat a lot of dogs doing really well on Canidae Pure formula’s I buy the Canidae Pure Senior for my old boy.

You can also try “Gastro Elm” alot of people say its really good firm up sloppy poos acid reflux etc its Slippery Elm powder, Dandelion Root Powder and Marshmallow Root Powder.
https://www.gastroelm.com/

[Chipy]

Meleasa, I understand your struggle trying to figure out what’s best for your little seniors. I’ve been there myself… and I know how exhausting it is to be constantly worrying about the right choices that support our fur baby’s well-being.

Both terms “Senior” and “Small Breed” are marketing terms the pet food industry uses to sell more junk food 🙁 My Shit-tzu looking little one is also 9.5 y/o. I stopped feeding him kibble & canned food many years ago when I learned about the dangers of these processed diets. I encourage you to watch the documentary “Pet Fooled” on Netflix to learn about the truth and how kibble is made.

Luckily, there are a few amazing holistic and integrative vets educating dog lovers online about the importance of fresh food diets and the essential nutrients dogs need. My personal favourite is Dr. Peter Dobias. He has created a free Natural Diet Course which contains videos and articles full of information on this subject;

https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet – It’s super helpful to learn the basics!

He also has an online Recipe Maker, which will help you build healthy meals for your dogs with the ingredients you have available. It provides guidance on amounts of each ingredient and which ingredients are best;

https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com

The key is to offer a variety of both proteins and vegetables, and add essential nutrients to help fill in any deficiencies;

Dog Essentials

I’m so happy we switched from processed food to home-made. It takes some time to learn the principles but it is so worth your energy investment because you will be saving a lot of money on future vet bills. I hope these free resources will be helpful for your pups and you get to enjoy many more happy and health years together! 🙂

[Ryan K]

I am trying to get my dog off his RX diet of Hills Low Fat ID. He has been on it for a few years now and it has really helped his reflux but I really want to get him on something less full of fillers and more healthy but he struggles whenever a kibble has high omega 3 oils. I notice if the oil content goes over 2% it really causes his reflux to go nuts. Does anyone know of a good food for a senior dog without the high oil content? I’m struggling. Any thoughts? I’m also curious as to what amount of protein a senior dog his size should be getting? He’s 11 and he’s 25 pounds. He’s a dachshund terrier mix.

[Taylor C]

Reaching out on here because I’m at a loss on what to do. About a month and a half ago my dog (8ish year old chihuahua cross) started having small sneezing fits as well as “reverse sneezing” with unilateral discharge. I had an appointment anyways to get some pretty major dental work done and upon initial examination the vet found an infection in her mouth which he attributed the sneezing to. She was put on 2 weeks of amoxicillin and healed up great from surgery however the runny nose did not go away, it seemingly got worse. About a week later I took her in for an X-Ray as I was still worried and it came back clear, she was also given another antibiotic which did not work. The vet then suggested a rhinoscopy which I went ahead with. The specialist told me her nasal passages were too small and too swollen to scope but he flushed her nasal passages and she was given yet ANOTHER antibiotic and a steroid to reduce inflammation. The histopathology results from the cells they flushed from her nose came back as nothing alarming, just red blood cells and epithelial cells from her nose. She did alright for a couple days after the scope and now it’s back to bloody, green discharge from her right nostril, difficulty breathing, sneezing, reverse sneezing. My next step is a CT scan however I have to wait a week after she finishes her steroid or else a false negative may arise if they do perform a biopsy and this is also the 3rd time she would be sedated in less than two months which I know is very hard on older dogs. I’m just at a loss as to what’s going on and I don’t know how no one can figure out what’s going on. I’ve tried steaming her in my shower, benadryll and natural allergy drops with absolutely no avail. I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar with their dog or if they know anything else I could try to reduce the swelling and inflammation in her nasal passages. I would also like to note she has not lost her appetite or energy during all of this, she’s acting just like herself minus the struggling to get air in through her nose. Any advice would help 🙁

[Patricia A]

Melissa I don’t believe there is a difference in ingredients if a brand says small breed. It is probably just the size of the kibble and nothing should be different in the same flavor/protein of the same brand which doesn’t have small breed on the label. Large breed puppy food I believe would be an exception since large breed puppies have very different nutritional needs then non large breed puppies.
When it comes to senior foods I don’t believe it’s necessary to switch foods. It depends on you dog as stated in this article. If you have a vet check with blood work and your dogs are in good health then no reason to switch their food. Also there is nothing wrong with giving your senior dogs some REAL food at times. That being boiled white meat chicken, string beans, lean steak , watermelon . I’m sure they will enjoy this at their age. Hopes this helps.
Manufacturers “might be increasing protein, decreasing protein or keeping it the same,” Freeman said. “That emphasizes to us to look at the individual animal, and not all aging animals need a different diet. It’s much, much more important to look at individual dogs.”
Respondents tended to assume that senior dog foods were lower in calories, yet this actually varied from 246 to 408 calories a cup. Not all dogs gain weight as they age, some gain weight and some stay the same, Freeman said. Survey respondents also tended to assume that senior diets had less fat, protein and sodium. But, this was also not necessarily the case, with much variation among individual petfood brands, Freeman found.

“The study highlights the diversity among dogs and, consequently, dog food products. Each dog is unique and has distinct needs,” said Kurt Gallagher, a spokesman for the Pet Food Institute.”Attaining senior status depends on several factors, including the breed and weight of the dog. The differing nutritional needs of dogs are exemplified by the variance in the amount of protein senior dogs should consume.”

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Patricia A.

[Meleasa C]

I have three littles, two are Shih Tzu and one is Shih Tzu and Bichon mix. They are all seniors at ages 9 and 10. I’ve been feeding them a small breed dog food for many years, but am wondering if I should switch them to a Senior formula. Any thoughts on which way I should lean, small breed versus senior? Thanks!

[Susan]

@ Wonderuspups,
A Colonoscopy is different to an Endoscope Stomach you just need a empty stomach, not empty bowel the camera can only go down esophagus & maybe small bowel only if the sphincter flap is open to enter small bowel for dogs.
Patch has IBD not IBS..
When Patch is having Endoscope + Biopsies, he eats his Dinner night before then no more food after 8pm, no water after 12am, next day he goes to vet 10am, his Endoscope app is at 11am, blood is taken for anesthetic check.
then I get a call from his vet nurse who’s looking after him after his procedure to tell me Patch has woken up come around 3pm to pick him up then he’s back home eating small meal 3-4pm & running around, there’s no pain with Endoscope/Biopsies, he stayed on his Acid Blocker meds weren’t stopped same with me.
I have Endoscope every 5 yrs, no food after 12am I’m at hospital 8am next day, back home 11am same day & I have to take my meds before I leave home that morning, when I was younger I was told to stop my ant acid medication 2 weeks before Endoscope & my god the pain I had bad acid reflux, when my scope/biopsies was finished & I woke up the Gastro Dr told me to take my ant acid medication as soon as I get home, cause my esophagus & stomach is red & inflamed..

Turmeric is hot spice, I cant take it & I’d never give to Patch as it would upset his stomach. Same as Apple Cider Vinegar makes acid reflux worse if dog or person is making too much Hydrochloric acid in their stomach, coconut oil can cause bad acid reflux as well its a hard fat, not a soluble fat.
You have to be very careful with animals as they cant talk & tell owner they’re in more pain after having natural herbs etc.. The only supplement I’ll use is Slippery Elm powder cause I’ve tried it & CBD oil, I always try things first..

@ Sienna.
I’d be trying medications before trying any holistic supplements, Turmeric can cause stomach upset, if your dog has Ulcer Turmeric will make pain worse.
Patch was eating Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion & the fish made his acid worse he cant eat any fish kibbles they’re higher in Omega Oils, also dogs who suffer with Pancreatitis have problems with oily fish + fish oils, they can cause a Pancreas flare, if you follow Dr Judy Morgan her old dog he’s since passed away, he kept having Pancreatic flare every month so Judy stopped everything in his diet & did Elimination Food diet & re introduced everything slowly & it was the Fish Oil causing his flares… look at Turkey & Potato kibbles, Pork & Potato kibbles
Here’s Canidae Pure Wild Boar but the fat is 15-16%???
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-pure-grain-free-dry-dog-food-wild-boar/

Patch does really well on the Canidae Pure Senior it has the lowest fat- 10.80%max are you 100% sure she cant have Chicken you’ve don’t a proper elimination diet?

There’s also 4Health Special Care Sensitive Stomach, there’s NO meat + kcals are low
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-special-care-sensitive-stomach-formula-for-adult-dogs-8-lb-bag?cm_vc=-10011

4Health has Lamb & Rice Kcals are 328Kcals per cup easy to digest ingredients fat -12%min.

Sometimes we have to put aside our strong beliefs & do whats best for the dog, I’m feeding Patch Eukanuba Senior kibble Eukanuba made in Australia, ingredients are slightly different to USA Eukanuba, it has Corn & Wheat & Patch isn’t wanting his grass he normally wants after Dinner, I’m going back to what Patch was first put on when I rescued him 2012 + I know Eukanuba makes low residue kibbles easy to digest ingredients.

[Susan]

Hi Sienna,
May I ask what kibble did you try, what is the fiber % & what is the Kcals per cup, did you give any Slippery Elm Powder or Gastro Elm made into a slurry given 20mins before eating?
When she wants to keep eating , to me this is when Patch has his pain, he follows me into the kitchen, into lounge room, after he has eaten, I have to tell him Patch you have just eaten -Go away now, go to sleep or we go on a walk if its around 9.30am or 5pm, I have him in a strict routine it helped with his anxieties as he knew whats happening next & know the exact time he has his meals, the cat has to be in bed & quiet by 8.30pm or he starts stressing & shaking.
Sometimes I massage his stomach & bowel area while he’s sitting near me waiting while on the computer & sometimes he has wind/gas he farts. He’ll eat the same food & be fine in the morning but at night he’s whinging, he’s pacing, crying, talking, I keep the grass he likes in bowl of water in kitchen for about 5 days,I get tea towel & I dry a few pieces grass & I ask him do you want grassy, he often says yes & takes the grass blade side of his mouth, so he can chew the grass the grass settles whatever is wrong then he often goes to sleep, but since starting Eukanuba Senior he’s stop wanting his grass, so ingredients in the Eukanuba must be OK & aren’t making him feel sick. Our Eukanuba is made Australia now not US so our ingredients are a bit different but it still has corn.
If you’re in America vets don’t do Endoscope & Biopsies they send you to a specialist who cost a lot of money apparently- $2000-$3000, Australia $700-$900 Vets in Australia NZ & UK study longer to become vets, Patches vet is from America she had to do extra studying when she came to Australia to be a vet here.
Biopsies Patch has 2 biopsies 1 on stomach wall & 1 small bowel if the flap is open only cost $60 each biopsies, its the Endoscope that cost the money, this is why some people just ask their vet can they please try the triple therapy medications diet change & see if dog gets better, most vets say OK as nothing else has worked, the Metronidazole does help, has she ever been on medications? low dose Prednisone? this takes away pain makes them sleep. Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat, low fiber a low residue diet & it can take 1-2 weeks to see a change the meds are needed.

[sienna11711]

Hi!! I am definitely a food is medicine kind of person. I was pretty sad when the raw and homemade diet didn’t work for her, because it definitely made her more calm overall but the stool and weight loss was a no go. I’m hoping that one day we can do a homemade diet especially since she’s a senior now.

We have used various tinctures from Pet Health and Nutrition Co.- they make awesome blends for many different issues, but unfortunately with my dog they would help a lot (almost like a sweetspot) for like, one month tops, and then she would go back to how she was previously. We were doing a hypothyroid blend as well as the adrenal blend. I still have the adrenal blend, so maybe I can try starting it up again.

She was also previously on a supplement called Thyro Complex (Progressive Labs) which has thyroid/pituitary/adrenal/spleen glandulars as well as iodine and kelp. When she was first “diagnosed” with hypothyroidism and prescribed levothyroxine, the vet also prescribed this. Within 2 days her coat drastically improved, even the color (she’s a brindle) opened up, she looked like an orange tiger! Her coat was amazingly soft. But unfortunately she then started dribbling urine nonstop all day, became excessively thirsty, and lost like 5 pounds in one week. Our new vet said it was likely that since her thyroid is not the true issue here, the thyroid glandular was over supporting her thyroid and plunging her into possible hyperthyroid territory. I did used to pour out half the capsule for a while, but gave up on it once we ruled out true hypothyroidism. Perhaps I should re order for the time being just to give extra support.

I’m very interested in turmeric, would you recommend giving it as a powder? she totally has some inflammation going on so turmeric would probably be a good option.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried aromatherapy, but Caroline Ingraham ihas an amazingggg essential oil program for animals with behavioral and health issues. I myself never was into oils although I do enjoy the scents, but it’s basically a method of letting animals select their own “cure” by presenting them a bunch of different oils. Animals in the wild will often self medicate by consuming certain plants when distressed so it works with that phenomenon. She’s done this with horses, dogs, cats, and even leopards. Usually during a successful session the animal will totally relax and even sleep. It’s amazing how the animals actually choose what they need. I ordered a bunch from her just to try out and my dog was obsessively trying to lick and eat Violet Leaf Oil- commonly used for stress and anxiety. She actually just keeps going at it over and over so it made it pretty clear my dog’s condition is really taxing to her. Other oils she would sniff for a bit and then turn away and others she just ignored completely.

[Susan]

When a dog is suffering with pain & stress they can bite. nip, a few times Patches vet was pushing & prodding his stomach/pancreas area & he growled at her he’s never growled at anyone but this told her where he was sore she calls it his IBD Pain, she said she suffers with IBD so its good she understands what Patch is going thru
I started to know if Patch was lifting up his front paw, I use to think he wanted to shake hands but no he wants to have stomach area rub, I wait & see was it just 1 day his stomach was sore or more then 1 day & I’d rotate & change his kibble.
a low dose of Metronidazole helps with the pain & kills the Helicobacter, some dogs are kept on a low dose of Metronidazole. Also vet wanted to put him on Prednisone something I didn’t want him on, finally 2017 we tried a very low dose 5mg twice a day, the Pred took away his abdomen pain & he slept really good but he got diarrhea & vomited the first day I tried it, even when we went down to 5mg a day poos were very sloppy, vet said give him the Prednisone 2 days & then stop then as soon as he gets his pain give him low dose prednisone for 2 -3 days again then stop, this did stop his pain, but I learnt once his diet agree with him & Kcals were low he was good no pain.
Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat low residue kibble vet diet is good, its low fat & low fiber, he doesn’t have any pain when he’s eating R/C Gastro-intestinal kibble, but he starts swallowing mouth suckling some days, so I add 1/2 the R/C gastro with 1/2 another kibble.
When I first rescued Patch my vet called the Animal Behaviourist into our room to teach me how to teach Patch the words “LEAVE IT” I was even told to muzzle him when he went outside & on walks so he couldn’t eat any foods or cat poo when I wasn’t watching it caused IBD flares -pain..
I’d deal with her pain (Meds) then her Behaviour will get better..

With Low fat kibbles just watch the fiber stay 5% & under & Kcals are low, under 350Kcals per cup, the higher the Kcals more dense are ingredients so harder to digest, stomach & pancreas works harder.

Large Breed Kibbles are best as they are formulated to not cause bloat in large breed dogs, Patch is a medium breed, he does good on Large Breed & Senior kibbles, Wellness Core Large Breed, Canidae Pure Senior G/F are really good. Diamond Naturals Senior & the Large Breed Adult looks good especially the Senior,
Protein is higher-25% Fat is low-11%, Fiber-3% & Kcals are low-318Kcals per cup

Diamond Naturals Senior Dog Chicken, Egg & Oatmeal Formula