[InkedMarie]

Hi Mark,
You don’t need a senior food. Most of them are too low in protein, with Orijen senior being the exception. The food you’re using is a good food but if you want something else, Orijen senior would be good to try.

[Karen D]

Thank you so much Pitlove, I bought a sample of the Orijen Senior & Peanut adores it, poops are getting better too, so ordered a 15# bag from Vetinternet. I spoke to soon about the Honest Kitchen Perfect Form, it worked the first 3 times then back to mushy poop. I am mixing the Orijen with her canned Newmans at present & probably will continue as I have several cases stockpiled…..is that ok to do?

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Karen D.

[Mark K]

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone has had good experiences with a specific brand of Senior Dog Food. I am currently using Wellness Reduced Fat for my 8+ year old Yellow Lab and am considering switching over. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time and information.

Sincerely, Mark K.

[anonymously]

What you describe sounds like environmental allergies. If I were you, I would consult a board certified veterinary internal medicine specialist or dermatologist. Diet/food may not have much to do with his symptoms.
At age 16, I would let the dog (if it was mine) eat whatever he wants, in moderation.

PS: Check out the search engine here at this site, lots of info.
I assume your pet has had a senior workup, if not, that might be a good place to start. The veterinarian may be able to prescribe medications (depending on the results of the exam) that will keep your dog comfortable.

[Pitlove]

If it’s within your budget have a look at Orijen Senior. Chewy.com offers the frequent buyer program for Orijen even though its not advertised on their site and you get free shipping at 49$, plus they have excellent customer service as others mentioned.

[Pitlove]

Allison- Senior dogs have an increased requirement for protein as they do not metabolize it as well as their adult counterparts. Is Petco the only place available for you to shop or do you have a small up-scale pet store near you or can you shop online? If so, I’d look at Orijen Senior. It’s argued as the best Senior kibble on the market, but you will not find it at Petco or PetSmart.

[Allison C]

Long time lurker, but joined this forum to address tons of questions that I used to bother Petco employees with and never got a definitive answer to.

I have two senior toy poodles, one (9lb) with medium activity level, the other one (smaller, 6lb) with little to none activity level. Suffice to say I try to get as much exercise for them as possible but the smaller one is just way too stubborn and lazy–let’s save that topic for another day.

We were on Wellness Core Original for some 10 years or so. Now I’m looking to jump ship because I figured the dogs could use a variety in their food life and also I came to believe that limited ingredient diet is better for my aging dogs. Right now we’re on Canidae Pure Salmon but I don’t know if the dogs like it as much as they did Wellness.

In my search for dog food I tried to look at those with protein % of 30 or more but it’s not easy to reconcile that with the limited ingredient factor.

But I recently heard/read somewhere that high protein food isn’t good/effective for inactive dogs. Because if that’s true, I can just feed my dogs Wellness Simple, which comes with relatively low protein %. Is it true that high protein can be bad?

[Shawna]

Hmmmmm? Creatinine is only a little high… Something doesn’t jive here. I’m sure there are exceptions to the rules but creatinine is a better indication of how well the kidneys are actually functioning (from everything I’ve ever read). Maybe newer data is suggesting different but data on this site, veterinary medicine dvm360, published in 2011 still agrees “A serum creatinine concentration is the most commonly used measure of severity of renal dysfunction and is the basis for staging chronic kidney disease (CKD) (Table 1). To optimize accurate staging of CKD, serum creatinine concentrations should be evaluated on two or more occasions when the patient is well-hydrated.” http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/laboratory-evaluation-kidney-disease?rel=canonical

Based on a BUN of 77 and a creatinine of 1.6, I personally wouldn’t do low protein but rather moderate amounts of “high quality” protein.

Does your girl have large amounts of very dilute urine? Was there any protein in the urine? Was any other tests done? Is there any other medical conditions? Did you get a second opinion? She doesn’t want to eat often but you said this is just her normal. Does she have any other symptoms such as vomiting, depression etc?

This may help… My Audrey was diagnosed when she was just 13 months old but had symptoms when she was just 6 weeks old. Within the first year of diagnosis I made dietary changes and then had her blood work done every three months. On December 18, 2007 (the second blood work done after the dietary changes) her BUN was 77 (6 to 25 normal) and her creatinine was 1.9 (0.5 to 1.6 are normal ranges for this lab). Audrey didn’t eat a lower protein diet for another almost 7 years.

They also now know that senior dogs actually require MORE protein than adult dogs because they are less efficient at digesting it. Even toy breed dogs – I had a 4 pound Chihuahua live to age 19 eating a HIGH protein diet.

Please take some time to read the articles on this website. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneyprotein.html

Okay……..YES – I would highly recommend starting her on Standard Process Canine Renal Support. It’s pricey up front but will last a long time for a four pound little girl. I’ve never used Five Leaf but others I’ve directly talked to felt it helped. The Primal Defense and Acacia Fiber will help lower BUN. I personally would look at feeding foods with higher quality and amounts of protein and getting rid of the cream of wheat and gravy. See if you can find canned tripe — a brand that is just tripe. There is one out with quinoa but I’m not sure how much phosphorus is in quinoa so not sure it is suitable? It may be, I just don’t know. Tripe itself is higher in protein with moderate amounts of phosphorus. Most dogs really really like it too. You can continue the goat milk (best if it’s raw in my opinion). Eggs are a good option but the yolk is higher in phosphorus so, recommendations vary depending on stage of the disease, you might want to feed more cooked whites then whole eggs (maybe a one to one ratio – one whole egg with one white only). I would also suggest against feeding homemade as it is really important to get the phosphorus to calcium ratios correct and to limit phosphorus to appropriate amounts for the stage of the disease (which is early stage based on the numbers you mentioned—unless your lab normals are way different than mine?). There are recipes online if you want to home prepare. Dr. Meg Smart has a recipe – you would want the one for “early to moderate stage” http://petnutritionbysmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/home-made-diets-and-renal-disese-in.html

There’s lots more you can do but you mentioned you have a budget so start with these and then if there’s more for other things you can add on as able–such as herbs that can be helpful.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Shawna.

[anonymously]

I give my senior 4 or 5 small meals a day, that seems to help. Another thing to consider is that dogs get dementia just like humans, they are confused about mealtimes.

[anonymously]

Not wanting to eat is a symptom of nausea. I would not advise taking advice from a stranger on the internet as good idea right now (myself included).
If you want to identify any further treatment options….see my previous post. Best of luck

PS: I have a 15+ year old senior I have to assist so that he can have a bm. Can’t leave him alone for more than 2 hours. I get it. I focus on keeping him comfortable, he has a good appetite…in fact, he is hungry all the time. I took him in for a geriatric workup not long ago, his lab work is better than mine.

[C4D]

Hi Karen,

I do feed THK in various formulas and my dogs do love it and I’ve had no problems with stools with the exception of some larger pieces of sweet potatoes in one of the formulas unless I grind it before rehydrating. So sorry your pup didn’t do well on it.

It could be simply too wet a mixture for her, but it sounds like she might have developed an intolerance to something in the food. I have a senior that ate a particular protein with no issues and then, a couple of years ago developed a reaction whenever she had it. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for the body to increase the reaction. As DogFoodie said, it doesn’t make it a bad food, it just doesn’t seem to be working for your dog.

Anyway, glad to hear that it worked out well for you! Keep that sweet senior happy and healthy! 🙂

[anonymously]

Call your local shelter, maybe they can mix it with the cheap stuff and the dogs will be able to tolerate it.
You may be able to consider it a donation.

PS: My senior likes Newman’s Organic beef and liver canned, mixed with watered down dry food. If I give him only canned, he gets runny stools.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by anonymously.

[anonymously]

My small breed dogs do well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea (canned and dry), I soak my senior’s kibble in water overnight, plus add a splash of water. I use Newman Organics canned also, I have tried their kibble, one dog does well on it.
What foods did your vet recommend? Do your dogs have any specific problems?

[C4D]

Hi dan g,

I don’t know what you googled, but here are a variety of links that are backed by research studies.

Here’s a link that’s fairly easy to read. This was a study that was in a Purina nutrition forum that found that even dogs with renal failure actually had a higher mortality rate on the low protein diet:

http://www.dogaware.com/files/bovee.pdf

A lot of people like Purina’s research:

https://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/media/1132/senior-pet-food-protein-facts.pdf

Eating dehydrated food their whole life, leaving them in a constant state of slight dehydration and dental disease are more likely causes of kidney failure.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/kibble-never-a-good-option/

http://www.avdc.org/periodontaldisease.html

http://veterinaryteam.dvm360.com/how-periodontal-disease-can-affect-pets-organs?rel=canonical

http://www.iris-kidney.com/education/risk_factors.aspx

[Helen G]

We have an 8 month old boxer. He has been eating Fromm’s gold large breed puppy but he poops a lot and his stools are softer than they should be. I’d like to try a new food to see if that resolves the issues but am not sure what to look for…more/less grain, more/less calcium, more/less/different protein? At about 4 months old, the vet suspected he had hypertrophic osteodystrophy. His HOD symptoms have disappeared, as the vet said they likely would, but he is still growing. He is 75 lbs and a 4 on the body comp scale. I’d really appreciate any suggestions for new hard food to try?
P.S. We also have a 12 year old female boxer who eats the senior/reduced activity Fromm’s and does very well with it.

[michael r]

I have a senior English mastiff (170 lbs) whose kidneys are starting to decline. Have been feeding Chicken Soup for the Dogs Soul Adult for several years. Can you recommend a dry and wet dog food that has protein 26% range and low phosphorus.

[crazy4cats]

Hi JM-

I have tried to feed my cats a little thawed out raw a while back and not one of them even took a bite. Then, I tried the soft Fresh Pet kibble thinking my senior kitty would love it. No luck! But….the other day I was mixing some freeze dried Orijin treats into my dogs’ kibble as a meal mixer. I got a couple of free samples that I thought I’d put to good use. Two of my cats would NOT leave the treats alone! Their naughty kitty instincts took over and there was actually some growling going on. They loved them!!! It took me by surprise.

Not sure if I’ll be buying much freeze dried food for them as it is so expensive, but I agree with you, they really do love it and will try to give it to them as a treat now and then.

[Anita A]

Mike, does the Darwin’s company with its recent formula changes still meet your 5 star
rating criteria?
Darwin’s notified its customers in September, 2015, that “with new AAFCO pet food
nutritional guidelines on the horizon” it was time for them to make improvements in their raw food formulas. The result has been an increase in fat and decrease in protein. An example:
Canine Turkey old formula -protein 46 percent;fat 27 percent vs new formula – protein 43 percent; fat 39 percent. My concern is finding the correct balance for two senior dogs.
Thanks for any input,
Anita

[anonymously]

I like Newman’s canned, use it as a back-up also. However, judging by my senior’s bowel movements, I think it has a high water content…just something you may want to keep in mind. I think it works best as a topper or mixed with kibble.

[Ptcbass]

Wow, I went to lunch and come back to lots of great info. Yes Shawna I also believe food is medicine. I went 2 years without healthcare and have successfully treated health issues with health food and supplements (Ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and ginseng).

Anonymously – The prednisone come weeks before and then tiny stones were present (small enough to pass). Then she was on the prescription food for one week and developed acute pancreatitis. That is what killed her. The prednisone I am sure didn’t help her immune system and have read it can cause stones and isn’t good for the pancreas. Just a horrible situation all the way around and especially knowing that if I didn’t take her to the vet at all and just kept treating her myself with “healthy” stuff then she would more than likely still be with me today.

My other dog is a little over weight and gains easily. She is 9 years old, has a history of crystals and UTI’s and has a short nose and has trouble breathing sometimes so I can’t exercise her like I would like to. She is still otherwise healthy and still likes to play (what time she isn’t eating or sleeping LOL!).

I am looking into
Horizon Amicus Small & Mini Breed Senior & Weight Management Grain-Free Dry Dog Food and Annamaet Grain-Free Lean Low Fat Formula Dry Dog Food.

I like the Natures Logic but it isn’t grain free and has higher fat content (except for the fish). The calories are still ok thought which I really don’t get but have moved on.

Thanks again! This has been super hard and have never had to experience anything like this with any of my dogs in the past. Also, in the same week my mother in law had a stroke. Now I just want to help get her healthy and do what I can for my other furbaby.
Thanks for the support here!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Ptcbass.

[anonymously]

Check out Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea (dry and canned). Wysong Senior is good, IMO.
The best thing you can do to prevent bladder stones (all types) is to add water to meals and soak the kibble overnight in water, frequent bathroom breaks, keep the bladder flushed. Three or four small meals a day, do not free feed.
There is often a genetic component, some dogs/certain breeds are more vulnerable.
If you use the search engine here, you may find some helpful tips, just type in allergies, bladder stones.
Consider consulting a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist if the regular vet isn’t helpful.
PS: Check out Chewy . com

[Deb B]

Hi Debra…have you looked at ACANA food…we just switched our lab to the senior formula ( she’s 12) and she loves it, I believe a few of their foods have no potatoes. Good Luck!

[Deb B]

Hi…thought I’d update this thread. Our girl had her surgery a few days ago…and she faired really well. The lipoma was big…over 2.5 lbs.So…I am happy with the decision to have it removed. She has a drain which will be removed on Monday, then a week later, the stitches will be removed. She came home the same night as the surgery, and the next day after the anesthetic affects wore off, she started having her appetite back. Aside by being a little uncomfortable with the drain, I am already noticing that not having that thing weighing her down on one side has helped her mobility. Thanks again for all your support with my questions. I have also switched her food to Acana Senior, and she loves it, but then again, she’s never been picky when it comes to food!!

[Anonymous]

Come to think of it, my senior dog that has occasional anal gland issues does well on Wysong senior dry food, soaked in water overnight in the fridg. I have had him on canned, but a combo works best.

Another small breed of mine who has allergies and has had a positive response to immunotherapy, does well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea dry as a base. Prior to her allergies being treated by a dermatologist, she had occasional anal gland issues. Issues appear to be resolved at present.

So, when the dust settles, ask your vet if he thinks these foods might be worth trying 🙂

PS: check Chewy .com for price comparison

[Jenn H]

I have added oatmeal, meats, liver, canned foods to my dog’s kibble when the weather gets cold to add a little extra insulation. They basically have a summer weight & winter weight.
My new favorite thing is raw goat milk. I’m starting them on that today. It worked wonders for the hand raised pups. Especially the runt who we wouldn’t have saved if not for that goat milk. I swear by it after seeing how he thrived. At the time I couldn’t find raw goat milk so they had pasteurized. All went home very healthy.
I’ve also been told that Senior food isn’t really necessary unless you have a dog that tends to become overweight due to age. Sounds like your dog would be fine on regular adult.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Jenn H.

[Susan]

Hi, change kibble & feed breakfast/ & dinner, not just the big 1 meal a day, half the meal, have a look at Holistic Select Senior, Holistic select also has wet tin foods maybe feed 1/2 -1 tin of the wet tin food for breakfast & the dry kibble for dinner, she probably looks at her boring meal & thinks YUK same boring thing…. My boy has IBD but I still mix things up a bit & I ask him what do you want for breakfast & dinner, (he will lick the cup of kibble or cooked meal in container, I show him to pick from) & he gets excited…. Holistic Select is made by Wellpet who also makes Wellness Core…
http://www.holisticselect.com/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice

[C4D]

Hi Larry A,

I’m not sure why you decided to switch from Wellness Core, but if you look at the G/A on both foods you are actually feeding about 75 kcals/cup less with the Ideal Balance. The fat is pretty comparable as there’s only 1.1% more fat in Wellness than Ideal Balance and the protein is considerably lower in Ideal Balance. Older dogs actually need more quality protein as they age since they don’t metabolize it as well. Lower protein causes muscle atrophy.

I would personally go back to the Wellness, since Senior dogs usually need less fat due to underactivity and overweight issues, but this is not true in your dogs case. Also, they often do eat less and can’t smell as well as they age so adding fresh food as Red suggested and bone broth as Bobby Dog or canned food as Dog Foodie and C4C suggested are good ideas. Adding a bit of wet food (canned, etc) to all the meals and mixing it in with some warm water. It might entice your girl to eat more and more moisture is always better for any dog eating a kibble diet.

Good Luck with her! 🙂

[Anonymous]

She is a senior, some dogs and people get skinny as they grow old, just look around.

Anyway, I would broil up a little chicken liver, chop it up and mix a spoonful of it with her kibble. For a couple of bucks, it should last 4-5 days (cooked) in the fridge.
Consider adding other cooked chopped up lean meats to her kibble, chicken breast, steak…no bones.

[C4D]

Hi Lisa B,

InkedMarie and Pitlove gave you some good suggestions. I’m curious, what food is your dog currently eating? You don’t want to switch to something that’s too radically different if she’s been eating the same food all her life.

I have had and currently have some “senior” dogs (large breed)as well as adult large breed, but I don’t feed any senior foods ever. The only reason people might consider a senior food is if the dog is overweight, and that’s not really a good reason either. It sounds like your dog wouldn’t need it. Try to avoid the potatoes in any of the food, as InkedMarie said, as they worsen arthritis by causing inflamation. Fish oil is an anti-inflamatory, and is also helpful with arthritis, but add it slowly. I use human grade fish oil pills as they tend to be more pure than traditional dog fish oils.

Some other things you might consider feeding is some fresh and/or wet food. This would help keep your dog more hydrated and might encourage eating since they often lose their sense of smell as they age. Again, a word of caution: only change or add one thing at a time, including supplements. They can change stool consistency and you won’t know the cause. Good luck!

[Krystal H]

OK, so there are a lot of options for every dog out there, and I have 3 with very different needs! I’m hoping I can get some suggestions for food brands for all 3 of them that I can hopefully find from the same (reliable) source. I am on a budget, but I do want quality. No known allergies/sensitivities with any of them.

Roxie:
Medium size
Mature/Senior
Overweight

Kovu:
Medium size
Young Adult
Active

Dessa:
Extra Large size
Puppy

[Pitlove]

I don’t like most formula’s that are marketed for senior dogs, same as Marie said. They don’t usually meet the protein requirements for senior dogs. I do agree that Orijen Senior is probably the best one out there.

I usually recommend an all life stages food for customers at my job with senior dogs. One with high protein as well. I’d look for an all life stages food that comes in over 30% protein with the first three ingredients being whole meats and meat meals to unsure the protein is coming from animals and not plants. Some foods will have glucosimine and chondroitin in them, which is something else you can look for. Otherwise I’d suggest a supplement like NaturVet Arthrisoothe GOLD, which has Boswellia in it that is suppose to be really good for arthritic dogs.

http://www.chewy.com/dog/naturvet-arthrisoothe-gold-hip-joint/dp/48764

[InkedMarie]

I have no experience with large breed dogs, I don’t know if they need anything special as adults. Senior dogs need a high quality higher protein food. Outside of Orijen senior, I think the rest of the senior foods are too low in protein. With an arthritic dog, I’d find a food without grains & potato as they can be inflammatory.

Is she getting joint supplements? Look into making Golden Paste for her. A large breed dog should be kept lean as opposed to too heavy; can you share a picture of her?

[Lisa B]

I have a 13 year old 90lb great pyr mix who’s a bit underweight and super arthritic. Looking for any recommendations for her.

[Anonymous]

They are all pesticides, if you read and compare the ingredients with similar products, you won’t see much difference.
Unfortunately, we need these products to combat Lyme and fleas….diseases they carry.
Some products may agree with an individual dog better than another.
See what your vet recommends. It depends on how bad the ticks/fleas are in your area.
I find avoidance (tall grass, woods) goes a long way to help, too.
I am leery of the new oral agents, however, I just don’t trust them.

PS: The “natural” stuff doesn’t work.
I use a flea/tick shampoo on my senior dog, about every week or two in the summer, I figure it’s milder than the topicals….plus he got a rash from a amitraz collar, although my other dogs tolerate the collars fine.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Sabrina-
I will be rotating my dogs to Victor’s Healthy Weight/Senior Formula this week. I haven’t fed it yet, but the analysis looks good to me. It still has 27% protein, only 11.5% fat and 4.5% fiber: http://www.victordogfood.com/pdf/Brochure-Senior.pdf

I have two neutered male labs that got a little “thick” this summer because it was too hot to get much exercise in. I have fed Victor grain free with success. So, I’m hoping they will do well on this food as well. It has less fat and calories in it. However, it is not grain free. It does have some brown rice and millet in it. I’ll check back in and let you know how they do on it. Just thought it might be a budget friendly food that would fit your needs. Good luck!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Julie L]

Are you sure you need that much fat in a diet? Ditto on the protein. I agree that a good Senior food is the way to go. It’s a fact that too much protein is as bad as not enough and we all know that too much fat isn’t good. I have a dog that has had stomach problems all of her life. I feed her Annamaet lean and am finally off of RX food. Orijen Senior is a great food too. This is of course my opinion and I hope you find the right mix for your pup. 🙂

[Pitlove]

Orijen Senior is a good senior dry kibble. Probably the best one out there.

[Pitlove]

I second what C4D said and unforunatly the only senior food I’d recommend (kibble wise) is around 80$ a bag and thats Orijen Senior.

[C4D]

Hi Cheryl,

I agree with Red in that many dogs are considered senior at 7 and it is always a good idea to run a complete blood panel, urinalysis, and a thorough checkup at that age, if you haven’t done it before. I run these on my dogs every year regardless of their age. He is also correct about the water, but really all dogs should be getting some fresh or canned food mixed in kibble to help keep them properly hydrated. At the very least, add warm water to the kibble to ensure that they are getting more water in their system. Exercise is very important for senior and all dogs as well.

I have had many dogs in my life and currently have several. I never feed them a “senior” dog food, even at almost 15 years of age (large breed). I have a nearly 11 year old dog Lab who has stellar panels and is very active with a daily 2 mile rigorous walk. She eats a combination of canned/moistened kibble and raw or fresh food daily. They all eat that combination. The biggest concern when they are older is to keep any extra weight off and that they aren’t having any health issues that diet would need to address. Senior dog food is really marketing. If you looked at all the senior dog formulas on the market you would find they vary all over the place in protein levels, fat and fiber. As senior dogs age, they metabolize protein less efficiently, so if you choose one that is lowering the protein, you would actually accelerate the reduction in muscle mass.

Keeping the weight off is very important and feeding a better food that doesn’t contain fillers will reduce the poop factor. You also need to feed them according to their “ideal” weight (not their current if they are overweight) and activity level. I feed slightly less than the recommended feeding guides on almost all foods. Even thought my dogs get daily brisk walks, I still consider their activity level “typical” on the DFA calculator. You need to count any treat calories in that daily total. You also need to get an accurate measuring cup for feeding.

Here’s the link to the DFA calculator:

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

[Anonymous]

You may find some helpful tips here, in General Guidelines: http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

and here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

Age 7 is considered senior for a dog, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a geriatric workup done, lab work etc. See what your vet recommends….. otherwise, one or two feedings per day, long walks, an occasional snack (just a bite), should do the trick.

Adequate elimination, one or two bowel movements a day, are a good thing. Constipation would be more problematic. Also, make sure they are getting enough water, as dogs get older they are more vulnerable to bladder stones.
The best scenario is to offer a bathroom break at least every 4 hours (minimum).

[Cheryl N]

I have a total of 4 dogs to feed at my house. Two are mine, 7 & 8 years old, large breed.
Two are grandpups, both 6 medium sized.

When should I begin feeding senior food? I am trying to reduce the weight of all 4 in addition to trying to find a “poop” free dog food…you know, less to pick up…

Any suggestions? I currently feed all of the Diamond Naturals Beef and Rice. Would love to stay in the $30-35 range if possible. They eat 40 pounds about every 3 weeks, feeding them according to their weight.

Thanks!

[Jane K]

Sallie went to a new clinic last night. We used them many, many yrs ago. I contacted them after our vet pretty much said don’t treat her and let her go. Wow. So anyway, called these people. They were so nice. And cheaper. How did I miss this fact???? They also have evening hours. She sat on the floor with us to observe and exam and then did blood work and gave me 1.5 hours of her time to go over her entire history and what might be wrong and on and on. I was impressed. She’s calling OSU director of the small animal center (where we were) to go over all the things that wouldn’t show up in the paperwork I had. I told her I was horribly blunt about this whole thing so I can’t imagine what they had to hide. She went to OSU vet school and keeps up with seminars and workshops so she knows everyone involved in Sallie’s care. She said she can get a better feel for what they think may be causing this. Works for me!

For now, Sallie is stable, eating well, playful and showing no other signs of evil other than the fluid that is still there. Her protein level was better. She went to the bathroom last night and it was near perfect. A first in many weeks. I had to email that info to them this morning as it’s a huge sign of success. Hahahahaa.

She might have lymphoma, might not. They are treating her for it on a temp basis along with several other things. We’ll know more tomorrow.

I was wondering how much this was going to cost. $53 What????? For all that time, consultation, all the time she read up on the condition before I got there, going through her files, blood test, exam. I was astonished.

They also have wondering pets in the waiting area. Sallie loved that! Got her snoot tapped by the piggy senior cat on board. Sniffed butts with the dog who comes in and out of treatment rooms. What a fun place. How did I not remember all this?

Before I left the front desk lady wanted to go over my old list of animals to see if any were alive. It was really long. The couple behind me muttered something about animal hoarding that had us all hooting. We used to have a small farm in Hocking Hills National Park (Ohio) so had many strays dumped on us. It was a funny trip down memory lane.

I think I found the perfect vet to see Sallie and us through whatever is ahead. We still hope for success but no matter what we have a good support system in place.

And……….she plowed through a whole bowl of cardboard kibble this morning! Yay.

[C4D]

I agree with InkedMarie. I’ve had many dogs and one of my current dogs is a lab that’s almost 11. I never feed senior formulas. My large dogs live to the 15 year range. Older dogs need more not less protein as they don’t metabolize it as well. The thing you need to watch is their weight. Excess weight is hard on their bodies and joints in particular. Patti S included an excellent link.

Out of curiosity, what foods are you comparing and feeding? So many vary in quality. You might want to consider adding some fresh food to help your older dogs maintain their health.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by C4D.

[Patti S]

A lot of it depends on your dog’s activity levels. If your dog is doing well on his current food, there’s no reason to change it, simply because of his age. You might want to read this short article:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/05/surprising-findings-from-tufts-study-of-37-senior-dog-foods.aspx

[Anonymous]

Did the vet do an x-ray to rule out an obstruction? If it was my dog I would go along with the blood work and other tests, a multitude of things can be ruled out.
Otherwise, I would keep the diet simple, if it is stress related it will resolve on it’s own.
Maybe a quality dry food, with a tablespoon of canned or cooked chicken breast (chopped up) as a topper…maybe add a splash of water.
I like Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea for dry and wet, Newman Organics has Grain Free Beef & Liver (no grains) canned that seems to be easy to digest.
Wysong is worth looking into. What does your vet recommend?
Good luck

PS: I have used prescription foods when recommended by a vet and noticed no adverse effects, it just seemed bland and boring to my dogs, from what I could tell 🙂
Also, at age 6 (7 is considered a senior) a blood panel would not be a bad idea.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Anonymous.

[zcRiley]

Just be careful choosing “senior” dog food formulas. It’s a marketing myth, nothing else. It’s like a slow starvation when lowering protein, calories/fat or quantity. You’re on the right track though, think healthy for your dog’s weight, activity and any ailments. I’d rather the dog not finish than cleaning the bowl hungry.

[Pitlove]

You haden’t mentioned the age of your pet which is why Dori asked why you wanted to use a senior food. I agree that Orijen Senior is a good food.

[Susan R]

Nancy B. I watched the video! Very interesting. Origen and Acana are probably what I will use. I have one dog that has lived on Acana grain free. I rotate the proteins/flavors. and now I have rescued an older dog- that was my interest in a “senior” food. (Dori) I am aware that dogs like people need to adjust their diet as they age. So I want to do the best I can for the senior. Some have said it isn’t necessary, but I feel it has a lot of cons to support that theory.

I appreciate all the comments. They keep me thinking and planning. I learn so much from all on the blog.

[Dori]

Susan R. I may have missed it but why do you want to feed your dog a senior food?

[Alan K]

to encourage them to eat LOL………

My youngster gets Blue Wilderness dry with a 1/8 can of wet.
My 10 yr old gets Blue Senior (recently switched from Blue Healthy Weight Large Breed) and 1/8 can of wet.
Both my GSDs do really well on Blue and have for years. See no reason to change.