[Leisa D]

http://dogcathomeprepareddiet.com/diet_and_chronic_renal_disease.html#dog

Dr. Strombeck (DVM) has a nice exposition of renal disease in addition to several home cooked (v. raw) diets for management of phosphorus levels. It might be a resource for you as you work toward managing this condition.

I performed quite a bit of research on RAW diets and canine nutrition before transitioning to them. (Managing allergic condition in senior American Bulldog adoptee. I’m not sure how it took me so long to stumble upon his site (perhaps because RAW was mostly in my searching!) Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, PhD, is Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine with a specialty in gastroenterology. Accordingly, while I’ve not used any of the recipes on his site, I trust them to be nutritionally adequate as this is his area of his expertise. Further, I plan to use his recipes to mix things up with our RAW diet.

I have three senior girls (and one uber-exuber pitty boy). Until adopting the Am Bulldog (and I had a mix before), I’ve never had to worry about special diets.

Anyway, hopefully you will find it a resource in your information arsenal. Good luck.

[Vianca V]

Have you tried the wellness core reduced fat with a little groud turkey as a topper with some broth. That works for my senior, it keeps weight of so there is less stress on his back and joints and he seems to love it. Also do you have access to a pool, a jacuzzi or have a big bath tub. I had on of my dogs work out in out tub for his arthritis pain and it helped a lot.

[InkedMarie]

If you like Fromm, I’d suggest trying one of their grainfree foods. Unless I missed something, the Fromm senior has grains & only 23% protein; she’d be better off in something higher in protein.

[Akari_32]

So, I keep posting, and the posts don’t show up!! Also not getting my email alerts….. Anyways, your link doesn’t work for me for some reason, Patty 🙁

Does any know what to do about Ginger always having diareha?? She’s ruined one bed and dirtied another and kept up us up for two nights in the last couple days. It doesn’t matter how consistent her diet is, wheather or not I keep her on kefir (though that does help some), she just goes through this cycle of good poops for a week or so, pudding poops for a couple days, kinda softish poop for a couple days, and it starts all over again.

She’s on Wellness Core Small Breed for dry (1/2 cup a day) and for canned she gets Purina One, Nutro Natural Choice, Nutro Ultra Boost, Ideal Balance, and Wellness Senior (about 3 oz mixed with the dry). I’ve tried keeping her on the same canned for a while (since a small bag of dry lasts her for about a month anyways), and it doesn’t make difference for her tummy troubles. Anyone have anything to offer??

[Mom2Cavs]

Steve, you really are already feeding a top-notch food. And giving her the supplements is the right thing to do, as well. You might want to switch to Fromm’s 4Star line and use their grain frees. I have 3 seniors and a new 9 month old pup and all of mine are eating Fromm 4Star, atm. I’m alternating between Lamb & Lentils, Salmon Tunalini and Pork and Peas. I’m also topping with Stella and Chewy’s meal mixers, the Salmon, Turkey and Beef. I think you are doing good things, already, for her. Maybe someone with more knowledge can post.

[Steve L]

I am giving her the following meds and supplements by Vet prescription.

Carprofen 100 mg 1/2 tab every 12 hours (anti-inflamatory??)
Tramadol 50 mg 1 every 12 hours (pain??)
Thyroxine .6 mg 1 every 12 hours (thyroid – for past 6 years)

Glucosamine/Chondroitin 1500/1200 mg per day.

Tried Fromms Senior – she likes and eats well. No wet food – but she does lick plates – a dog biscuit twice a day (lunch & bed). We used to take 1-2 mile walks every day but recent pain, and the increased staggering in rear have severely cut into walks. She has been steady at 60 pounds for the last 7 years.

[InkedMarie]

Seniors, unless they have specific medical issues, require no special diet. They need as much protein as other dogs, which is a higher amount of protein. In fact, studies show seniors need more protein than younger dogs!

At 14, she may have some arthritis. A grain free food would be best as grains are inflammatory. Are you giving her a joint supplement as well?

[Steve L]

Looking for a way to sort recommendations to what is best for senior dogs. I have a 14 year old Border Collie mix. She is in relatively good health although staggering slightly on hind legs. Vet has ruled out hip dysplasia. Back to food. Am I missing a way to sort Editor’s choices to those for seniors?

[Martin C]

I have an 18 year old YorkyPooh. She has no teeth. We need a quality soft food, but her stomach cannot tolerate wet food for some reason. She is eating Purina Moist and Meaty. She tolerates it ok. Wondering if there is anything similar that is better. She has some skin issues. Thanks Martin

[Melissaandcrew]

No snow yet in my part of NY but the cold is nasty for the dogs. They go out, run around a bit then want in..15mins tops. Just cut back on amounts. My crew just finished a bag of Orijen senior and the new bag in their bin is Acana. These days they get dry perhaps once a week, and the rest raw depending on the dog.

[Pluto.the.St.Bernard]

Hi, all this information is so helpful, but just a tad overwhelming for me (so many opinions). I am curious about your opinion on a few things, I have a male st. benard pupp just about 20wks, been feeding him Natures Variety Instinct Dry($$$), and honestly looking to switch to something with less of a price tag, but without loosing quality as I want him in the best shape inside/out. His weight is good, looking/feeling healthy. I noticed the other saint owner was inquiring about Wellness Core Puppy, I am also curious about this brand of food –>> “Orijen product line includes six dry dog foods, five claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and one (Senior) for adult maintenance”. Noticed it wasn’t on your list of approved large/giant breed foods, would you recommend (I’ve read pretty good things)? One last question what toppings would you suggest if not homemade food recipe ?
Hope none of this confuses you, thanks.

[Akari_32]

Good luck with your question, Bri! This something I’ve been wanting to try, but I simply don’t the money. My cat loves raw beef hearts, and any part of the chicken. I gave him a bit of thigh with a small bone the other night and he loved it! Wish there was something like See Spot Live Longer for cats. If there was, he’d be eating raw every day!

Any of you guys see the PetSmart Black Friday ad?? Friskies is going to be on sale for 39 cents a can!!!! I’ll be all over that, and I hope other foods are on sale, too. I hate to give him all Friskies, or even mostly Friskies, but it’s better than nothing with money as tight as it during the holidays, and I pick the best three of the recipes with the least carbs (Special Diet Beef and Chicken, Special Diet Turkey and Giblets, and Senior Diet Lamb and Rice). I actually don’t mind using the Special Diet because I am really paranoid about UTIs and all that bladder crap lol Gives me some peace of mind, though I have no idea if it actually works or not. So far this is the only store I’ll be hitting, unless I decide to go PetCo or Pet Supermarket. I don’t need any human things, other than the new Pokemon games coming on this friday, but someone can get me that for Christmas lol

[crazy4cats]

Hi All you cat peeps!

Why, oh why, are they putting gravy in so much of the canned food. We can add a little water if we want to make it soupy. Cats don’t need that starchy gravy. Plus my senior kitty throws up if I give her any food with gravy. What are they thinking? LOL!

Here is update on Casper: He seems to be doing pretty well. He is on prescription canned and kibble. Unfortunately, I am feeding the vet canned to all my kitties because it is easier. I still give them a little regular kibble, however. I hope the prescription food does not have any negative affects on them. The vet said it is fine. I’m trying to be a litter box stalker, listening for a nice loud pee! LOL! It’s tough when you have multiple cats to know who does what. He is still on a muscle relaxer to help with the bladder spasms and an anti-anxiety pill. No wonder he’s more friendly now! I also bought the plug in Feliway diffuser. I can’t tell if it is helping or not, but I’ll use for about 3 months and then stop and see if there is any difference. This has all been very expensive and scary. I don’t want to go through it again!

I was feeding at least half canned if not more of his total calories, but he still blocked. I also have a water fountain that he drinks out of. So, I’m not sure why this happened. There are so many different theories. It could be related to his natural ph levels or anxiety. As a lesson to all: make sure you cats are getting plenty of moisture to keep them cleaned out! Also make sure they have access to an enticing clean litter box.

On another note, we had a terrible wind storm and a tree came down, luckily just missing our house, but taking out our fence. And… it sounds like we probably have critters under our house. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

Hope everyone’s pre-holiday season goes well!

[DogFoodie]

I also like Wellness Core Reduced Fat.

Two other brands I really like are Orijen Senior and Go! Senior. My Cavalier gains weight very easily and she just finished a small bag of the Go! Senior. She looks great and is super shiny right now. The food worked great for her. I’ll continue using it in her rotation.

[Akari_32]

My thoughts exactly, Patty! If I wanted a bag full of corn, I’d buy some Ol’ Roy or Dog Chow.

Wellness is a great food for a similar price. Actually a little cheaper, I think– Science Diet comes in 3.5 and 12 lbs for their smaller bags, and Wellness comes in 4 and 12-14 lb bags, and it’s typically a few dollars cheaper in my area. Plus they always have awesome coupons! 🙂

It’s funny you mention the small breed Simple recipes, Susan. I had never seen them before today, when I scored a 4lb bag of the Salmon and Potato for a whopping $2.48 after clearance and coupons! Then I sign on here today and you’re talking about it lol Guess thats all I’ll ever see of it here, though, as is was the last bag in the store. Bummer, too, because Wellness doesn’t have much in the way of small kibbles that isn’t senior or diet. Ginger does great on Wellness, but I hate to just keep her on the Small Breed Core and Toy Breed Complete Health Adult all the time, and she can’t chew the larger kibbles, even when softened with canned food. Thankfully she doesn’t eat much, so the small bags do last a while with her.

Gloria, definitely check out the review side of DFA. You’ll find that many foods that used to be really good have gone down the toilet, and the prices have been jacked up. It’s extremely unfortunate for those who remember those days, where picking out a dog food was easy (not that I’m old enough for that, but I’ve heard stories!). You’ll also find other foods that claim to be good as well, when really they’re just a bunch of junk (Diamond brands, Purina and Hill’s are the first that come to mind).

[Kaye K]

Hi,
When we subscribed to this site one of the things we were told we would get was the source of the ingredients in the dog foods listed. We have a senior BC and would really like to give her the best nutrition possible avoiding ingredients sourced from China and the like. Can anyone direct me to where we will find the source of ingredients on this site? Since there is no search option for this site we are having trouble finding all the things promised with my membership.

Thanks For The Help

[Lord F]

I just barely made the switch to raw for two of my dogs, we feed them raw in the morning and kibble in the early evening. For my 4 month old puppy, he gets half of his food raw, so his full morning meal. We expect him to get 35lbs. For our senior, we starting off by feeding him 1/4 raw per day, so he gets the same portion as the puppy, with a cup of kibble added. He’s 100lbs! I just started this a week ago! I just went out and bought their meat for this week. I’m so new to making it completely balanced and that’s why I’m starting with half kibble, until I get this down. Here’s what they got last week each:
Friday/Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday AM:
5.7 oz Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1.3 oz beef kidney
Saturday/Monday/Wednesday AM:
5.7 oz pork stew meat (boneless)
1.3 oz beef kidney
1 egg
They got turkey necks and cow feet throughout the week as well. This week I switched to a different menu:
Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
1 pork rib
1.3 oz pork liver
2 oz beef heart
2 oz turkey gizzards
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday:
1.3 oz pork liver
3 oz turkey gizzard
2.7 oz beef heart
1 tbs canned salmon
In the PM they get either Acana or Orijen, we switch between the two every night. I now give them an egg once a week, they get turkey and pork necks throughout the week. I’m gonna stop by a Whole Foods tomorrow to get whole raw sardine and feed them this twice a week in addition to the regular meal and omit the canned salmon. I know it’s really basic, but I just wanted to know what I can do to make it more varied and more balanced. I’d like to start now for when I switch them off kibble. My senior also gets probiotics in capsule form to help with his digestion, he gets gas easily. What can I add to his food instead of giving him 4 capsules a day? THANKS!

[Julie H]

I so appreciate all of the responses to my post. Great comments and suggestions. I decided to call Chewy.com and also discuss it with them this morning. They are so impressive! Last week I had placed my first order with them when I ordered more Orijen Adult dogfood. I explained to them the concerns I have and asked if I could exchange the Orijen Adult dogfood that I had just received for Orijen Senior dogfood. To my surprise they told me they would credit my account and I could place a separate order for what I wanted. They suggested I donate the Orijen Adult food to a local dog shelter! Wow was I impressed! They now have a customer for life. What a great company.
I was measuring her food but just need to cut back on the amount. I love the suggestion of using warm water to make a broth to pump up the volume, etc. Can’t wait to implement these changes and hopefully see her lose weight
Thank you all for comments! I am new to dogadvisor and am thankful for finding others who love their dogs like I do.

[DogFoodie]

I second the Nut!

Are you feeding controlled portions? It looks like Orijen has about 478 kcals per cup. Using the calculator on the review side, if she was a bit heavy at 82 pounds, you’d feed her just under 2.21 cups of Orijen daily, assuming she got no other treats at all. Does that sound at all close to what she was getting?

Some foods that I think are great quality (quality proteins) and lower fat are Wellness Core Reduced Fat, Go! Senior and Orijen Senior. Maybe one of those foods would work for her.

[Jane E]

I am looking for a grain free dry food without lentils/peas or alfalfa. I have senior Boxers with a history of IBS/colitis and one with some reoccurring yeasty skin issues. I would like to have a food that I could feed all 3 if possible (to date I have not accomplished that). I currently raw feed one,another is on Honest Kitchen Zeal with occasional Thrive or Force and the other is on Orijen Senior (and I think that may just be too much of a good thing for her now) her stools are soft. She’s been on this for about a year and is in beautiful condition otherwise.
So I am interested in anyones input. It’ll be greatly appreciated
Jane

[Dori]

I did notice that and was thinking the same thing. I think we were all used to having the other button (having a senior moment and can’t recall what used to be there) in where the report button was that we kept reporting people accidentally. So I guess if there’s some crazy troll on here we can’t report anymore? I hope maybe they’ll put it back maybe in the middle of the line as opposed to near the edit / reply buttons.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Dori.

[InkedMarie]

My Gemma is my toothless senior sheltie. A few months ago, she started with was three bouts of giardia. Ended up on meds & I chose to put her on canned Rx food. Three different times, I tried to add back a couple spoonfuls of her old food: Canidae Pure Sea. It didn’t go well, lots of diarrhea.
I tried her on ground raw, again (we tried when we first adopted her) but it’s not going well. I can’t get hood stools from her. They’re either hard & she has trouble expelling it or its diarrhea. My raw guru who helps me agrees that raw just isn’t for her. So, I just ordered two small bags of Farmina small bites but I want to add some canned to it. With no teeth & a tongue that goes in all directions while eating, I’m not sure she’ll be able to pick up Kibbles without canned.
I’m looking for high quality pate, smushy types of canned. They don’t have to be complete diets because they’re just add in’s. Canned isn’t cheap so I’d rather not buy an assortment to try.

Please tell me what you’ve used for smushy types of canned and thanks.

[crazy4cats]

I’m going to say, yes, you can freeze it. There are people on here that freeze both dry kibble and canned with no issue. I don’t know why you couldn’t. I bought that once thinking my senior kitty would love it, but it was a no go. Darn, I think it looks really good. Lol!

[Dog_Obsessed]

There is a Facebook community called Susie’s Senior Dogs that is dedicated to publicizing dogs in need of rescue and sharing success stories: http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/27877394/

[Sheila F]

Thank you all again. The seniors are awesome. I have Nelly, a 13 1/2 year old collie/golden, a Min Pin, Swayze an 11 year old permanent foster and a 16 year old cat. Added to the mix is a 4 year old puppy mill survivor I’ve only had for 2 months. All are cherished fur children.
Jazz’s ashes came home today. We are all feeling very sad.
Sheila

[Dog_Obsessed]

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you so much for rescuing a senior. You truly made her last 3 years amazing.

[Karen J]

Great information, I’m calming down. I’ll still stay grain free, and filtered water- supplements like cranberry and Vit C and be given hidden in a treat separately.

Last year I lost a dog (a senior) but he was so sick and went through so much I just want to be cautious.

Thank you.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Just found this thread, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking in a senior pup! I have volunteered with a local senior dog rescue, and I just love the oldies. There is also a great Facebook page called Susie’s Senior Dogs, that posts senior dogs up for adoption along with success stories and resources: https://www.facebook.com/susiesseniordogs

One question for Dori about the glucosamine supplements, I give the stage 1 version to Lily for mild luxuriating patella. I did not know that it was good not to give it with food, is that only for advanced care? Thanks!

[theBCnut]

Yes, mouthily is definitely now a word!!

Does she have vision issues? That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I hear about a senior being grumpy at night. She may need time to realize it’s you and not some unruly strange dog. Try putting your hand right up to her nose first when you approach her so she has time to realize it’s you before you pet or pick her up.

The kids will be fine for the weekend and they will appreciate all you do for them even more when you return. Have a great time!!

[USA]

Hi CHRISTINE C,

How is her weight? Is it stable? If she is a healthy weight and not losing any weight, then considering her stool firmed up she is doing pretty good with the EPI.

The first thing I would would try is a lower fat food. Horizon Amicus, Senior and Weight Management Formula is:
Protein 30%
Fat 10.5%
Fiber 4.25%
http://www.horizonpetnutrition.com/uploads/3/3/1/6/3316884/amicus_ga.pdf

If the low fat low fiber option doesn’t help, you can tweak the dose of enzymes a little. You could try 1 and 1 eighth teaspoons per cup of kibble if she doesn’t have any bad reactions like mouth sores or diarrhea or vomiting, etc.

Good Luck!!!

[Dori]

Oh Akari. I’m so happy that Ginger is feeling a little spunky now and then. Definitely feeling better health wise and also feeling lots of love. How sweet to hear about the changes in her. Love these type of stories. I know she’s a senior so it’s extra special that she gets whatever time is left to be in a real family situation with love and kindness. Love that she’s acting like a dog sniffing around on her walks. Good for you to put the time in with her.

Hannah does the reverse sneezing thing. Actually she’s been doing it for years but more so in this last six to eight months. With her it’s a bit of a trachea issue (toy dogs get that a lot) and reverse sneezing due to weather. She was doing it a lot in the Spring then it stopped and now it’s recently started again with the Fall weather. I think aside from the trachea collapse issue is that since she’s so small and always sniffing everything on the ground that it’s her more trying to clear her throat. It always stops on it’s own. She’s never thrown up. Sometimes when it goes on longer than I’m comfortable I pick her up and take her outside really quickly just to distract her. Other times I’ll life her up and blow into her nostrils and that has also stopped it immediately. Other times I’ve gently rubbed her throat area, that stops it too.

Excitement type stress can cause it also, almost like they get so excited then just can’t contain themselves. As to the snoring, most dogs as they get on in age will snore. You wouldn’t believe how loud Hannah snores sometimes. Between her and my husband’s snoring I’ve actually taken my pillow and slept on the sofa just to get some piece. Not sure which one snores louder. It’s funny but not so much at 4 in the morning.

[theBCnut]

A major issue with seniors is kidney disease, so I would suggest a diet rich in moisture. At 13, she deserves to eat something she likes.

And as for the vets, they are not nutritionists, so they frequently suggest foods based on who pays for tons of research. And they frequently treat syptoms rather than look for causes. Holistic vets are much more likely to look for the cause of an issue and more likely to pay attention to optimal diet.

[Tracy L]

For the last 13 years, I have been told by the vet that my poodle had seasonal allergies. She has always licked her paws like crazy and it would drive her and my husband crazy. I have tried several pet foods (such as Science Diet, Nutro, Blue Buffalo, etc.) and 1. she hasn’t liked them, and 2. she still licked. However, recently, I visited a local pet store (not a chain) and the lady recommended Fromm for my picky eater. She also gave me some Stella and Chewy’s Super Beef Patties to help put some weight on my little girl (she stopped eating as much). My poodle seems to like Fromm, but she LOVES the Stella and Chewy’s patty. Also, she has not been licking her paws at all! I sure wish I would have figured out her food allergies sooner. 🙁 I also wish my several vets across the country would have mentioned that there was better pet food available.

Now, I’m torn. She is 13 and I want what is best for her that she likes the most. Which dog food would you recommend for my allergic, picky eater senior poodle? She is in great shape (can walk 3 miles straight with no issue), but she does have a sensitive stomach at times.

Thank you!

[Dori]

Glad to hear you like them BC. I’ve recently added the Beef, Tripe and Fish to the girls rotation. Hubby is quite the squeamish one when it comes to feeding raw so this is as close as I can get if he has to feed a meal because I’ve dared to not be home at the girl’s meal time. I wish they didn’t have the freeze dried potato in their ingredients but as you know I feed rotational diet with every meal it really won’t be a big deal. I don’t like to feed Hannah with anything that has white potatoes because of her touch of arthritis.

cindy q. I believe that some of us have stated (not just me) that for an adult or senior dog this is a great food to feed in a rotational diet. Also most of the regulars on this site feed rotational diets so that what they may miss in one meal (if, indeed, that is the case with any food you may feed) they will pick it up in the next meal. Every single meal does not have to be “complete and balanced”. Complete and Balanced has to be met over a period of a week. If you feed a rotation diet then you really should not have any problems when feeding quality foods. If you’ve followed any of my posts on the DFA site I’m a firm believer in both raw and rotational feeding. My three dogs are my proof (for me) that this is the best diet for them.

I’ve never owned a large dog so have never had to research large puppy requirements in a dog food. I believe it has to do with the calcium in a food so as to not have their bones growing quicker than they should. Others would be knowledgeable in that area. I believe this food would also be fine for puppies of medium, small and toy dogs. I would have no issue feeding puppies this food but, again, I don’t feed any food solely.

[pugmomsandy]

Weruva Human Style in these recipes: Cirque de la Mer 65/10/17, Jammin Salmon 61/12/19, Bed and Breakfast 60/12/20. Protein/fat/carbs. BTW, Authority senior cans are 27/16/49 and Wellness turkey and sweet potato is 36/23/33. And you have to convert the guaranteed analysis to Dry Matter to get a good comparison. The numbers I posted above are Dry Matter. There’s an article with the calculation for dry matter in the Library. I can post a link later if you can’t find it. (Because I can’t copy/paste from my tablet! Clumsy fingers)

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Patricia J]

Any opinions on the best canned food product for a 10 yr old diabetic mini schnauzer with many issues? Prone to pancreatitis. Has been DKA 2 times. Very hard to regulate. On Vetsulin 7 units 2 x daily. Has UTI’s constantly due to so much glucose in her urine. Was feeding Authority canned senior chicken. She also gets 3 oz. boiled chicken breast with 1/2 can food, AM and PM feeding. Just changed to Wellness Turkey with sweet potatoe. Any suggestions for high protein, low carb and low fat canned food? I spent hours in Petsmart reading labels and am so confused. I chose the Wellness because it seemed to have the best overall % of protein, fat and carbs. but, if there is a better product for her, I’d love to know about it. Thanks.

[Bobby dog]

Very nice update! So glad you got her in for an exam and to care for her teeth. You really should give brushing her teeth a try. Sometimes it’s easier than you think it would be. I used to brush this grumpy old Chi mix’s teeth for a friend of mine because she was afraid of being bitten. You would imagine she would bite your hand off as grumpy as she was, but it was just the opposite she would just try her best to taste every bit of the paste.

When my JRT reached her senior years I just gave her some of my horses joint supplement. Joint supplements are expensive and it’s cheaper that way when you have a zoo. I use mostly Uckele and the Natural Vet products, some Vita-Flex and Select the Best also. My favorite supplement for my entire zoo is MSM. Pure MSM is very cheap to buy at tack shops or feed stores. I would look for a supplement with glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid (HA). Devils claw and yucca is good too.
http://equine.uckele.com/Canine/joint

Here’s a brief article on herbs for animal arthritis:
http://www.animalwellnessmagazine.com/articles/top-5-herbs-for-arthritis/

[Dori]

Cyndi and Akari. Shawna isn’t typically on the forums so you would have to figure out a different way to reach out to her otherwise she may not even know about the Purina talk on Monday. Never mind. I’ll send Shawna an email right now and ask her to check out this thread. 🙂 Duh????? Sometimes it takes a moment, a senior moment I guess, for a lightning bolt to hit me and come up with the most common sense of ideas.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, Cav lover! I have 3 and all 3 of mine have murmurs. Hazel has a grade 2 that was early onset and hasn’t changed in 5 years. She’s 7 now. She is on no meds at this time. Laverne is 9 and was diagnosed with a grade 3/4 about a year ago. She is on no meds at this time. Rupert is 7 and was just diagnosed this past April with a grade 5 and MVD. 🙁 He is doing fine, atm, and is on enalapril. I do give supplements like coq10 and fish oil. I have used others in the past, in supplements like Bio-Cardio by Thorne and Cardio Strength from Vetri Science. My vet likes to use Standard Process glandular supps. and I’ve used the Cardiac care one. I do know that homecooked or raw would probably be best but I do as good as I can for them. I am feeding a rotation of base kibbles, Wellness Simple Small Breed, Fromm Salmon Tunalini. I add canned foods like Fromm 4Star, Wellness 95% or Stews, Simply Nourish and also Fresh Pet Vital. They are great eaters! You can also find tons of info. at this site: cavalierhealth.org. Good luck with your pup, they are a special kind of breed!

One more thing…..I do know that Wellness makes a Small Breed Senior (only comes in 4lb. bags, though) that is lower, controlled sodium but it’s not grain free (if that’s a concern, may not be). Actually, pretty much all of Wellness Small Breed formulas have decent salt percentages (not outlandish).

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Melissaandcrew]

A dog in pain will bite. So would I if in pain and bringbpoked at. When you own a senior pet with pain issues its the owner that needs to adjust, not the dog.

[Akari_32]

When I put the steps in moms room, I put them to the night stand. They are the same height, but the night stand provides Ginger and Bentley that extra room to get up on to the bed, rather than a shear drop from the bed to the stairs. Moms bed is 31 inches tall, which we couldn’t find any stairs to reach, so we decided the night stand was a good height. It is for Bentley, but just a bit too tall for old Ginger. I’ll be finding a rug and a bit of 4×4 to make an extra step on the night stand, and make the surface non-slip (again, not a problem for Bentley, but a problem for Gingers short little legs and old bones).

I actually bought the Toy Breed for my almost 12-year-old, 60 lb retriever mix, Haley, because it’s high in calories, and she doesn’t like to eat much. Got a bunch if 2 and 4 lb bags free with coupons, along with the Wellness Senior cans :p Having only $10 a week budgeted for now three dogs (12, 60 and 130 lb), a cat, and various fish and reptiles, I’m oportunistic with my pet food coupon deals (but not so much so that I’ll buy food of questionable quality– I still have standards, which works out for me with the great Wellness deals I get). I typically buy puppy foods because of Haley, but the protein and calories on this line were where I wanted them for the most part, and is figured variety is the spice of life LOL

Also, the small kibble size seems to be working well for Ginger because of her teeth. They are just so gross, and I imagine they hurt to some degree. I don’t think this dog has ever seen a bone of any kind in her life. I do plan on seeing how she does on other foods I’ve got stashed away that have larger kibble sizes though. I’ve got one 6lb bag of Pro Plan small breed puppy (only cost my 3 bucks!) and about 15 lbs of Nutro Natural Choice puppy that all have larger kibbles (and of course my bunches of Wellness Toy Breed lol). I’ve got some EVO in the freezer, but those are like as big as her eye, so I think that’s out of the question…

[Akari_32]

So an update on Ginger is in order.

Mom, once again, is a complete idiot. She put the doggy stairs up to her bed, which in and of itself is great, and I’m glad she’s remember to do that, but her bed is a good 10-12 inch taller than the stairs are!! She expects this 7 inch tall (probably less!), 14 year old dog to get from the top of the stairs to the top of the bed. Even worse, she expects her to down. Ginger fell down the stairs getting down while I was at work the other day, and now she’s limping on her front right leg, flinching away from contact, and biting (mouthing and snarling, really) when being picked up. She’s also pacing the house, obviously uncomfortable, and doesn’t seem to know what to do. Hopefully she’ll just need some Previcox and down time to recover, and nothing more.

On the Previcox note, I can’t help but wonder if she’s at a point where she needs pain management to live comfortably. I’ve been thinking this side before the steps incident, because she never has fully stopped flinching away from certain contact. She’s also got another fatty tumor forming very quickly on the side of her stomach– I can’t help but wonder if it’s hurting her with how fast it’s forming, or if it’s something else. She also went out peed the other morning, then came in, drank a ton of water, then peed straight water on the floor. Had no color at all to it. The vet said she maybe be diabetic or have some other problems (just looking at her you can tell she’s not in the best of health), and to try and get a pee sample (he said that before the even happened). Either way, vet in the morning. Thankfully orthopedic exams are free, so that’ll save me some money…. Lol

Some good news though, I can’t believe how nice her coat has gotten over the last two weeks I’ve had her. She was eating Royal Canin Dachshund, and now I’ve got her on Wellness Toy Breed and various canned foods (was Pure Balance, now on Wellness Senior), as well as coconut and fish oil rotated on a daily basis, and kefir daily. She’s very soft and shiny and doesn’t shed as much. I may put her on Wellness CORE Small Breed. Depends on if I can get a good price, and how she adapts to changes in just the canned food for now. Lord knows she’s probably been on that one Royal Canin for her entire life.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Ray,

Take a look also at Go! Senior, Wellness Core Reduced Fat and Orijen Senior. All are excellent foods with high quality protein, lower fat and higher fiber.

[crazy4cats]

Here we are, Ray T! I’m never sure what people mean by a food is too rich for their dogs. Do you mean that it has too much fat, too much proten, or both?
A lot of the healthy weight and senior recipes tend to be a little lower in fat. In fact, I just bought the Nutrisource senior formula for my two dogs who are only three years old. I feel like I add toppers that tend to be a little high in fat so I should try a lower in fat kibble. I haven’t opened it yet. I’ll let you know how it goes. It has 26% protein, 10% fat, 5.5% fiber and 392 calories per cup. It’s a chicken and rice formula.

[Bobby dog]

Very nice pics! I haven’t seen pics of Haley or Dweezle before, they are very nice looking dogs. I think it is only fitting that Alec is in the middle! He is the king of the castle after all. 😉

Have you tried brushing her teeth? It may not be as bad as it looks.

I hear you, unfortunately senior pet care is a little more costly than it is for are young pups. You’re right, getting her teeth checked for quality of life and life threatening issues is important. But, from your description it does sound like trying to save her teeth is probably not the best or safest. Getting some teeth pulled is much better than living with discomfort or future illness if that’s what she needs.

My senior kitty has lost two this past year alone. The last one was a surprise, but the one before that might have left behind a little of the root which meant surgical removal if that was the case. Luckily for him (and I guess my bank account) the root wasn’t left behind and it healed over nicely with the help of some antibiotics. I just hate the thought of putting him under anesthesia at his age. But, it is what it is and it’s just something I have to monitor in his golden years. Like Ginger, he’s got really bad teeth too. Good thing he loves canned food, that’s the only thing he is going to be able to eat soon! He’s the pet that’s going to have every senior ailment known to man as he ages, my other three you would never know they are 14+ years old. lol

[Akari_32]

Nails are done! Whoo! I tried to do them myself, but my clippers are just too small. I did trim them, at least.

But today at the vet, we had some down time, so I walked home and grabbed Ginger, and walked back over. Managed to muzzle her in one try, and got her flipped on her side to hold her down very easily.

I feel like if we had rushed into this sooner, she would have been so stressed and scared. But she didn’t even growl or try to bite. I held her down while the tech I’m shadowing did the cutting. When I get some bigger clippers, I’ll try it at home again, when it’s time to do it, of course. I’ll have someone hold her while I cut. Hopefully, though, daily walks will keep them down at this point.

Speaking of walks, when we were walking home, I started up the driveway, and she was still walking down the sidewalk LOL She really loves to walk. We walked about a half mile yesterday, and we got home and she was just so happy. I’ve never seen her eyes so bright, despite the fact she was so so tired out her tounge was almost touching the floor, even with her head held up LOL I always say I hate Flexi leashes, but I do walk her and Haley on one. She has such little legs that she lags behind if she’s not running (you know she’s excited when she’s running LOL), and I don’t want her to tangle in the leash. She also stops abruptly for potty breaks, and I don’t want to jerk her (and hurt her) on accident. And then Haley just needs a quiet verbal command, or even a just hearing the lock start to click on the leash to know what I want her to do. And neither of them approach random people we pass, either. But you’ll never catch me walking a dog like Bentley on a Flexi leash! He’s stupid enough to run out into the road or run up to dogs that clearly want to eat him. The only Flexi leash I would consider for him is the Flexi City, which is a 6ft retractable, and is absolutely genius. But I ain’t paying $20+ for a leash, so that’ll never happen unless I find one at goodwill (where I got my other two full size ones lol). He gets tangled in his leash all the time because he can’t just walk in a straight line like a normal dog. I hate walking him sometimes, but someone’s gotta do it… Lol

Anyway… Lol Ginger is doing good, and eating well. I started her on a 1/2 teaspoon of keifer every day, and her poops look much better than they have been. Not all runny and smelly like they’ve been the last week. I think I’ll just keep her on it every day. I’ve been giving it to Bentley as well, the same amount, to mix the SSLL mix into, along with some canned food and coconut oil or fish oil. I also need to up her food, I think. I’ve been giving her 1/3 cup with a couple tablespoons of canned Wellness Senior (my free cans! LOL), but I think I’ll start giving her a little more of the dry, especially since she loves walks so much. Gotta keep some meat on her bones.

That’s all I’ve got for now, I think. She’s passed out on the couch, sleeping off her nail trim lol

[mandy d]

Hi Sue66b, I actually must have missed that one somehow! I’ll check out both. She’s never eaten raw before but the vet we just saw is a pretty big proponent of the paleopet diet and didn’t seem concerned about feeding her raw even with her colitis so I figured it was worth looking into. She’s doing much better after the vet visit, but I do think I’m going to try her on some different food and see if I can find something that prevents the flare ups.

Crazy4cats- I’m looking for fat around or less than 10% and fiber around 9% for a kibble, but I suppose those amounts vary for wet or raw foods. Unfortunately I think the wellness core reduced fat that we had tried in the past is the only one that high in fiber. Right now I’m adding pumpkin to her normal food for extra fiber. The formulas that fall in the range I’m looking tend to be senior or weight reduction foods, so that’s been most of what I’ve looked at but unfortunately almost all (or all) are poultry based which she is allergic too. They tend to have either chicken or turkey as the main ingredient or have poultry fat somewhere in the ingredients. Even all of the prescription GI health/senior/weight management foods are poultry based.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Mandy-
How low of fat are you thinking? A lot of the senior or weight reduction foods are lower in fat and higher in fiber. Have you looked into any of those? I think some of the Nutrisource kibbles are a little higher in fiber than average, but I’m not sure if they are as low in fat as you are looking for. I try to use lower fat foods as well, but my dogs can eat chicken, luckily. Also as you mentioned, you can always add fiber to their meals. Good luck to you!

[Ivan L]

Hi
I’m very new on this dog food subject.
I have three dogs and I’m lost of what is the best way to feed them.
I have a 10 years old cocker spaniel and 2 shih tzu that are 4 years old.

Should I use dry food or wet food?
Should I mix them?
What food do you recommend taking in consideration one is a senior dog all of them are small breeds?

Thank you for the advises

[Bobby dog]

Yeahhhhhhhhhh! Did you try a sprinkle? Or did she decide to eat on her own? Just wondering if you found something to entice her; you never know when you need a trick up your sleeve.

My female doesn’t weigh much to begin with either, but even losing a pound for our petite senior kitties is so noticeable. Fancy Feast is not bad, it’s just there are only a few recipes IMO that don’t have all the unnecessary ingredients (artificial colors & flavors), gravies, and sauces that make them more of a fast food. It doesn’t matter anyway, she just needs to eat.

Maybe when you open the can you can dump it out, since it pretty much holds it form, and try giving it a gentle rinse to wash away the gravy. Don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a try to get rid of some of the gravy and trying to keep the food in her.