Search Results for 'senior'

Dog Food Advisor Forums Search Search Results for 'senior'

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  • #27351

    In reply to: Pancreatic Senior Dog

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I think it’s just the fat content difference between the legs versus the breast. But you can always remove the skin before cooking and drain off the fat drippings.

    #27350
    theBCnut
    Member

    Try adding a little Apple Cider Vinegar(make sure it has the mother in it) to her meals, about a half teaspoon per cup of food mixed with a little water. Seniors often don’t produce enough stomach acid on their own to signal the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach to close all the way(humans and dogs both), so they get acid reflux. Then they are treated with acid reducers, which just compounds the problem rather than fixing it.

    #27344

    In reply to: Pancreatic Senior Dog

    theBCnut
    Member

    You can use chicken breast, but you have to replace the calcium. Giving some veggies is ok too, but you need to use a little less rice to make up for the sugars in the carrots or any other starchy veg. You can add coconut oil to replace some of the fat, because it is a medium chain triglyceride and doesn’t tax the pancreas. Ask you vet about appropriate amounts and use organic virgin coconut oil.

    #27339
    InkedMarie
    Member

    Molzy, I understand what you said, LOL. We adopted a senior sheltie in January, she came to us with no teeth. No big deal, we fed The Honest Kitchen, dehydrated so no issue, right? Wrong! Turns out she constipates easily & lost weight so we had to buy a different THK product than what we have here and the canned food we already had….no can do, wrong calories/fat/fiber ratios. We just roll with it.

    #27306

    In reply to: Pancreatic Senior Dog

    Dolly
    Participant

    Thank you! The website was helpful, but I do have a few questions. Do you know the effects of substituting chicken legs and thighs in his suggested recipe with chicken breasts instead? My vet specifically instructed to feed chicken breasts, because of the lower fat content, but I have no idea if this has any other nutritional consequences? Also, is it ok to add vegetables every day? My dog really likes green beans and carrots, I understand they don’t digest them well, but my dog gets very loose stool when i only feed chicken and rice, even if only for a few days, my vet said adding some healthy fillers may help with this issue? Also, she really enjoys them, and the carrots help clean her teeth, we have a very limited bone selection due to her sensitivity to fat intake. Thanks again for the help, anyones suggestions are appreciated!

    #27207
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    If it’s a large breed puppy, then it has special needs. I was assuming you’d be getting another small dog. Also, puppies (non-large breed), adults and seniors can also eat the same foods (unless there is a medical issue). My 14 yr old eats the same food as the rest of the gang (which includes all life stage food).

    #27195

    In reply to: Pancreatic Senior Dog

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    There’s a homemade cooked recipe at homemadedogfood.com (chicken and rice). It uses DinoVite and a fish oil supplement to make a complete diet. You might use quinoa or millet as a substitute for rice and of course decrease the fat content. There are some canned foods listed in the Low Fat Foods list. The Honest Kitchen Zeal formula is also low fat.

    #27188
    Dolly
    Participant

    Hi, I need help with my 13 year old dog with pancreaitis history. I saw some similar posts on here, but maybe not exactly what I was looking for. My dog has a very sensitive stomach, the only thing I could find that seemed to work was the Science Diet sensitive stomach, which I don’t want to feed. For now she’s eating about half wellness wet dog food, and half boiled chicken and rice, which seems to agree with her stomach well, but I’m sure is lacking in nutrients, and I’d like to get her away from rice due to the arsenic levels. I’d prefer to go grain free if possible, although that isn’t my primary objective. I would also love to be able to cook one food that is safe for both the dog and the cat, or something I could slightly modify for the cat, again though, that isn’t my main concern. Any suggestions/recipes would be helpful, as I don’t really know where to start. I don’t want to do raw. Also, she is on diuretics due to slight heart congestion, so anything heart healthy is great (we aready do fish oil pills). Lastly, I am terrible at cooking, so the simpler/less ingriedeints the better. Thanks!

    Collywog
    Participant

    Hi all,

    I found out today that my dog’s food, Oven Baked Tradition (Adult/Senior), is being discontinued.

    I would appreciate any input on a similar food (similar in quality, price, taste, ingredients, etc) that I could transition her to, and tips on how best to do that.

    Your input would be hugely appreciated.

    Thank you,
    CH

    #26959
    Akari_32
    Participant

    This is really long, so don’t go running away screaming lol

    Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
    Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
    Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
    By Nature Active
    By Nature Pork
    California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
    California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
    Canidae Life Stages ALS
    Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
    Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
    Castor and Pollux Large Breed
    Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
    Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
    Earthborn Puppy Vangate
    Earthborn Small Breed
    Earthborn Primitive Naturals
    Evanger’s Chicken and Brown Rice
    Fromm Gold ALL
    Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Pork
    Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Chicken
    Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance Chicken
    Holistic Select Vital Senior
    Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
    Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
    Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
    Holistic Select Anchovy
    Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
    Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
    Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
    Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
    Merrick Classic Beef
    Merrick Classic Lamb
    Merrick Classic Chicken
    Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
    Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
    Natural Balance Ultra
    Natural Balance Fat Dogs
    Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
    Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
    Nature’s Recipe Venison
    Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
    Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
    Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
    Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
    Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
    Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
    PetGuard LifeSpan
    Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
    Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
    Solid Gold Wolf Cub
    Vet’s Choice ALL
    Wellness Complete Health Chicken
    Wysong Adult
    Wysong Growth Puppy
    Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

    I was really surprised at how cheap the Grandma Lucy’s is– 51 pounds for 60 bucks, and for a really god one?? I’m all about that!

    Not too sure on the Solid Gold, but its just kind of hanging out there for now. I dunno what it is about that brand that gives me the heebyjeebies.

    Some of these other ones (By Nature, Vet’s Choice, Premium Edge, and a few others) are cheap and look good too. As it gets cooler and my food supply starts to dwindle, I’ll look into this online dog food shopping thing, I think.

    #26859
    Eldee
    Participant

    The Whole Earth Farms senior formula should fit the bill for you.

    #26858
    soprano1
    Participant

    I am feeding Blue Buffalo Life Protection for Senior. I chose it, because it is on a list on this site al alternatives for dogs with kidney disease.

    #26831
    atavuss
    Participant

    Hello everyone, I have a 13 y.o. JRT that is in good health, not over weight, he is not very active. Because of large dogs that run loose in the neighborhood he does not get taken for walks, he is a indoor dog and has been since we got him as a rescue when he was five.
    He was on Eagle brand lamb kibble from when we got him until about 6 months ago because the local pet stores stopped carrying the Eagle brand. I switched him over to Taste of the Wild Sierra, he will sometimes leave food in his food dish, more so than he did with the Eagle brand. He has gas and smaller and less well formed stools compared to when he was on the Eagle brand. He is constantly chewing his feet and licking since he has been on the Taste of the Wild food and he does this much more than when he was on the Eagle brand.
    Should I give him more time to get used to the Taste of the Wild food as it is supposedly a better kibble or should I change him over to something like Orijen’s Senior kibble?
    Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

    #26826
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    There are several good choices to choose from but since he’s only eaten one food for 3 years, it could take some time (weeks to months) to transition him off, but don’t let that discourage you. Get a good multi-strain probiotic to help seed his gut with a more diverse population since his gut is only used to digestion RC. Since he’s eating grain right now, there are some other good grain products that are gluten free like Nutrisource small/med puppy (yes for your old guy, it’s for all life stages). If you’re confused about that statement, we can discuss it some more. Also there is Nature’s Logic, Nature’s Select Hi-Pro, Merrick Classic, Solid Gold Sundancer, Acana (might have gluten contamination in the oats). For grain free small kibble options, there is Amicus and Instinct (but I wouldn’t try this one yet, it would be too much for him, way too different from RC), Merrick grain free and Nutrisource grain free. I would suggest Amicus or Nutrisource grain free Heartland Select for grain free starters because they are “medium” range. Instinct and Merrick grain free are “high”. Start by adding just 20% of new food to his RC and don’t increase the new food until he has satisfactory output, however long that takes. At his age, I would strongly think about adding canned food to his diet (if you’re not already) or making it the majority of his diet. It is “a step up” from kibble.

    http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/06/20/aging-pet-food.aspx

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

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.
    #26656
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    weezerweeks,

    Can you get Amicus? It’s grain free, toy-breed so it is tiny pieces and they have a lower fat recipe (Senior/Weight Management). http://www.horizonpetfood.com

    And there are only three grain free choices at Wellness: 1) Core Small Breed and 2) Simple Limited Ingredient Diet GF Turkey or (3) Simple LID GF Salmon.

    #26650
    Akari_32
    Participant

    I can do that. It’s like 2.30-something for a jug of it, which would last forever.

    Here’s a link to those vitamins. Scroll down and click on the ingredients tab. It doesn’t give a nutritional table, though, so I’ll have to take a pic of the bottle when I got him from work.

    http://www.prosensepet.com/Products/Dog/Vitamins-and-Minerals/Senior-Daily-Vitamin.aspx#answers

    They also make an adult version. It has lower values of everything.

    #26631
    theBCnut
    Member

    Probiotics are definitely helpful! If you order online, Swanson’s has one called Dr Stephen Langer’s that is pretty good and another called Soil Based Organisms that is also good. Swanson’s has great prices. For Haley, I would really suggest that you put her on a digestive enzyme and Apple Cider Vinegar(the kind with the mother in it). Those help senior dogs with digestion.

    #26626
    Akari_32
    Participant

    I found a great $2 off any Prosense pet product, so I decided to try the fish oil for Bentley’s suspected grass allergies (it’s not chicken, it’s not grains, so maybe grass?) and the senior vitamins for Haley’s weight (we can’t possibly shove anymore food down this dogs throat, as she just can’t physically eat much more than 5 cups).

    Bentley’s been on the fish oil for a few months, and it does actually seem to help him some. We’ve also been wiping his paws and tummy off after being outdoors with a baby wipe, and trying to give him a weekly bath. And, which I haven’t tried yet, I found hot spot shampoo of the same brand on clearence for $3 (use the coupon and it’s only a buck :D).

    Haley, at just 65 pounds of ideal weight, eats 4-5 cups a day. She’s maybe 2-3 pounds underweight, healthy otherwise. The vet had her on vitamins last year durring some medical treatment, but she’s since been off them. Pretty much boils down to her being old at this point, and not being able to metabolize food as efficiently. Shes been on these Prosense Senior vitamins for a few days and I do already see her gaining energy, at least.

    Regular feeding, for all three of the dogs, consists of 8-9 cups of dry food mixed with a 13 oz can of wet food, and usually an egg thrown in, as well. This is obviously divided up in appropriate amounts for each dog. The whole feeding routine has been made up specifically for Haley, as straight dry food really upsets her stomach, in an indigestible sort of way. Even if it’s just moistened with some water, it helps her tremendously. Poor girls got tummy troubles lol

    I was wondering about these senior vitamins: they seem really high in calcium, which I’ve heard mixed things about for older dogs. I’ll get exact numbers in the morning, as I’m in bed now, but it’s several times higher than the adult formula. I want to say its 4-5% though.

    This brand is only available at WalMart (locally, at least) from what I’ve seen. Not that I really have much problem with that. I don’t particularly like WalMart, but I’ll do what I have to.

    Also, side note while were here, and I feel it’ll be brought up at some point– you guys know those powder Centrum probiotics for people? Would something like that he beneficial in Haley’s case? Doesn’t have to be that brand or kind, either. Anything along those lines. Just know I’m not made of money 😉

    #26525

    In reply to: Food Rotation

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Nancy M

    I buy my kibble online and from the local feed store/garden supply store. I buy canned foods from a wholesaler but there are alot of them that get dented on the delivery so it would be better for me to pick the order up from the loading dock but I do buy several cases at once. Basically, I just bought about a dozen cases, not for sure. There’s several still on the floor that aren’t on the shelf! There is also a non-profit store where fosters can buy food for dirt cheap like Merrick cases for $2.50 (and they are in date, not expired). I haven’t bought from them so my cases are around $16-$30. My preferred cans are Weruva, Tripett, Merrick, Wellness, Nature’s Logic, just ordered some Hound & Gatos. For freeze dried/dehydrated I’ve used The Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s with added protein, and Addiction with added protein. My other favorite freeze dried is Vital Essentials freeze dried nibbletts since I get a big bag of this for $15-$18. For kibble, I keep Nature’s Logic, Nutrisource, Brothers Complete, Instinct, and Epigen, sometimes Nature’s Select grain free. I have anywhere from 6-12 dogs at a time and when they leave my house, I send them with a gallon ziplock bag about 3/4 full and a couple cans. I like to use wet foods on their kibble, but usually make sure to feed the seniors extra wet food. My raw is from a local source or with a group bulk order from GreenTripe.com in California. Retailers also carry this brand but for twice as much as when ordering with my raw feeding group.

    #26468
    Nancy M
    Member

    Thanks for the tips……and love to do Sheltie Talk with other Sheltie lovers. I have had mostly the Blue Merle’s, one Sable and then a Tri. My favorites have been the Blue Merle’s, but I love them all! Unfortunately, my Blues haven’t done so well in the health arena, so this next puppy is going to be a Sable. I’m hoping he won’t be quite so genetically compromised, as I’ve heard about the Blues….but I don’t know that for a fact. With this guy being only 3, I am just so heartbroken over his illness, I’m ready to try something a little more “common”. I didn’t have health problems with the Tri or Sable, until they were “Seniors”…….like me. All of them have been purebreds though, and maybe that is a determining factor, rather than color.
    Anyway, thanks for your conversation and helpful information.

    #26066
    cockerspanielmom
    Participant

    I just wanted any recommendations you have.

    I have a 15.5 year old cocker spaniel, mostly healthy.
    We added a 10 month cocker spaniel puppy after losing our 13 year old earlier in the year.

    We also have two additional cockers living with my mother in law while we have our house built. a 13 year old tri girl with bladder stones eating a prescription diet WD or CD and a cancer surviving 13 year old buff boy with an enlarged heart but otherwise healthy.

    So we fed everyone WD for the past 7+ years due to the one dog who required it. With the puppy in the house, that’s not ideal so our vet suggested a senior formula for the two boys and a puppy formula for the new baby.

    We’ve tried Blue Buffalo, it’s our first choice. The puppy really needs grain free.
    They don’t like BB and will barely eat it. We tried some samples of Merrick and they love it but the protein is just too high. We’ve also tried Natural Balance Fish and Potato and Ideal Balance Fish/Potato.

    Ideal Balance is only rated a 3 (bleh) but they ate it best. Merrick replied that we should try Castor and Pollux as a lower protein option to Merrick.

    I just feel a bit lost because they don’t seem to like any of the foods we are trying yet. We want them to love the food, want to eat it, and it still be healthy. I’ve never had such picky dogs before and the puppy needs that grain free due to possible allergies and it’s just a mess.

    #25630

    In reply to: Very Best Puppy Food?

    theBCnut
    Member

    As far as the puppy requirements versus the adult requirements. The puppy has more stringent requirements, but there is nothing in puppy food that adult dogs can’t handle, however the reverse is not true. Adult foods are not necessarily appropriate for puppies. I only feed All Life Stages foods, even to my senior. Just because she doesn’t have to have the absolute optimum diet, like my puppy, doesn’t mean I don’t want her to have it anyway.

    #25600
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Wow Melissa, I’m so happy to hear you’re going the homemade raw route! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the results. 🙂

    I would suggest getting as many different varieties of organ meat as possible (remember, hearts and gizzards are considered muscle meat not organ meat). Liver should only comprise 5% of the diet and 5% should be “other” organs – the more organs you can get to make up the “other” portion the better. Ask for items like kidneys, lungs, spleen, pancreas, brain, etc. If you can get gullet and trachea these are a great source of naturally occurring chondroitin (good for the seniors’ joints) – not organ meat though. Obviously if you can get green tripe go for it (muscle meat).

    The Nupro would be okay to use for a trace nutrient supply but it wouldn’t completely balance the meals. You’re going to want to be sure to add a source of vitamin e and vitamin d (I use cod liver oil for vitamin d). You’re going to want to add some ground nuts/seeds for manganese (I use a combination of sprouted pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds/flax/chia). I think it’s a good idea to feed tinned oysters once in awhile as they’re a great source of trace minerals like zinc, copper and selenium. I’m also an advocate of small amounts (10% – 20%) of fruits and veggies (I most often use organic greens, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower and berries – be sure to puree) for antioxidants and kefir or yogurt for probiotics. Cage-free eggs are a great source of omega 3’s, have a great amino acid profile and will contain some of the b vitamins, vitamin d and vitamin e – I recommend feeding eggs at least once a week. I mix in various fresh herbs like parsley, garlic and cilantro. I also add coconut oil and apple cider vinegar to every batch. The most important thing to keep in mind is that variety is key!

    If you are looking for a supplement to “balance” the diets, I’d recommend Steve Brown’s See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix. It makes AAFCO compliant meals and it’s really cheap in comparison to other pre-mixes plus there’s a quantity discount when you order several bags at one. I don’t use pre-mixes too often but it’s my favorite to use when I do. He also advocates adding various fresh ingredients (up to 20%) so you have the freedom to customize a bit while being assured that the dogs are getting a balanced meal. If you want to make your own supplement – buying the ingredients separately definitely is the cheapest route. The pre-made supplements like Nupro are much more expensive. Check out Swanson’s, they sell all the ingredients you’d need and everything is super cheap and you can often get bulk packages (I use a lot of the Starwest Botanicals items in my whole food supplement).

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
    #25484

    In reply to: Dehydrated Food.

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Ziwipeak, Only Natural Pet Max Meat, Smack, Vital Essentials, Addiction.
    As far as ingredients go, look for named meats, named fats, real veg/fruit, superfoods, and protein at least around 30% dry matter. Because just like kibble, there are high and low protein dehydrated foods. 30 is just around average. I don’t think Ziwipeak and Vital Essentials absorb water well so I would use those like kibble. You can use rehydrated foods like you would canned foods. They can be given any time as a meal or as a topper to kibble. My senior gets mostly wet food.

    #25458
    AnaG.
    Participant

    I’ve been trying to find a more natural way to get rid of fleas and came across DE(Diatomaceous Earth) and was wondering if anyone can give me any info. I am using AdvantixII but it’s not working, and I don’t want to give my dogs pills that could make them sick, they are both senior dogs around 20pounds each.

    #25429
    Beck
    Participant

    I have a 12.5 year old lab with inflammatory Bowel Disease. She has been on Eukanuba low residue diet for about a year and a half, but her coat has dulled and she sheds so much more than she used to. I am convinced it’s the food. The vet says this is her best option food wise, but does anyone know of another food which might improve her coat?

    #25074

    In reply to: Advise please

    Muttley
    Participant

    Ok . Thank you. I ll go with Origen senior grain free and see from there. Gonna be an improvement anyways from Alpo and less crap in it .

    #25039
    muggle11
    Participant

    Thank you so much for the tip. I will try to find those brands.

    #25021
    rogerharris
    Member

    Hii .. The basic difference between Fromm Nutritionals and Fromm Grainfree is-
    Fromm Nutritionals is formulated with multiple fresh protein sources including fresh duck, fresh chicken, fish, and fresh lamb. And, Fromm Grainfree formulated for all life stages and it is suitable for puppies, adults, and senior dogs. Because each recipe has a similar blend of fresh fruits, vegetables, brown rice, and potatoes it is encouraged to switch between each variety monthly, weekly, or even daily.
    Others brands are: pollux ultramix, Halo, Avoderm, etc.

    #25020

    Topic: Advise please

    in forum Diet and Health
    Muttley
    Participant

    Hello. I ve adopted a mini schnauzer. he will be 8 in 3 months. he always been fed with Alpo and he is at least 6 -7 lbs overweight which is huge for that type of dog. I want to switch him to grain free dry food. My question is,will he lose weight with grain free dry food? I have selected origen senior grain free dry food or Nutrience grain free dry food. Or should I start him with a diet food and then switch to grain free ? Thanks.

    #24798
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Try mixing in some canned food to make it more interesting. As far as the “aggressively defend anything left in the bowl”, don’t leave his food bowl down. If he doesn’t eat, pick it up and try again later. I was going to suggest feeding him wet food since he is real old but that might no be in your budget. There are some quality wet foods for $1 or less – Costco Kirkland Cuts in Gravy, Pure Balance at Walmart.

    #24776
    theBCnut
    Member

    Most senior foods really aren’t a good match for senior dogs. They almost always decrease the protein in senior foods, but seniors have less ability to digest protein so they actually need more high quality protein. My 11 1/2 year old JRT has skin issues too. She is intolerant of grains and chicken. She does really well on Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Insticnt, and Brothers Complete. You probably don’t have to stick with lamb and rice, just avoid chicken, if that’s what the last dog food was. Feed a little less and/or exercise a little more. My girl is still going 110%.

    #24772
    JASJENS
    Participant

    I have an approximately 14 year old 40 lb former street dog black lab mix who in his prime would inhale anything put in front of him including the kitchen sink. He’s been getting the Chicken Soup brand for many years and loving it, but the elderly dog he’s now been replaced with doesn’t eat with as much panache as his younger version and will regularly leave a large portion of his food untouched, which is problematic because he will aggressively defend anything left in the bowl. I’m hesitant to give him less food because he is at a healthy weight but could quickly move into the “too skinny” category so if he is hungry I want to make sure he is getting adequate nutrition. My first attempt is going to be to switch the food up to see if something new may pique his interest. Any suggestions for a good quality adult or senior dog food that won’t break the bank would be appreciated.

    #24771
    muggle11
    Participant

    I have a 13 year old Jack Russell Terrier with some skin allergies. Several years ago we switched her to a lamb and rice food and that seemed to help with the itching. She has put on a few pounds and is getting older, so I would like to switch her to a senior food. I have not been able to find one that contains lamb and rice. The pet store recommended Blue Buffalo, which does not seem to be a favorite from the comments I see on the site. Thanks.

    GailLouise
    Participant

    Has anyone read and tried Andi Brown’s “The Whole Pet Diet”? She has published this book and also has a website: http://www.thewholepetdiet.com/

    In our extended family, we have 3 Shetland sheepdogs (a senior one with thyroid issues), a young Siberian husky and German short-haired pointer (who have both had bladder infections and urine pH bouncing around up to 9.0, plus a yeast infection in the female husky following antibiotic treatment), and a young very sensitive English springer spaniel with a topical yeast infection (lived with a cone for months due to scratching her chin & licking/biting paws and butt) until we switched her to Nutrisca, a grain-free dry food, based on this website. Finding this website (dogfoodadvisor.com) a month ago has really opened our eyes – the various vets are still recommending Purina & Science Diets as nutritionally sound but when we question them, their reasoning is based on typical marketing (the big companies do research and why would they do anything that would be harmful to pets sort of thing). So, last weekend, we mixed up the EFA oil mixture as best we could and also made the chicken stew, according to the recipes on Andi’s website. Our dogs love it – including the springer spaniel, who often would lie around and not eat except for once a day. My daughter and I cooked the stew together with all of the dogs in the kitchen and they just hovered around us the whole time. I am interested in reading if anyone else has had any experience with this. Thanks!

    #24693

    In reply to: senior diet questions

    theBCnut
    Member

    I firmly believe in the health benefits of rotating, but to figure out what your dog is reacting to, you have to feed one thing long enough to know that yes, he is, or no, he isn’t reacting to any ingredients in this food.

    #24690

    In reply to: senior diet questions

    lizbethc41
    Participant

    Thank you for your response & support! You know, I’ve tried making a big batch of one recipe & freezing portions, but Muggsy is just too picky. If he gets the same meal too many times in a row, he’ll refuse to eat. I play the standoff game with him, but I always give in first lol
    You are right though, it probably is rotating the recipes (as was recommended) because I think his GI system has just become too sensitive as he’s aged.
    I am looking into buying a case of organic sweet potatoes as he does seem to do well with them & finally sticking to my guns & keeping him on the same recipe for a longer length of time. The grain free Party Animal has sweet potato & so hopefully he’ll ‘even out’ eventually.

    #24626

    In reply to: senior diet questions

    theBCnut
    Member

    I don’t have much in the way of suggestions for you, just support. I would be hesitant about the Balance It diet too.

    I’m wondering if you have tried going several days in a row with your recipe using all the same ingredients, before switching. I guess I’m wondering if the GI upset could be a reaction to, say for instance, the oatmeal, or any other specific ingredient.

    #24618
    lizbethc41
    Participant

    Hi,
    My dog will be 10 in Nov. He had a malignant fibrosarcoma removed in ’09. Since then he’s had issues with intermittent diarrhea.
    His food history:
    He has always been an extremely picky eater, going ‘on strike’ often
    Fed Iams until he was 3.5 (My first dog & I didn’t know any better, mea culpa)
    As a blood cancer survivor myself, I switched our household to an organic one.
    Switched to Castor & Pollux Organix dry that I added a small amount of organic chicken, turkey or beef w/occasional wild caught salmon or duck to entice him to eat it. He did great on this until his health issue arose.
    After his surgery I started adding pumpkin & probiotics (from Only Natural Pet) to his meals, but he still would get colitis type diarrhea every now & then. So I decided to try cooked homemade.
    I had a vet nutritionist diet done up for him (Dr Susan Wynn). I use only organic foods, either turkey, chicken or beef w/either oatmeal, quinoa or sweet potato & then some kind of veggie, usually carrots, cauliflower or green beans. The individual supplements worry me because of the fish oil which he’s never done well on so I use flaxseed oil plus bone meal, choline, canola oil, lite salt & Centrum.
    I decided to keep a commercial organic canned food to make sure his nutritional needs were met & for the times where I may not have a homemade meal available. I started w/ByNature Organics canned turkey until I realized it has carrageenan (sp?). I switched to Party Animal grain free organic. I’ve tried the 2 chickens & the turkey.
    Problem is he still doesn’t like commercial dog food, sometimes he’ll eat it, sometimes not & he still has some soft poos. So started adding Animal Essentials digestive enzyme/probiotics & Metamucil (on the vet’s advice) I had a second diet done up for him from Balance It, but I haven’t used it yet because it seems like it has a LOT of carbs compared to his other vet diet (2.5 cups of quinoa to 6 oz of turkey) & 6 5/8 tsp of Metamucil! That’s over 2 TBS! I had been gradually increasing the Metamucil again on the vet’s advice as she said there would be Metamucil in the Balance It diet, but 2 tsps bound him up for over a day, so there’s no way I’m giving him over 2 TBS (which is more than the max for a human adult). He’s not a big water drinker, another concern for the Metamucil.
    I’m sorry this is such a long post, but I really am trying to find the right diet for my fur baby. I’m thinking of cooking his Dr Wynn diet w/out the individual supplements, adding ONP’s senior multi-vitamin, the Animal Essentials & mixing it in w/the Party Animal, keeping the proteins the same (turkey w/turkey, beef w/beef etc).
    Any thoughts, opinions & advice would be appreciated!
    Btw, he’s a German Shepherd mix, 48 lbs, body score of 5/9 I don’t use chemical pesticides on him, just Heartgard monthly.

    #24582
    InkedMarie
    Member

    Patty helped with your questions but I wanted to say thank you for adopting a senior. We’ve adopted three & they’re my choice of ages.

    #24564
    cdubau
    Participant

    Here is my situation

    One large breed dog and one small breed dog. They are both around 7/8 years old and over weight. Recently we changed the older dogs food from Nutro to TOTW due to the interest in the grain free aspect and better quality food as well. We have restricted both food intake and started exercising them. With the food change Emma has stopped rubbing herself all over the house (shes always been itchy but checked out okay per the docs) and her ears are no longer red (they were red but had no infection per the docs). Since reading about all the Diamond food recalls I was hesitant about trying TOTW and still alittle leery about it.

    While at the doc we brought up to that Emma, was drinking alot of water. Turns out she had a UTI. He mentioned she might have Cushings due to the protein in her urine and said we need to have her tested for that eventually. After doing some of my own research and reading articles on this site (theres a post about cushings) I am convinced I really need to cut her fat intake back and increase her protein as that is said to help with aspects of Cushings. While she hasn’t been diagnosed she really shows some key signs of it. We are hoping to test her in the next couple months. For any interest she is constantly drinking ALOT of water, constantly hungry (eats poop if we miss a clean up, as well as will tear into anything she can find), easily stressed or aggravated most the time, has a hard time getting up/down the stairs and doesn’t get on the couch as much, pants when the other dogs aren’t panting and the AC doesn’t go higher then 76, her extra weight seems to only be in her chest/abdomen and she has developed a heart murmur that is very LOUD.

    I have looked on the suggested low fat list but most the listed dry kibble is NOT grain free, if they were they weren’t in my budget by any means. I couldn’t find anything that was below 13% Fat in a grain free formula on my own that was in my budget. After seeing such an improvement over the grain free I am having a hard time switching her to any of the “low fat list” foods that include grains. So I am looking to other people for their opinions and maybe experience with this. I just feel like I’m at a loss and I’ve spent days in front of the computer trying to figure this out.

    Current Food
    TOTW Pacific Stream dry dog food 15% Fat 25% Protein

    Here is what I found that I can afford FROM the list – Not grain free:
    AvoDerm Large Breed Chicken and Rice 11% Fat 29% Protein
    Fromm Gold Reduced Activity Senior Dry Dog Food 12% Fat 26% Protein
    Wellness Super5 Mix Large Breed Adult 12% Fat 28% Protein

    Here is what I found on my own that IS grain free – NOT on the list

    GO! Senior 14% Fat 32% Protein
    Merrick G/F Texas Beef 15% Fat 38% Protein
    Holistic Select 13% Fat 28% Protein

    Thank you for any input!

    #24507
    Cyndi
    Member

    Good for you for adopting a senior! I love hearing that!

    #24506
    neezerfan
    Member

    Oh, and most important, Bless you for taking a senior dog!

    #24497
    mdbd
    Participant

    So we have adopted a wonderful senior (12-year old) mini poodle. (I’ve always been allergic to cats but had a dog years’ ago). She was in a kill shelter for about a week then with a large dog rescue facility for 2 months. She had been on a generic kibble (apparently) with her original home. and the rescue. Our first day yesterday was absolutely fine, but today she had her first hair-cut and I noticed just what dry, flakey skin she has and her hair is quite dry. She has many flakes coming off and, of course, with all the flakes coming off – I’m now sneezing and my eyes are watering like crazy – as are my son’s. Other than the skin and coat, she is in wonderful health.

    I am absolutely NOT going to give up on this old lady so I really need some helpful suggestions for foods and supplements as they have come a long way since I last had a pet.

    a) What is the best dry dog food for a senior (does this equate to grain free or something else)? Cost is way less important than quality.
    b) Are there any particular ingredients that are really bad for senior poodles and/or any that are really beneficial?
    c) Should she stay on kibble given she has always had it or would you suggest wet?
    d) Is there any dog food or supplement that will alleviate her dry skin and prevent the flaking? If so, liquid or tablet form?
    e) This may sound crazy – but is there any food or supplement that helps decrease allergens in a pet to assist an owner who is reacting badly to the pet?
    f) Is there anything (food or supplement) to assist in helping the dog become less smelly?
    g) Is there any topical cream or bath wash that would assist her?

    We’re an allergen-free house generally because of my allergies so wood floors, no drapes, etc.

    Any help/advice would REALLY be welcome! Thanks!

    #24331
    Mommadog
    Participant

    You can always order online, there is petflow.com, wag.com, chewy.com and some others. Amazon sells the senior for 52.00 with free shipping. Merrick is priced well and is a very good brand. High protein, lower fat. They do have a senior and grain free. I feed my 7 dogs the same food, just less for my 10 year old who is a bit overweight. I am feeding my bunch Holistic select Duck formula right now.

    I was feeding precise sensicare )lamb and rice) but even after several months we were having to many poops and loose stool. We are over half way through the Holistic select right now and they are doing so much better on it. But I want to give them something with more protein so I am going to try the Merrick Texas beef and sweet potato and the Pork (all grain free formula’s). My dogs range in age from 4 months up to 10 years.

    I personally do not want to feed senior or eight loss formula’s, I am not impressed by any of them. Feeding a high quality higher protein (over 30% from meat) with fat less than 15% and then just give the overweight dogs a bit less is better I think.

    http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consumer/products/product.jsp?id=147&page=2&view=list&sort=category_3&order=asc&name=Grain_Free_Real_Texas_Beef_&_Sweet_Potato_Recipe&categories=Dog-Grain%20Free-Dry&age=All_Life_Stages

    Karla (AKA Disqus user name Zombie Chick)

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Mommadog.
    #24319
    Mavis
    Participant

    Ok so I cannot afford the Wellness Super5mix for large breeds because it is about 10 dollars more than the blend for seniors which makes it 60 dollars at my pet store. Any alternatives???

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Mavis.
    #24077
    snowy27
    Participant

    I have a 13 year old lab that had blood in his stool. He had pancreatitis when he was 3 and some other digestive issues since then. My vet suggested Nutro Venison meal and whole brown rice. Unfortunately, although there was improvement, he still had blood in his stool. At Pet Planet they recommended Canadian Naturals Senior Turkey & Salmon. He has been on this food for a couple of years, no blood in his stool. Now my problem, the store will not be ordering that food anymore and no other store here carries it. I live in Ontario, Canada. I’m looking for a dog food that will do the same for my dog. I also have a 9 yr old golden I am feeding the same food.
    This is the url for Canadian Naturals http://www.canadiannaturals.com/pages/productline.php
    Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you.

    #24007

    Hi there. I have quite a few seniors and none of them get senior food on a regular basis. the one exception isOrijen as its a lower fat level and I can feed it solo if I wish. Other than that, they get a solid quality all life stage food. My crew gets probiotics on occasion and fish oil added, but nothing else(other than various toppers) I personally think the senior formulas as Marie, sandy and Patty said are too low in protein for older dogs. I stick with approx. 30-33 percent in the kibble

    #23998
    InkedMarie
    Member

    I agree with Sandy & Patty. I did use Eagle Senior care years back but I don’t now.

    #23958
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Agree with Patty,

    Seniors need more quality protein and most “senior” foods have a reduced amount of protein and an increased amount of fillers or grains which are actually more inflammatory. There are some exceptions like Amicus Senior, Merrick Classic Senior, Orijen, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Senior and a few others. But I would stick with an “all life stage” food with at least 30% protein.

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

    There are several options to help with joints: green lipped mussel, omega 3, tumeric, Wysong Arthegic, Actiflex 4000, glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, tart cherry, Esterifiedd fatty acids like cetyl-myristoleate, Yucca http://www.1800petmeds.com/Yucca+Intensive-prod10850.html

    http://www.coxvetlab.com/products/acti-flexk9.htm

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