[Amber J]

Hi, everyone! I have three senior dogs (two are 13 years old, one is 9 years old), so it’s a bit tough to find reasonably priced senior dog food that works for all of them. Everyone is healthy but it’s hard to find dog food that works well for each dog’s bowels. They don’t have any grain or protein sensitivities that I’m aware of. Two of them have arthritis , but they are otherwise healthy. I use 6-8 cups of dog food a day, so super expensive food is not feasible for our household.

Since our two older dogs have arthritis, I like to see glocosamine, chondroitin, and omega’s in their food. I also like to see supplements that support muscle health, and plenty of fiber/digestive support ingredients. I was feeding them Victor Senior formula, but with Victor’s recent formula changes, all of the dogs are constipated and having a hard time pooping. I switched to Kirkland Senior formula, but their stools are a little too soft for my liking (especially as the person who has to scoop their poop out of the grass).

We have a wonderful local company who sells a senior dog food that seems like it might be okay, and is reasonably priced. I bought a 5-lb bag to test, and even my one picky boy loves it; he’s picking that kibble out and leaving the rest. Does anyone have thoughts on whether this food looks like it would be highly rated by Dogfood Advisor, or whether there are ingredients to avoid? Any other recommendations on reasonably priced senior/mature dog food that might work? I was looking at Fromm but it seems like they have some questionable history with their food.

Here’s the link to the local food: https://www.zamzows.store/products/grandma-zs-chicken-and-vegetable-senior-dog-food-35-lb

Any help would be most appreciated.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by Amber J.

[anonymous]

Consider Fromm https://www.gofromm.com/fromm-family-reduced-activity-senior-gold-food-for-dogs

Never heard of the brand you mentioned. I avoid small companies. It’s not about the ingredients.

[haleycookie]

Just an FYI, no over the counter food has enough glucosamine in it to make any difference. It’s just a marketing thing but when u break down the amounts per serving size they usually contain almost no glucosamine and chondroitin. I would recommend cosaquin for those issues. Or if it is severe a prescription supplement from the vet. Beyer also has a new joint line that are prescription strength that u can get over the counter.
I would look at canidae senior formulas. They have two varieties that are excellent. They also have a vet on staff formulating their foods.
Fromm is good as well, just keep in mind “Senior” is just a nice way of saying less meat, more carbs. Which for a dog that is getting older and having muscle wasting is not ideal. So I would recommend maybe finding a high meat all life stage food. Or look at natures variety raw boost senior. Merrick also has a great senior meat based formula.
Higher meat foods will require less feedings so will be similar amount of money spent at the end of the day.

[Owen J]

Ready-made feeds are very convenient: they do not spoil for a long time, and a wide choice of tastes and textures allows you to significantly diversify the nutrition of your four-legged friend. In addition, you can clearly dose the amount of food at one time, which in future will help the dog to avoid problems with obesity.
https://herepup.com/what-is-the-best-canned-dog-food/

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