Senior Dog Food

About

There's no agreed age at which a dog becomes senior. Manufacturers set their own starting point and they don't match each other, though bigger dogs are generally treated as senior earlier than small ones. Check the bag rather than assuming. What a senior recipe actually changes Usually three things. Less fat, because an older dog moves less and puts weight on more easily. More fibre in some of them. And joint support added, most often glucosamine and chondroitin. Some senior foods are the brand's adult recipe with the fat brought down. Others are built separately. Neither is wrong, but it's worth knowing you're sometimes paying for a small change. Not everything here is a senior recipe Several of the foods on this page are all-life-stage recipes rather than senior ones. Orijen, the Ferguson 80/20 range and much of Green Pantry are complete foods suitable for a dog of any age, including an old one. That's not padding. If your dog is doing well on one of those, they can stay on it for life, and you avoid the changeover altogether. The senior-specific recipes are the ones with Senior in the name. Age on its own isn't a reason to change food A well nine-year-old on a food that suits them doesn't need moving onto a senior recipe because of a birthday. If the coat is good, the weight is steady and the stools are firm, leave it alone. Change when something actually changes. Putting on weight despite the same portions. Stiffening up after a walk or getting up slowly. Struggling with hard kibble. Going off food they used to like. Those are the reasons to switch, and each one points at a different food, which is the useful part. Matching the food to what's changed What you've noticed What to look at Putting weight on A senior or light recipe, or our weight management dog food range Slow to get up, stiff after walks A recipe with joint support built in. Speak to your vet as well, because food alone isn't the answer to a painful joint Leaving hard kibble, dropping food Wet dog