Dog Food

3 reasons why old dogs benefit from Senior Dog Food

Some signs of ageing can be quite obvious in your dog and these indicators can include greying hair (especially around the muzzle), joint stiffness and slower reflexes, generally slowing down when out on walks and sleeping more at home.
Hearing loss, reduced vision and a lower sense of smell are also signs but these can be harder to detect and you might not realise straight away that you dog is having difficulty until the symptoms are more advanced.

You might not think that changing your dogs diet will make any difference at all, but there are a number of ingredients included in senior dog food that have been added to do just that. Here is just a small selection of those ingredients and their effects, to help you understand why you should consider moving you r dog onto a senior dog food when you see the first signs of ageing.

1) Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate

You may be familiar with Glucosamine and Chondroitin as they are common treatments to help relieve joint stiffness in people and you probably won't be surprised to hear that they are used for the exact same purpose in dogs.

You will find Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate in a number of leading dog foods such as Arden Grange Senior Dog Food for all breeds and Eukanuba Mature/Senior Small Breed Dog Food.  Eukanuba also provide Mature/Senior dog food for medium breed and large breed dogs and lamb and rice senior/mature for all breeds.

Both of these senior dog foods can be purchased from Swell Pets along with a number of other dog supplies, as well as this you can also consult the experts there who can help you decide which foods is going to be best suited for your dog.

2) Omega 3 and 6 and fatty acids

These are also ingredients that you will be familiar with as a number of adverts highlight the advantages of including Omega 3 and 6 in your diet.

Where dogs are concerned these ingredients are vital for helping to maintain their skin and coat and again you will find Omega 3 and 6 and/or Fatty Acids in a number of senior dog foods such as Royal Canin Maxi Mature Dog Food, Royal Canin also provide mature dog food for Mini and Medium Breed Dogs.  Nature Diet Senior Lite Wet Dog Food, James Wellbeloved Senior/Light Dog Food and Iams Senior and Mature Dog Food.

3) Anti-oxidants

Anti-oxidants are included in many dog foods to aid their immune system; these can be found in a number of dog food manufacturers' senior foods including Hills Science Plan Mature Adult Dog Food.

Some manufacturers even reduce the fat and calories contained in their senior dog food to make it easier for you to maintain your dogs' weight as certain breeds of dog can put weight on more easily as they get older and as you dog becomes less mobile and slows down you may find it more difficult to keep their weight at an ideal level.

It is vital that you do manage to keep your dogs weight under control as if your dog is carrying too much weight conditions such as joint stiffness and arthritis can be accentuated, making your dog's life more difficult and uncomfortable.

When should you change your dog onto senior food?

There isn't a specific age that all dog are classed as senior, a number of the dog food manufacturers seem to use age seven as a guideline but it really does depend on your dog and their breed.

Large breeds such as Great Danes can show signs of ageing from a young as five and Yorkshire Terriers can be as mature as 12 before they start to show any signs of slowing down.

So basically you need to pay attention to your dog, watch for the signs of ageing and then when they do appear don't deny that they're there.  In winter you might want to invest in a dog coat even if they have never had one before as older dogs can feel the cold more, just as people can.

You might also want to buy a ramp to make it easier for your dog to get in and out of the car, and you might decide to take them for hydro-therapy as this a good form of exercise which will not put too much strain on their joints.  Be aware though, that most hydro-therapy providers will ask for confirmation from your vets that your dog is up to date with their vaccinations and that they are of generally good health, so have your vets details to hand before you book.

About the Author

Karren Newton works for Swell Pets one of the UK's fastest growing online retailers of pet supplies including dog food.

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