Senior Food Question

[Sue-Ram]

Do you think that switching to a senior food can make a guy feel blah?

I recently did a switch over to senior food to see if he can lighten his load a bit as per a recent vet visit.

His blood was run about 3 weeks ago when I had a new lump checked, which came back as a lipoma and everything was fine.

[shellbell]

It's hard saying...honestly, I think senior foods are more of a marketing gimmick. Rather than switch to one, I would feed the food he is used to, and just cut back on the amount. Perhaps add some green beans (frozen not canned, to avoid sodium) to help him feel full.

[Annette47]

I would think it's possible. They tend to be higher carb, lower protein in addition to lower calories. I know too many carbs makes ME feel blah, lol. I agree with the above post about just reducing what he already gets and subbing in some green beans. My seniors have always just stayed with what they've been on, but the portions get smaller as they get less active.

[JenC]

I never put seniors on Senior food. I just kept them on a lower calorie, but good quality food. Why not look at something like Fromm's whitefish?

[Sue-Ram]

I never put seniors on Senior food. I just kept them on a lower calorie, but good quality food. Why not look at something like Fromm's whitefish?

Thanks for the suggestion.

[JenC]

LOL, all my dog were a little pudgy, so I spent a lot of time looking at protein/fat and calories recently! Including my senior!

[POPTOP]

After learning here, I don't put our seniors on senior food. I feed Fromm and limit the quantity, filling bellies with green beans and fruit. Treats are home made or limited ingredient treats. Fromm has a whitefish variety which is lower in calories and Mardi can actually drop weight during the winter when her exercise is limited.

[Daniel]

Reducing the feeding amount has always bothered me. For example, let's say the dog food manufacturer suggests 4 cups of food for your sized dog, 'serving size'. Personally, that serving size will make my 11yo blow up like a seal. However if, an an effort to cut calories, you cut that serving size your are also cutting the amount of essential vitamins and minerals that your dog should be getting on a daily basis. Compound that with the fact that the manufacturer has probably produced that food using aafco minimums, you could be looking at a situation where your trim dog is a malnourished dog.

[Woofie]

problem with senior foods, they tend to be lower in protein/fat, both of which a dog absolutely need for utmost energy/health, especially a senior....they need to keep all the muscle mass they can, with lower protein levels they tend to lose it faster. Put the guy back onto what was *working* for his overall health, just decrease it slightly.

[SunDance]

I've never switched to senior foods. Some of my dogs have needed a bit less food as they aged, but not by much and not all of them.