what is the best dog food for seniors

The best senior dog food of 2024, with advice from veterinarians

What to look for in senior dog food

Our experts say the following criteria are important to consider when shopping for senior dog food:

AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for adult maintenance or all life stages: The AAFCO is a nonprofit organization that recommends nutritional profiles based on an animal's life stage. They don't approve pet foods or establish specific standards for senior dog foods. However, choosing a senior food formulated for adult maintenance or all life stages ensures the recipe fulfills the recommended protein, fat, and nutrient requirements of adult dogs. The best dog foods for senior pups will also contain beneficial extras such as glucosamine and chondroitin to support joint health and have fewer calories per serving than adult dog foods.

Ingredient list: Labels list ingredients by weight, so the first few ingredients generally make up the majority of the food's weight. "There are no particular ingredients that senior dogs should avoid," says Luisana. However, she recommends grain-inclusive foods over grain-free foods due to the potential link between grain-free dog foods, especially those containing peas, and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Guaranteed analysis: Rather than fixating on dog food ingredient lists, our experts say to examine the guaranteed analysis of important nutrients, including protein, fat, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Adult dog food must have a minimum of 18% protein and 5.5% fat to fulfill a dog's nutritional needs. As the AAFCO doesn't set specific standards for senior dog foods, the guaranteed analysis of these foods can vary significantly between recipes. Before selecting a food, our experts recommend asking your vet about the best food for your senior pup.

Healthy extras: The best senior dog food will contain extra ingredients that support their unique needs. For example, Freeman and Welborn highlight the potential benefits of antioxidants in supporting healthy aging. Welborn suggests a diet rich in antioxidants, such as Purina Bright Minds, if your dog experiences cognitive dysfunction. Other healthy extras for seniors include joint-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin.

Calorie content: A dog's metabolism typically slows as they age, and many seniors are less active. So, senior dog foods usually contain fewer calories than adult formulations, according to Churchill. Freeman adds that overweight senior dogs are at greater risk of weight-related conditions like arthritis and diabetes. That said, feeding your dog less food could result in a nutritional deficiency. That's why Freeman recommends switching to a low-calorie senior diet or a weight-management diet based on guidance from your vet.

Breed-size formulation: The best food for your senior pup may depend on their size. Our experts say small and large breed seniors have different health risks and may also require different calorie amounts and kibble sizes. Buying food specific to your pup's size helps ensure they get a recipe formulated for their needs.

Feeding-trial tested versus formulated foods: The best senior dog foods have been formulated and in some cases, feeding-trial tested to meet the AAFCO's nutritional standards for adult maintenance or all life stages. If your dog's food has an AAFCO label, you'll know the recipe fulfills the recommended protein, fat, and nutrient requirements for adult dogs. A label indicating feeding trials confirms the food's safety and palatability based on testing with a group of dogs.

Expert formulations: The dog food brands we recommend meet quality control standards. In other words, the brand employs a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist and potentially a PhD-level animal nutritionist, as recommended in the WSAVA guidelines.

Next-level ingredients: Next-level ingredients refer to those farmed or caught through humane and sustainable farming or harvesting practices. Although these ingredients may not offer extra nutrition to your pet, choosing pet food with ingredients like farmed raised meats, cage-free eggs, and sustainably caught fish helps you support a pet food company that prioritizes both animal welfare and sustainable practices.

Best Dog Food For Senior Dogs

A long life is the result of good genes, good care, and good luck. While a few four-leaf clovers never hurt anyone, chances are its a little late to worry about good genes once youve welcomed a dog into your heart. That leaves good care as the one thing you can control now. And a big part of good care is good nutrition.

However, there are issues when it comes to feeding your senior dog. Neither the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nor the National Research Council have determined official dietary requirements for aging dogs. Its partly because senior dogs vary so much in their individual needs. That may explain why commercial foods for seniors vary so widely in nutrient levels.

Nobody expects you to be a nutritionist just to pick out a bag of dog food. But you should be aware of just a few important factors that apply to most senior dogs. This will help you choose the best dog food for your senior dog.

Dont Restrict Protein

This matter is widely misunderstood. Many people still believe senior dogs should eat less protein. We now know the opposite is true. Healthy seniors need more protein, not less, in order to fuel muscle. Loss of muscle mass is a major problem in older dogs. Some seniors lose so much muscle they can no longer walk unassisted.

Older dogs need about 50 percent more protein to maintain muscle mass compared to younger ones. But, diets formulated for adult maintenance diets often dont have enough protein to satisfy these needs. Veterinarian Ernie Ward, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, recommends 28 to 32 percent protein on a dry-matter basis for healthy older dogs, especially in those cases where weight loss is needed.

Consider Calories

Younger seniors tend to be overweight. But, very old dogs tend to be underweight. A 2011 study found that calories in senior foods varied widely, ranging from 246 to 408 calories per cup. So, the same senior food may be a great choice if your dog needs to lose weight. But it may be a bad choice if they need to gain weight.

Dont forget that the time to consider calories is well before old age sets in. Two benchmark studies conducted by major dog food companies Purina and Waltham both found that restricting calories throughout life improved longevity and reduced illnesses. Essentially, good care for senior dogs starts in youth.

Feed For Organ Health

Other factors to consider are senior dog health problems such as heart and kidney disease. For both conditions, youll want a low-sodium food. But, that same 2011 study found that sodium levels in senior foods ranged from 33 to 412 mg/100 kcal. For kidney disease, youll want low phosphorous, but thats not even mentioned on any label. The 2011 study found phosphorous levels varied by threefold in the senior foods they examined, but were on average higher than their representative adult maintenance food.

Prescription diets are available for heart, kidney, and other diseases that take into account these nutritional needs. However, even those foods may have wide ranges of nutrients. Any dog food manufacturer should be able to provide these numbers to you on their website or with a simple phone call. While youre at it, ask them about the credentials of the people formulating their foods. If they cant provide either, thats clue number one that you should find another product.

Add Supplements

Some senior foods include supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin in an effort to combat osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, the evidence that these supplements actually work is limited. However, they wont hurtexcept maybe your wallet.

On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids probably play an important role in senior diets because they may help combat both osteoarthritis and especially cognitive losses. If you are adding your own to your dogs diet, aim for the amount of EPA and DHA combined to be in the range of 700 to 1,500 mg. Build up starting at the low end and cut back if your dog has any diarrhea or vomiting.

Theres probably more to the recipe than simply EPA and DHA, however. Research conducted at Purina tested Beagles between the ages of 9.5 and 11 years of age that were fed either a standard diet or one supplemented with antioxidants, B vitamins, fish oil, and L-arginine for six months. The dogs fed this Brain Protection Blend performed significantly better on a series of mental tasks, especially the more difficult ones, compared to the dogs not receiving the blend. The tasks involved determining which one of several shallow wells contained food when the cue was a marker either next to it, near it, or displaced at an angle; or seeing how well they did on a task requiring them to discriminate right, left, and center, and then relearning which side was correct in order to receive a reward.

Make Food Palatable For Senior Dogs

There are practical aspects of feeding your dog to consider, too. Senior dogs may have dental problems that make chewing difficult or uncomfortable. These dogs should first be treated for whatever problem they have, but if that is impossible or unsuccessful, consider wetting their food or feeding them canned or soft food. Simply feeding a smaller kibble size may help if youre feeding dry food.

Senior dogs may be uncomfortable bending down to the food bowl or standing for long periods to eat. Try serving their meals on a raised platform or encourage them to eat lying down.

Very old dogs often lose their appetite. Warming the food can increase its aroma and may help stimulate the appetite; cooling it may make it less nausea-inducing in queasy dogs. At some point you may have to abandon your goal of a healthy balanced diet and just feed him whatever he will eat. The wait until hes hungry enough tactic doesnt work in seniors because their hunger mechanism may not be working correctly. Besides, its a little late to be worried about spoiling himand even if you do, doesnt he deserve it?

This column first appeared in theSeptember/October 2019 issue of AKC Family Dogmagazine.

How to buy the best senior dog food, according to veterinarians

As your dog gets older, finding the right senior dog food is an important part of keeping your stay-at-home buddy happy. Weve previously covered the best dog food to consider, as well the best dry dog foods and even dog treats but how do you decide whats best for an older dog?

Pets age at different rates than humans age, says KT Boyle, DVM, of the Banfield Pet Hospital, noting that large breed dogs like Great Danes can be considered senior at six years old but smaller breeds like miniature poodles may not become seniors until they turn 10 years old. While age is a factor, Boyle suggests keeping an eye on your dogs energy level, whether or not they have white hair on their face and whether you notice a blue haziness or cloudiness, known as nuclear sclerosis, in their eyes. Talk to your vet if you notice your dog slowing down or exhibiting physical changes to determine if a change in diet could help. To that end, we consulted animal experts on how to shop for senior dog food and compiled some of the best senior dog foods available now.

SKIP AHEAD Best senior dog foods

How to shop for senior dog food

If youre thinking about switching your dogs food to recipes oriented for senior dogs, Boyle suggests a slow transition to prevent upsetting your pups stomach. Gradually reduce the ratio of old food to new food every few days. If your dog is vomiting or has diarrhea during the switch to a new food, put in a call to your vet.

The number of calories in senior dog food is a good place to start when youre shopping. Your dogs metabolism may be slowing down and they may simply not need as many calories as they did when they were younger. A conversation with your vet can help determine how many daily calories your dog needs based on its breed, weight, age and levels of activity. In order to keep track of how much your pet is eating, measure portions and limit treats to 10 percent or less of your pets daily intake, Boyle recommends, adding you should look for a nutritional adequacy statement from the Association of American Food Control Officials (AAFCO) on a label of dog food. Keep inmind that while terms like organic are regulated, there is no specific guidance from the AAFCO about food for senior dogs.

Your dogs health is a factor when trying to pick the right senior dog food, too. For example, an older dog may need a specialized diet if they have kidney disease, liver disease or arthritis. And while some senior foods have supplements like essential fatty acids or glucosamine for joint disease, Boyle notes that the amount of supplement in a diet is very limited, so additional supplementation may be needed.

Pay special attention to your dogs coat, look for patchy hair loss, excessive dandruff or the appearance of a dull, non-shiny, coat. Boyle notes that skin problems resulting from nutritional issues are generally caused by a nutritional deficiency. This is where a chat with your vet could help determine if fatty acid supplements or a dietary change could improve your dogs coat or skin issues.

What about wet food versus dry food?

While some dogs with dental issues may find wet food easier to eat, dry food is more convenient and doesnt spoil easily. A call to the vet will help line up your dogs needs with the right food and Boyle recommends letting your dog try both wet and dry options. Switching from dry to wet food or vice versa can be more difficult if they are picky eaters, Boyle says. So it can be a good idea to expose pets to both types of food during their lifetime.

What about grain-free senior dog food?

Before buying grain-free dog food, consult your veterinarian. As NBC News has reported, the FDA opened an investigation in 2018 to consider a potential connection between grain-free diets and a heart condition known as canine dilated cardiomyopathy. Grains when properly processed can be nutritionally valuable and provide a source of fiber and minerals, Boyle says.

Best dog food for senior dogs

The small kibbles in this dry food from Eukanuba help prevent tartar build-up on your dogs teeth. Chicken byproduct meal is the first ingredient in the food designed for small breed, senior dogs (over seven years old).

This option from Hills Science Diet is a blend of chicken meal, cracked pearl barley and brewers rice (the top three ingredients). Its also got Vitamin A, B12 and D3 supplements.

The first three ingredients for the crunchy kibbles from Blue Buffalo are deboned chicken, brown rice and barley. The dry food is also packed with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables ( berries, pumpkin, pomegranate and spinach).

Chicken, chicken by-product meal and ground whole grain barley are the first three ingredients in this senior dog food from Iams. It also includes dried beet pulp, a prebiotic meant to aid with digestion.

This Nutro dry dog food is made with non-GMO ingredients. Chicken, chicken meal and barley are featured along with sweet potatoes, split peas, whole brown rice and lamb meal.

A home subscription service, The Farmers Dog is part of what Judy Morgan, DVM, termed TV dinners for dogs. Its fresh, human-grade meat combines with vegetables to form a medley based on your dogs calorie needs.

This wet food made by Royal Canin is designed for puppers that are 12 years old and under 22 pounds. A blend of chicken and pork by-products, it can be used as a supplement to entice a dog to eat dry food or as a meal on its own.

A dry dog food from Diamond Naturals combines chicken, a lean protein, with superfoods like coconut, chia seeds, blueberry, kale, spinach and quinoa.

The Hills Science Diet wet food is a stew that sports chunks of beef with carrots and peas in gravy designed to be easy on your pups tummy and likewise to be delicious.

The subscription service from Nom Nom uses AAFCO nutrition guidelines for formulating its recipes. The Turkey Fare fresh, human-grade dog food has ground turkey, eggs and brown rice in its first three ingredients followed by carrots and spinach.

These dry kibbles from Victor are made with beef meal, whole grain brown rice and whole grain millet. It also has glucosamine and chondroitin supplements for healthy joints.

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