Senior dogs hold special places in most pet-owners’ hearts. They’ve lived most of their lives, and as they enter their twilight years, there are important dietary considerations to help senior dogs remain healthy. By meeting their needs, you can keep your precious senior pal as healthy as possible. Now, let’s take a look at the important dietary differences your dog may experience as they age.
Senior Dogs Need Fewer Calories
As dogs age, their metabolisms change, so their owners must tweak their diets to accommodate. If your senior pal isn’t as active or mobile as they once were, that means they’re burning fewer calories. Unfortunately, senior dogs are at a particularly high risk of obesity, often due to overfeeding. You might not be feeding your pup more food, but feeding them the same amount when they’re burning fewer calories has the same effect.
Thankfully, proper portions can solve this problem. Wag Tantrum carries high-quality, home-delivered fresh dog food that’s human grade and cooked in small batches to ensure every dog gets the best. Furthermore, don’t forget to balance nutritional value with lean ingredients when cutting calories. For example, the high-quality, low-calorie vegetables and proteins in Wag Tantrum meals make it easy for you to feed your dog less while still providing them with the nutrition they need.
They Need More Water
Senior dogs need a higher water content in their diets. We cook our dog food with human-grade ingredients that have high water content to keep your dog hydrated. After all, vegetables are natural sponges, containing tons of water. So we lightly cook our veggies in a way that ensures our food doesn’t lose that high water content by the time it’s in your pup’s bowl. As you can see, seemingly minor details can substantially affect your pet’s diet and health.
They Need Less Fat
Slower metabolisms and a tendency toward obesity mean dogs need less fat in their senior years than in puppyhood or adulthood. Luckily, reducing fat content can keep your dog in good health, especially if you emphasize essential healthy fats such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 and -6 are anti-inflammatory, helping with joint, skin, and coat health. This is one of the reasons Wag Tantrum prioritizes high-quality proteins and veggies; they’re low fat and full of healthy ingredients. Likewise, our organic brown rice and quinoa provide appropriate starch but not the empty calories you’ll find in fillers from other dog foods.
They Need Probiotics
Your pup’s gut health matters, and increasingly, a recommendation for dog-owners is to provide their pets with probiotics and prebiotics. For instance, the tasty veggies in our meal plans have a high fiber content to easily deliver tons of probiotics. Prebiotics are healthy, fibrous foods designed to feed probiotic bacteria, the good bacteria in the gut. Healthy diets and probiotics can keep your dog’s intestinal health in good shape.
By following these important dietary considerations for senior dogs, you can make their twilight years as healthy and happy as possible.