As your dog ages, their dietary requirements change too.
Their metabolism will change, as will their immune system. It's a very good
idea to feed your older dog a special senior diet, developed just for their
needs.
I'm often asked at what age should you start feeding your dog a senior
diet, and the answer depends of the type of dog you have. Typically, smaller
dogs show the signs of ageing later than larger dogs. You should notice age
related changes in your dog sometime between the age of seven and twelve years.
If you have a large dog, then senior dog food may be beneficial after the age of
about five. For smaller dogs, perhaps seven is a better age at which to start
him on a special diet for older dogs.
So what is different about a special dog food for senior
dogs? Well they will usually be lower in calories. Older dogs tend to be less
active and can often have a slower metabolic rate meaning that they can be
prone to putting on extra weight. Feeding a diet that is low in calories will
help prevent your dog from becoming obese and suffering from weight related
illnesses. The special diet should however have a normal level of protein to
help maintain muscle mass. Older dogs require different levels of vitamins and
minerals. Extensive research will have gone into the development of the food to
ensure the optimum level of nutrients are contained within the food to keep
your dog fit and healthy in his senior years. Your senior diet may also contain
added GLA, an Omega-6 fatty acid that helps keep your dogs coat glossy and
healthy. This fatty acid is produced naturally by the liver, but production
slows as your dog ages so having this supplemented with their diet can keep
your dog looking younger than his years.
Remember if you are changing your dog's diet to Burgess Supadog then you should
introduce the new food slowly. A sudden change in diet can be a shock to the
digestive system of a dog, especially on that is older, and one that has eaten
the same food for a long time. A change in diet can also cause stress to an
older dog.
Introduce the new food over time, mixed with their previous food.
Start with just 25% of the new food mixed in with 75% of their old food for a
week, then for the next week have a 50/50 ratio. Take this up to 75% new with
25% old for the third week, then feed your dog 100% of the new food from then
on. Changing the diet over slowly like this should help prevent digestive
problems such as constipation, stomach bloating, diarrhoea and excessive wind.
