What is a senior dog?

The age at which a dog reaches its senior years varies greatly from breed to breed. As a rule of thumb, a dog is considered a senior citizen once it reaches the final third of its expected lifespan.

By and large, toy and small dogs are considered senior somewhere between the ages of 8 and 12. Medium dogs are considered senior when they reach 7 years and upwards, and larger dogs are considered senior once they reach the age of 5.

As a dog ages, its metabolic rate slows down. A senior dog is generally less active. Without resultant dietary changes, a senior dog is likely to gain weight. This further impacts the fact that as dogs age, their bodies lose the tendency to repair themselves. So unless a dog’s diet is adjusted to take into account those changes, it can set off a vicious spiral. Weight gain leads to ill health which leads to less activity and or injury which leads to even less activity and yet further weight gain.

About homemade dog food recipes for senior dogs

These homemade dog food recipes for senior dogs (senior dog food) have been created by the Canine Nutritionist. They take into account the needs of a senior dog. They are specially designed and balanced to provide healthy nutrition for both mind and body.

There are many important changes which need to be considered as your dog reaches its senior years. A reduction in calories to match any reduction in activity level is one of them. If your dog exercises less and you don’t reduce the size of his or her meals, he or she is likely to gain weight. This will increase the risk of health problems. Health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

It will also have a negative impact if your dog is already beginning to suffer from the likes of arthritis or joint problems. In that case, extra weight would mean extra strain on already compromised joints.

Because your senior dog does not process proteins as well as when he or she was younger, you need to feed higher quality protein. Higher quality protein produces less waste for the kidneys to process, which means less stress on your dog’s internal organs.

Created by the Canine Nutritionist, these homemade dog food recipes for senior dog food take all these things into account.