Do senior dogs really need senior dog food?
Greyson Gusikowski
2025-08-09 09:46:01
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As our dogs get older and enter their senior years, their bodies change. Their activity levels may drop and new health issues may pop up. As a result, you shouldn’t feel that you need to feed your dog a senior dog food or that you need to switch them from an adult dog food as they get older on the basis of age alone. Senior dog food may be marketed as a better diet for older dogs, but there’s no agreed upon standards for that actually being the case. Most dogs will not need a special senior dog food to live a healthy life. If your dog has been eating a certain kind of dog food for years, there’s no reason to switch them to anything else just because they’re older. However, if your dog has joint issues, your vet may recommend a dog food with added glucosamine, which many senior dog foods have. Your veterinarian will help guide you to making the decision to switch dog foods if and when the time comes, as there are valid medical reasons that occur. For most of us though, we can do best for our senior dogs by being mindful of our dog’s weight and keeping up with regular vet visits.
Jaylen Murazik
2025-08-09 09:27:18
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There is no true reason to feed a senior diet to our aging dog unless there are noted problems, such as lean body wasting, arthritis or obesity. These conditions all require different approaches to nutrition — so there is no one-size-fits-all for senior dogs — making this something to discuss with your veterinarian. Typically, we like to see slightly higher protein diets; however, many of the senior diets on the market are lower protein. If the dog is losing lean body mass then a diet higher in protein may be necessary. Protein is necessary to build and maintain muscles, and as dogs age, they often stop synthesizing as much protein on their own — increasing the need for it in their diet. Decreasing lean body mass is associated with increased risk of illness and death. Most dogs become less active as they age, which means they have lower energy requirements. This makes them at a higher risk of developing obesity if they continue to be fed the same amount as during their prime.
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