[jeandecker76]

Hello! I have an almost senior dog and I noticed she's been very picky with her food lately. Her food diet is mostly chicken and beef ( cooked ) with carrots or pumpkin and apples for snacks. She doesn't like dry kibbles too. I just wanna ask if you can suggest the best food for senior dogs? Thanks!!


Edit: Yes, she is taking joint supplements for prevention.

 

[BKaymuttleycrew]

First off, for ANY dog the most important thing is for the diet to be nutritionally complete & balanced. If you're not using a commercial food that is formulated that way, and/or you simply prefer (or your dog prefers) to create a home made diet, the I strongly suggest you consult with a certified canine nutritionist who can create a balanced meal plan for you.

As far as which food is "best"? There is no one food that will be best for all (or even most) dogs. Especially when they reach the senior stage of life, you need to look at the specific needs of your own dog & make diet decisions based on that. There is a wide variety of health issues, both minor & major, that can start to show up in the senior years & this must be accounted for in choosing a food.

I have three senior dogs in my house (9, 11, & 13 years old) & none of them eat the exact same thing. One has early kidney issues, so we have to watch her phosphorus levels. One has some arthritis and food intolerances, so we have to take joint health and specific ingredients into consideration. One needs her weight monitored a bit, so calorie count is of primary importance. There is no one 'right' answer when it comes to food.

Edited to add - if her going off of kibble & being 'picky' is a new thing, I'd strongly suggest a vet check to see if there are underlying health or dental issues at play.

 

[Shell]

Hello! I have an almost senior dog and I noticed she's been very picky with her food lately. Her food diet is mostly chicken and beef ( cooked ) with carrots or pumpkin and apples for snacks. She doesn't like dry kibbles too. I just wanna ask if you can suggest the best food for senior dogs? Thanks!!

What is "almost senior" exactly? An older but healthy dog, one thst is technically senior but showing no issues, some issues, etc ?

How long has she been on the diet of cooked meat that you mention? Is it something you switched to in order to convince the dog to eat? If you had to switch just to get a dog to eat, then a vet visit is a very good idea.
If you fed this diet because the dog was a little bit picky, then I would be worried about it being massively unbalanced-- since you should not feed cooked bones, I am assuming a major lack of calcium and the other minerals from bones and without organ meats, a major lack of other vitamins.

If dry kibble is not desirable AND the dog has a clean bill of health from the vet, then you could consider canned food (for a smaller dog as a large dog can be expensive to feed canned), dehydrated foods that you mix with water to make a porridge like mix (cheaper than canned but more expensive than dry) or a dry kibble that you moisten with water and maybe add a small topper of meat juice to.

Senior dogs need protein as they process it less effectively than young dogs so unless the dog has other health issues, I would not go for a "senior" dog food formula as most are too low in protein.

 

[storyist]

I fed a cooked diet to my last Rottie for years - no bones, so I added a calcium supplement. Of course, you have to research what dogs require and do the math, not only for calcium and phosphorus and their necessary balance but for all the other essential nutrients. If you can afford to have a canine nutritionist do all that for you, it would be well worth it.

 

[jeandecker76]

What is "almost senior" exactly? An older but healthy dog, one thst is technically senior but showing no issues, some issues, etc ?

How long has she been on the diet of cooked meat that you mention? Is it something you switched to in order to convince the dog to eat? If you had to switch just to get a dog to eat, then a vet visit is a very good idea.
If you fed this diet because the dog was a little bit picky, then I would be worried about it being massively unbalanced-- since you should not feed cooked bones, I am assuming a major lack of calcium and the other minerals from bones and without organ meats, a major lack of other vitamins.

If dry kibble is not desirable AND the dog has a clean bill of health from the vet, then you could consider canned food (for a smaller dog as a large dog can be expensive to feed canned), dehydrated foods that you mix with water to make a porridge like mix (cheaper than canned but more expensive than dry) or a dry kibble that you moisten with water and maybe add a small topper of meat juice to.

Senior dogs need protein as they process it less effectively than young dogs so unless the dog has other health issues, I would not go for a "senior" dog food formula as most are too low in protein.

Yes, one that is older but a healthy dog. She is taking joint supplements as prevention. She's been eating cooked meat almost all her life, she eats chicken liver it's her favorite too. I combine chicken breast, liver, and veggies.