Contents
Feeding a Senior Rescue Dog
You adopted a senior rescue dog, and, you want to know what to feed to feed him. In this article we talk about what to feed a senior dog, the nutritional requirements and what’s the right amount of food for your canine.
First let’s address the fact that your dog is a rescue. It’s natural to worry about your dogs history, and that may include what did he eat and what should you feed him now. But the truth is you may never know what he ate. So the best way to address this is to start feeding him a diet that is suited for him, including his health and taking into account his age.
All dogs require the right amount of nutrition, and your dog is no exception. A quality diet can promote better health overall and increase the life-span of your dog.
If you worry that he will not like the food you give him rest assured he will adjust. It may take a little while for his tummy, so keep an eye on bathroom breaks. But he will eat when he is hungry. Dogs aren’t as picky as their humans. So let take a look what constitutes a senior?
When Is a Dog a Senior?
A dog is considered a senior when it has reached half of its life span. And as your dog ages so will his nutritional requirements, and likely his eating habits can change. If you’re not sure how old your dog is you can ask your vet. From a simple health check including giving you an approximate age of your rescue dog.
How do you feed a senior dog?
As a dog owner, it is important to help your dog adjust to these dietary changes, and help them to adjust with eating schedules if required.
Senior dog food formulas’ on Amazon <<
To help feed a senior rescue dog, it is important you ask some questions like:
- Do senior dogs require some nutrients?
- How many calories should I feed my senior dog?
- Is there anything extra a senior dogs requires such as supplements?
- How often should I feed my dog?
- How much protein should a senior dog consume?
These questions are answered below to help you gain more knowledge about the nutritional requirements of senior dogs. It is very important to feed your senior dog with diets that help their life stages.
Do senior dogs require special nutrients?
One of the most common diet-related issues faced by senior dogs is obesity. As your dog ages, the possibility of developing some health issues becomes high. Senior dogs need to be fed diets that have a low amount of calories and a high amount of fiber. These types of diets will help improve a canines gastrointestinal health.
In addition a senior dogs can become obese as their metabolic rate slows down. So it’s important that senior dog owners should feed their dogs with the necessary nutrients required for a healthy life.
How many calories should I feed my senior dog?
Weight Management Food for Senior Dogs <<
According to a recent study, it was revealed that senior dogs need 20% fewer calories to help them maintain proper weight. As dogs become older, their metabolic rate becomes slower which causes more calories to be stored as fat and fewer to be burned. It was also found out that amino acids present in red meats, chicken, and fish can help the body use up fat.
However, this might not be applicable in all cases. Some dogs lose weight as they become older, which means they need more calories. In such cases, they have no appetite for food due to a decreased sense of taste and difficulty in swallowing. Therefore, increasing the amount of fat in their diet can increase the calorie content.
Do Senior Dogs Need Supplements?
Senior dogs need a low amount of sodium in their diet, especially dogs having kidney problems, hypertension, and heart problems. It is advisable to feed your senior dog with low-sodium diets. Older dogs are more vulnerable to dehydration due to health issues like kidney disease.
The consumption of more sodium can lead to high blood pressure. Feeding your senior dogs with diets that contain a low amount of sodium is a good idea.
How Much Protein Should a Senior Rescue Dog Consume
Dog owners should include protein in their senior dog’s diet to maintain their muscles. According to a recent study, senior dogs require more protein in their diet. This nutrient is very important in your dog’s food since older dogs are prone to losing muscle mass. If the muscle tissue is not maintained, the immune system may become damaged.
Loss of protein reserves indicates that the amino acids needed for tissue repair may not be enough in the body. Senior dogs should consume diets that have more protein and fewer calories. Older dogs need about 60 percent protein in their diet.
What If My Dog Doesn’t Like the Food
We all have a preference but unlike people dogs may not like a certain type of food not because its doesn’t taste but possibly because of how the food makes them feel. So when you are trying to figure out how to feed your rescue dog you can buy small amounts. And remember that many companies will refund the product if the food is not meet your dogs requirements.
Even is a bag is part used many will take it back and replace with something that is good for both you and your dog, as they want a happy customer for life.
Check out the Senior Dog Food, wet and dry foods on Amazon and check out the return policies and you can get most of it delivered right to your door too.
Concluding How to Feed a Senior Rescue Dog
Dogs require attention when it comes to nutrition. Since they experience changes in their eating habits, it is important to feed them with diets that contain all the essential nutrients to help them stay healthy throughout their senior years.
Here’s to happy and healthy dogs everywhere!