A short series of pieces advising you on the small adjustments than can be made to make our golden oldies more comfortable and improve their quality of life
PART ONE; DIET
Weight control is one of the most important and easy things we can do as owners to help our dogs.
Its not all about getting hung up on a dogs appearance or even the extra load they have to carry on their dysfunctional painful joints, its about decreasing the circulating inflammatory chemicals produced by fat cells which exacerbates inflammation and pain.
Senior pet foods are lower in calories while still balancing the nutrients so should be used as an alternative from around 8yrs of age.
Our dogs metabolisms slow as do their levels of activity as they age so their food and treat options she should reflect this diminished calorie requirement, especially if they are neutered.
If you are still struggling with your pets weight despite being on a calorie controlled ‘light’ or ‘senior’ version veterinary advise is indicated and specialised prescriptive weight loss diets can be introduced. If fed raw food good knowledgeable companies offer free advice on how do to this safely and effectively.
They may also benefit from eating and drinking from a raised bowl.
Fat cells produce inflammatory chemicals increasing discomfort to arthritic joints BUT there is evidence that shows this can be reversed with successful weight loss