In part two of our focus on the diet of a senior dog, we will look further into some specific nutritional categories bringing fantastic health benefits to your senior dog. We will also go through our recommendations on what to feed your senior pet, including specific nutrients and supplements you may wish to consider!
Read Part 1 here!
Specific Beneficial Nutrients
There are a number of macro- and micronutrient categories senior dogs would benefit greatly from to slow the ageing process down, and reduce age-related inflammation. The two main categories to analyse here are Antioxidants, and Omega Fatty Acids.
- Antioxidants: these are one of the most important categories of nutrients to feed your senior dog (and are highly beneficial at any age!) due to their action against oxidative stress. As dogs age, oxidative stress becomes more proliferative; it’s a natural part of ageing! Oxidative stress is caused by ‘free radicals’ – unstable oxygen molecules missing an electron. Free radicals damage all parts of the body from organs to joints, causing joint degeneration, cancer, altering DNA, neurodegenerative diseases, adverse alteration of fats and proteins, and other diseases like diabetes, so it is incredibly important to combat these cells as best you can. Antioxidants tackle and remove free radicals from the body, leading to less oxidative stress, and therefore slower ageing. Some excellent sources to think about including in your senior dog’s diet include blueberries, strawberries, artichoke, goji berries, red cabbage, kale, ginger, spinach, parsley, pecans (in small amounts due to fat content), fresh garlic (avoid in Japanese breeds) and rosemary (avoid in epileptic dogs).
- Omegas Fatty Acids: this group of fats are another incredibly important category of nutrients to include in your senior dog’s diet, specifically Omega 3. The two ‘main’ omega fatty acids are Omega 3 and 6 – both are essential. Omega 9 is present in the diet too, but doesn’t add as many benefits to the dog’s health as Omegas 3 and 6. Omega 6 fatty acids called Linolenic Acid (LA) and Arachidonic Acid (ARA) are inherently inflammatory. The only non-inflammatory Omega 6 is Gamma-linolenic Acid (GLA). Omega 6 brings many benefits to the health of the dog despite it’s inflammatory properties, including control of hormones, however as it is naturally in abundance in our carnivorous pets’ meat based diet, we need to balance the inflammation out! This is where Omega 3 comes in! Omega 3 includes Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA), Alpha-linolenic Acid (ALA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), and is inherently anti-inflammatory. The anti-inflammatory properties of Omega 3 Fatty Acids balance out the inflammation caused by Omega 6 Fatty Acids. EPA is the main inflammation reducer, while ALA aids immune and heart health, and DHA aids cognitive health and development. Some excellent sources of Omega 3 to include in your dog’s diet include fatty fish and fish oils, algal oil, flax and chia seed, oysters and eggs. You can read more about choosing an omega supplement for your pet here!
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
What Type of Food Should I Feed?
The dog food market really is a minefield! There are many options of different food types, each claiming to be the best! Our ethos here at My Pet Nutritionist is to feed as fresh food as possible! Minimal processing is a major factor in healthy ageing and longevity. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at dry food, fresh cooked food, and raw food.
Dry food is not a diet we would generally recommend, especially not for a senior dog! But why?
- High carb: carbohydrates can have an inflammatory effect on our pets. Dry foods are typically between 30 and 60% carbohydrate – sometimes even higher!
- Manufacturing process: these foods undergo a huge amount of processing. During the cycle of production from raw ingredient to bag, these foods are subject to up to 4 separate high-heat processes, each time reducing nutritional quality.
- Synthetic vitamins and minerals: our senior dogs may not be able to utilise the synthetic vitamins and minerals often sprayed onto the dry food at the end of the manufacturing process, deeming them useless.
- Glyphosate: due to the extreme manufacturing process, glyphosate production occurs. This is the main ingredient effective against killing weeds, but it is linked with cancer and damage of the gut microbiome.
- Mycotoxins and Aflatoxins: mycotoxins are chemical compounds caused by mould and can lead to vomiting and seizures. Aflatoxins are also caused by mould in food and can lead to cancer and liver damage.
- Storage mites: before bagging, dry foods are often stored in large hoppers – and even after bagging, the shelf life is very long, encouraging storage mites which can trigger allergies.
- Advanced Glycation End Products: shortened to AGEs, these harmful chemical compounds are produced during manufacturing, and a linked to cancers, inflammation, oxidative stress and premature ageing.
Why do we advocate for a fresh cooked, or raw diet? Which is best for senior dogs? Fresh food is minimally processed, meaning the harmful compounds listed above do not form, reducing the risk of inflammation, oxidative stress and other disease in the body. As the ingredients are still in their whole, natural form they are nutrient dense, and provide the body with excellent nutrition! Another major benefit to fresh food, is that it is high in moisture – moisture in the diet is essential for kidney and gut health, both of which are known to worsen during the ageing process! As the gut motility of senior dogs can reduce, and other changes in the gut naturally occur, many seniors cope best with fresh cooked food as opposed to raw food – though some do still tolerate raw food!
We have an extensive array of well formulated and
balanced meal recipes for dogs on our website!
Our Recommendations
There are various aspects of diet we actively encourage owners of senior dogs to include in their dog’s feeding regime. Some may benefit from a more tailored 1-2-1 approach with one of our consultants, however our general recommendations are as follows:
- Feed fresh: feeding a fresh, preferably easily digestible cooked diet, would be our recommendation to ensure the best quality nutrients are entering our dogs bodies! The higher the quality of nutrients, the more the body is able to use them, and the slower the ageing process may become.
- Gut health: the vast majority of the immune system is located in the gut! Keeping the gut health not only allows for the best nutrient absorption, but also helps to keep the immune system strong; an aspect of senior health that often naturally declines. Feeding a fresh diet is a great step to a strong immune system, but some dogs will benefit from a gut health supplement like our popular Gut Guardian supplement containing a carefully balanced mixture of three mucilage (gut healing) herbs, high quality soil based probiotics to help the gut microbiome flourish, B vitamins and calming chamomile.
- Antioxidants: in order to reduce oxidative stress throughout the body, and ultimately slow the process of natural ageing down, adding anti-oxidant rich foods is essential to senior dog health! Why not try adding some blueberries, spinach, kale or even a little decaffeinated green tea to your dog’s diet?
- Omegas: feeding a range of different omega 3 rich foods to help reduce inflammation in the ageing body is something we would definitely recommend. Using various sources of omega 3 through the week means a broader range of omega types are consumed, benefiting more parts of the body.
- CoQ10: in order to keep the heart in good condition, and help to fight free radicals, we would recommend including some high quality CoQ10 sources, whether that is through fresh foods, or a high quality supplement.
- Joint support: our recommendation for Omega 3 may certainly help to support joints, but many individuals will need additional joint support. Glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and Green Lipped Mussel are all excellent sources of joint support – you may wish to consider adding a selection of these, or an all-in-one product to your pet’s diet! we recommend only pure supplements, so be sure to check the inactive ingredients list on products before purchasing them. Most ‘chewable’ options will contain high-legume content ingredients which may contribute to gut damage. Powders or capsules tend to be the cleaner options.
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
If your golden oldie could use some dietary improvements, we would love to hear from you! Our team love our special older clients, so please don’t hesitate to book a consultation with one of our team. If you have specific health concerns with your senior dog, and have a diagnosis from your veterinarian, we would love to help guide you through senior-hood with your pooch!
Team MPN x
