We’re going higher up the ladder this week to the third rung: Food & Supplements.
In many resources, food and supplements are talked about together because food is eaten and most supplements are, too. I’m going to write about Food now, however, and save Supplements for the next post to keep the length of the post manageable and easier to read. There’s still a lot I want to cover.
So in my last post about weight management, I mentioned that sometimes I ask my clients to simply reduce the food they are feeding by up to 1/3 per meal because a diet food is not always needed if the diet is balanced. That advice was specifically addressing the need to lose weight.
| In Part 3, I also included a diagram about body condition. Dogs of all ages should be fed to body condition; the labels on dog food are a guide and not the Bible. So, if a dog is gaining weight, then we may cut back on food a bit and help them reach an ideal weight again. Sometimes, we end up cutting back too much and then we have to feed a little more.
This is where the ladder analogy helps us. We can go up and down a ladder fairly easily. And when managing our dog’s health, we have to be prepared to re-visit issues and change approaches accordingly.
Sometimes we go up the ladder and sometimes we go down. |
Older dogs generally have a slower metabolism and combined with less physical activity because they are slowing down (with or without arthritis) – they require less calories.
There are also other considerations for diets when your dog is older.
For example, if your dog has been diagnosed with kidney disease, then a diet lower in protein is recommended because the kidneys process extra protein for removal in the urine. If the kidneys aren’t working well, we need to lessen the pressure on them. If this is the case, your vet will probably recommend a commercial diet to meet those needs.
Protein is important for muscles – keeping them strong and helping them to repair themselves. Proteins are a source of energy; they help keep the immune system strong, and have a role in creating enzymes and hormones. They’re an essential part of the diet.
(When I started making my own dog treats for sale, I remember talking with a Board-certified veterinarian at the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston. She was of the view then that all older dogs should have reduced protein diets. But in the intervening years, more research has shown that this is not the case. A lesson for all of us. As we gather more information through study and research, professional advice may change.)
In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), we understand that older animals don’t have the digestive energy that younger dogs do. Therefore, protein sources should be highly digestible when you are managing an older dog. This is a main reason why I like the homemade and topper approach to foods. I use a good quality dry dog food, but I enhance it with many fresh ingredients.
A few sources of good protein toppers are:
- Eggs (whole) – I like to hard boil eggs and then slice the over the kibble before adding warm water
- Cottage cheese
- Sardines
I also cook my own toppers.
Toppers add palatability (taste) and because the dog’s sense of smell is much better than our own, I think the toppers add appeal through smell, too.
If a dog has an arthritis diagnosis, then “Joint Diet” foods are readily available and companies like Hill’s have undertaken feeding trials to prove their diets are balanced. As part of the research into the product, the veterinary team observed a reduction in the clinical signs of arthritis with a subsequent reduction in the dosages of anti-inflammatory drugs that were required to manage the dog’s pain and arthritis symptoms.
That said, I have never fed a joint diet because I really dislike the ingredient panel in these highly processed foods. I’ve always felt that if we are told to keep fresh things in our diet, then the same should go for our dogs. I can still use supplements and other modalities to manage arthritis and inflammatory pain. I just don’t need to have a ‘complete solution in a bag.’ (This post is getting long – see why I chose to leave Supplements to their own post?)
Because digestion in an older dog is slower, if they have less physical activity such as recovery from a surgery or advancing arthritis, they can also become constipated from time to time. Drugs like Tramadol are also constipating. (This happens in rest homes with older people, too. An older person who lives their life in a wheelchair and unable to walk around much and on medication often finds that it is harder to get the bowels moving.)
More fibre combined with good hydration helps keep the bowels doing what they need to do (rid the body of wastes and toxins) and the best addition to food for fibre is steamed pumpkin. I know that tinned or canned pumpkin is also very popular in the USA as well.
Parents need to watch what they are giving as treats, too. Treats are food and add calories to the diet – but they also add variety and variety is the spice of life! If an older dog has lost some teeth over the years, for example, harder treats may need to be avoided in favor of softer ones. If we are focusing on hydration to help manage constipation, softer texture treats or those that can be soaked in water are a good idea.
Izzy the greyhound with a pigs ear. These help to clean her teeth to some extent (although we brush her teeth every night, too). Treats add variety to the diet and because I source my pigs ears locally, I am more confident in their quality.
Got questions about this post? Please feel free to post a message or contact me through my practice, The Balanced Dog.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
So I expect most of you have gone to find your dog’s human age on the chart. 
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