Nutritional Needs for Senior Dogs and Cats.

The food you choose is important

The food your pet eats plays an important part in his or her overall health and well-being. A nutritious, complete and balanced diet is an essential part of an active, healthy lifestyle for any aged dog or cat, but becomes even more significant after age 7*.

Nutritional needs change upon reaching senior status, and it’s important to take this into account when selecting your pet's diet.

With advancing age, the optimal range for key nutrients becomes narrower, making it easier to tip into dietary deficiencies or excesses. For example, reduced levels of phosphorous and sodium are important to maintain kidney and heart health in older dogs and cats.

That's why it's important to feed food to suit the special needs that senior pets have.

Cell functions change from around 7 years of age. Therefore, nutrition needs to change as well:

Pet's biology changes with age. The ageing process is complex, slowing pets down both mentally and physically. Through more than a decade of research into how nutrition impacts pets' cell function, we’ve learned a lot about how the right food can help. Ageing starts at the cellular level, and nutrition can make a difference.

To aid digestion, consider feeding your pet several meals a day instead of one large serving. Avoid overfeeding – obesity can lead to numerous health problems and may shorten your pet's life.

Older pets are more prone to dehydration due to disturbances in the body’s ability to regulate water balance. Your senior pet must have access to fresh, clean water at all times. Water intake should be constantly monitored.

* 5 years for large and giant breed dogs - dogs over 25kg bodyweight