Gun Dog Forum

What is your experience with old dogs? Do they eat less ? Vet says my old girl ( almost 14) is "fine" , but she eats half of what she used to last year.

I've had a couple of dogs that self-regulated their food (calorie) intake as they aged and were less active. As long as they acted OK and didn't seem to be sick or losing too much weight, I tried not to worry about it. One thing that helped was for me to reduce the amount that went into the food pan; I didn't have to see what they weren't eating and sometimes being a little bit hungry made them want to consume more.

I assume you vet checked your old gal's teeth? Dirty teeth can cause all kinds of problems, and sometimes we can't see broken or infected teeth through a build-up of tartar.

Did the vet run any labs for kidney function? That can be a problem with old dogs, and make them feel too sick to eat much.

Top dressing kibble with canned food can help perk up appetites too.

Are Purina products available up there? I had excellent results with Purina Bright Mind. It made impressive good changes in one of my droopy old guys, and since then I've switched over to it for my current oldies.

Best wishes for your old girl, it's so hard to watch them age.

Thanks very much Shags. Excellent suggestions as usual. May well be that less strenuous exercise = less appetite.
(Yes we have Purina up here ; Canada is part of the modern world ... LOL.... just kiddin' ya.

Sharon,
When my lab got to be about 8 or so, I had to start cutting her back because she'd gain weight. She still had a lab's appetite, so I wanted to get more bulk. I switched to Proplan Savor Chicken & Rice Shredded Blend 28/13 360 kcal/cup. She stayed on that till we lost her. It kept her trim and fit.

My Tucker Llew is gonna be 13 in a few weeks and he has cut himself back and has maintained a steady weight...where he should be after losing a few pounds.
He remains enthusiastic for snacks and people meats.

Just had his check up a few days ago and we are happy. Bloodwork all good and vet said his teeth and gums are remarkably good considering his age.
Just osteoporosis in his rear knees.

Sharon, I'm dealing with an oldster who is needing a little extra to hold her weight. She is a 12 year old Brittany who is still going for field walks and can do light training and hunts, but her appetite is not enough to keep her at a good body condition.
I've started to mix about a coffee spoon of canned cat food into her kibble, and she can't resist. I think she feels like she's stealing it from the cat. Good luck with your old girl.

https://www.k9instinct.com/blog/satin-b ... eight-dogs

What we do is roll them into hotdog shape in individual small sandwich bags with out the zipper top roll up like a cigar then will put those individual rolled satin sticks into a 1 gallon freezer bag
I use a level fill ice cream scoop for measuring.
Add one a day till you get your dog to weight then cut in half.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk