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Writer's pictureChristopher Mayell

Nutritional Needs for your Aging Pet!

Updated: Nov 30, 2023

As your pet ages, health issues may arise including deterioration of skin and coat, loss of muscle mass 💪🏻, more frequent intestinal problems, arthritis, obesity, dental problems 🦷 and decreased ability to fight off infection. Nutrition 🍽 can be a powerful tool in helping manage or even prevent these complications. However, deciding on the best diet for an older dog or cat can be a difficult decision and can be overwhelming with the variety of products available in the pet food industry. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤔 So let us help make sure you aren’t barking up the wrong tree.🌳

As pets age their metabolisms slow down and their muscles 💪🏻 start to deteriorate, which means it’s a lot easier for them to become overweight or even obese ⚖️. Senior animals typically need lower calorie diets to help maintain a healthy weight and high fibre to help with gastrointestinal health. 🐶🐱

Some of the ways a senior pet diet might differ from a regular adult pet diet:

- Nutrient adjustments 🧪 - Higher digestibility - Softer texture and/or formulated to fight dental disease - Added joint supplements 🦵🏼 - Added MCTs, omega-3s, and antioxidants

When searching for a brand of food to swap your dog or cat onto there are some key things to look 👀 out for:

1. Avoid foods with lowered protein levels- studies have shown that protein levels do not decrease in aging pets but instead help to maintain good muscle mass. 🙌 2. Look for foods with high levels of Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene - these antioxidants help to increase the effectiveness of a pets immune system and eliminate free radical particles that can damage body tissues.😻 3. Increase Omega 3 Fatty Acid and FOS intake - Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) is an omega 3 fatty acid that plays a crucial role in skin and coat health. When a pet ages, their gastrointestinal bacteria can be affected so any senior diet should contain Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.🦠✅

Some examples of completely balanced foods that could be ideal for your pet 🐈 include; Royal Canin, Hills Science Diet or Eukanuba. Each pet is so individual and every brand has multiple life stage diets so give us a call 📞 on 07 3288 1822 and we would pawsitively love to help you with all of your pet nutrition queries!!! ‼️

For more information about senior pet foods visit:


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