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Feeding elderly dogs
Hi folks,
With the advent of Sammy, our new 17YO, looking to see if there are any special brands of mature dog kibble recommnded? So far he's been on a 'Science diet mature' type. I got him some Blue Wilderness mature which we will start mixing with that (about 4lbs left). Just wondering if there are special brands that do better for elderly dogs. Looking for personal experience, not charts which I have. He has no special dietary needs other than G/C suppliments and is also now getting the bone broths and stuff we do here. He's a good weight and needs to stay there due to arthritis. |
#2
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Feeding elderly dogs
On 9/25/2010 4:43 PM, cshenk wrote:
Hi folks, With the advent of Sammy, our new 17YO, looking to see if there are any special brands of mature dog kibble recommnded? So far he's been on a 'Science diet mature' type. I got him some Blue Wilderness mature which we will start mixing with that (about 4lbs left). Just wondering if there are special brands that do better for elderly dogs. Looking for personal experience, not charts which I have. He has no special dietary needs other than G/C suppliments and is also now getting the bone broths and stuff we do here. He's a good weight and needs to stay there due to arthritis. Foods aimed at a specific age or type of dog is nothing more than a marketing strategy by the dog food companies. Science Diet's special diets in general don't do a thing towards helping those dogs with whatever problems they may have. Indeed, sometimes they are harmful. Note that raw feeders don't change their diets because of age. The same diet is given to all ages successfully. Your bone broth is great for him. I saw in another post that this dog is on heartworm "preventative". That is another scam especially on a dog that old. There is no possibility that this dog could live long enough for a heartworm infestation to hurt him. Since it isn't really a preventative but a poison it would be better for him to skip them since he's probably been exposed to them for a very long time. And as for vaccinations.... http://www.critteradvocacy.org/Canin...0Guidlines.htm "The duration of immunity for vaccines for diseases like rabies, distemper, and parvovirus have been shown to be 7 years. More importantly it has been scientifically proven that, after the initial series, when vaccines are re-administered the immune status of the patient is not enhanced. Antibodies from the initial vaccine block the subsequent vaccines from having any effect." Many vets are now suggesting that older dogs not be vaccinated at all. |
#3
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Feeding elderly dogs
On Sep 25, 4:43*pm, "cshenk" wrote:
Hi folks, With the advent of Sammy, our new 17YO, looking to see if there are any special brands of mature dog kibble recommnded? I don't feed senior diets. Lucy (almost 14) eats canned food only, for kidney health. Her numbers were a bit off in September of 2008, but since we switched to canned California Natural, everything has been picture perfect. For seniors who need weight loss (or even weight maintenance for those prone to gaining) Canidae Platinum is a very good kibble. |
#4
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Feeding elderly dogs
"Janet" wrote
"cshenk" wrote: With the advent of Sammy, our new 17YO, looking to see if there are any special brands of mature dog kibble recommnded? I don't feed senior diets. Lucy (almost 14) eats canned food only, for kidney health. Her numbers were a bit off in September of 2008, but since we switched to canned California Natural, everything has been picture perfect. For seniors who need weight loss (or even weight maintenance for those prone to gaining) Canidae Platinum is a very good kibble. Looks good from the reviews as well. Local place not but 2 miles from me sells it as well. Sammy we are told is a *slightly* picky eater although we've seen no signs yet. Most we've noted was seeming delighted looks at the odd to him treats. His doggie alarm went off at 8am even though he was full (fed at 6am). He licked his dish and we dropped in 1 kibble with lots of pettings. I know that canned can be important to cats and kidney health. I'll keep an eye on that with Sammy. Don just pulled out 2 freezer baggies of bone broth. Sammy yipped softly as he saw the 2nd one and wagged tail. He got used to the nooner broth habit really fast (grin). The feeding complication tonight is Cash gets his marrow bone and Sammy can't handle one the same (not the same strong jaws etc). I'm thinking a fefrosted 4-5 inch finger fish for Sammy at same time then keep him away from Cash's other half of the marrow bone which he comes back to in about 2 hours. |
#5
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Feeding elderly dogs
"cshenk" wrote
"Janet" wrote followup to this Don just pulled out 2 freezer baggies of bone broth. Sammy yipped softly as he saw the 2nd one and wagged tail. He got used to the nooner broth habit really fast (grin). The feeding complication tonight is Cash gets his marrow bone and Sammy can't handle one the same (not the same strong jaws etc). I'm thinking a defrosted 4-5 inch finger fish for Sammy at same time then keep him away from Cash's other half of the marrow bone which he comes back to in about 2 hours. The fish worked. Sammy sniffed the marrow bone and Cash whined and looked protective so Sammy wandered off as I called him. Got his first whole fingerling fish. Cash came over to investigate and Sammy whined then turned around with it in his mouth and Cash seemed to get the point. 'The bone is mine, the fish is his'. It's the one thing that worried me as Cash is 'food protective' and we want no incidents as Sammy learns this one negative about his buddy. Cash will share his regular bones though. The big ones from the pet store (not the frozen defrosted raw marrow cut ones). I'd give Sammy one but I can tell from his looks of the jaw and all, he can't really do more than have fun licking and knawing at it a bit. ------- Slight break. First sign of Sammy being back was a huge beagle-y bugle and a run to the front door. They lifted out his carrier and before they could snap a leash ion him he was *running* to the front door and sniffing through the screen. Tails wagging so fast I thought we'd have a tornado! I let him in and they were acting like puppies for a bit. Finally heard Sammy bark! Yeah, we've been adopted ;-) Anyways, I have his records now. All looks good other than the known arthritis. |
#6
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Feeding elderly dogs
On Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:03:55 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:
Slight break. First sign of Sammy being back was a huge beagle-y bugle and a run to the front door. They lifted out his carrier and before they could snap a leash ion him he was *running* to the front door and sniffing through the screen. Tails wagging so fast I thought we'd have a tornado! I let him in and they were acting like puppies for a bit. Finally heard Sammy bark! It's always such a happy thing to see old dogs like Sammy get a good home to live out their days. Anyways, I have his records now. All looks good other than the known arthritis. I'd be surprised to see a 17 year-old dog *without* arthritis. Our Borzoi rescue, Nikita, has been with us since the end of March and is feeling comfortable enough to get into trouble. She was the most mentally damaged of her group of 14 dogs (we always seem to end up with those even when it's not intentional), and we put her on amitriptyline (human anti-depressant, brand name Elavil) at the end of April. There was a HUGE improvement in her fearful behavior and her OCD behaviors disappeared. We've weaned her from one pill a day (which was half the normal dosage) to one every two days and soon she'll be off it entirely. She was not in as bad a physical shape as some of the other dogs, though she did lose most of her remaining teeth (she is only 5 or 6) and had many growths removed, but she's certainly building muscle running with the other sighthounds. Her coat looks better but is still fairly coarse. Can't blame the kibble, as she's been totally raw-fed since her dental. One of her favorite things (and mine) is to jump up (about 5 feet) to look into the kitchen window from outside while I'm getting dog meals ready. "Hey!! What's taking you so long?!" |
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