Nutrition For Senior’s
We are often discussing new puppy requirements, but our older dogs are very important because we want them to live long and healthy lives.
As we always tell our members nutrition and how we are feeding our dogs is one of the most important factors in contributing to either good or bad health.
We hear a lot from ‘some but not all’ vet’s that dogs as they age do not need as much protein in their diets and that we should be feeding them more carbohydrates. This statement is incorrect. Again we hear from the commercial dried food manufacturers a similar thing that dogs cannot handle fat and protein, of course, this statement is because they want to sell their products, and we the public often believe everything we are told without further researching. Our groups encourage our members to dig deep, ask questions, and feel comfortable with the choices they are making.
Commercial kibble for older dogs will contain higher amounts of carbs which completely contradicts what older dogs require nutritionally to stay healthy. (You can read more about the most common bad ingredients in kibble here)
We see dogs who are fed diets high in carbs and therefore sugar, being extremely obese. The diets do not give the dog the correct fats and proteins which their body needs. If your dog is always begging for food and seems hungry, this is telling you something very important - that their diet is not satisfying their bodily requirements.
Our golden oldies need quality protein, the latest research tells us that quality protein is the key to good health and will help our cavaliers and other breeds reach a good age. Protein should not be reduced. If the diet does not have protein, our seniors will lose lean body mass, become lethargic, and develop lowered immunity. Research has shown that minimal protein diets can cause dogs to become more sensitive to the toxic effects of certain drugs. Older dogs require a higher level of protein as much as 26% more, to Maintain their body stores of protein than a younger dog does. If there is not enough protein in the diet the dog's body will leach protein from the muscles which will lead to many health problems.
Raw feeding and home cooking which is done correctly is the very best way to keep your dog in excellent health as he or she ages. It may take a little more time, but we will show you how to prepare for a month at a time and freeze in our groups to make it that little bit easier. Our dogs are important and very loved family members, and so the time we take to prepare food is always done with great love.
Some vets will tell clients to reduce protein in older dogs' diets, but quality protein is required to support the kidneys, the heart, and the liver. There may be a time, however, when phosphorus needs to be reduced in dogs with compromised kidneys in chronic renal failure (BUN over 80 and creatinine over 3) the kidneys can have problems metabolizing phosphorus found in the diet, and this may cause pain and nausea. You can still feed quality proteins and keep the diet at a good level. There is no need to reduce phosphorus before this time, as lowering phosphorus or protein will not make the kidneys better, in fact, it does the reverse by not providing enough of the amino acids needed from animal-based products that are required for good organ function.
Many renal health issues occur in older dogs simply because they have been fed poor diets during their lifetime, we often don’t think about these things when our dogs are young and vibrant, but over the years the internal health issues will build up in our dogs, until one day they bubble up to the surface, and ill health and deterioration begins to set in.
Our group's raw-fed healthy Cavs and home cooking for cavaliers will support all of the changes you wish to make and you can find a wealth of free resources and tools on this website. Just by making some small changes, we can collectively help to keep our cavaliers as healthy as we possibly can.
Check out some of our latest recipes Below;
