When to feed senior food?

[YorkieLover]

Thanks everyone... I'm guessing my boys aren't seniors yet.. They are both yorkies and it is guessed that they are around 6 to 8 which if they live to be 15 would definitely not make them seniors in my book.

[Debi]

Mordy, thanks. I've read many times that there is no need for a specific 'senior' food......that it is a marketing scam. So much info......so much to learn. I wonder.......if you have your dog on a diet that is really sound........does age really have all that much to do with anything? So....maybe you'd cut back a bit..due to inactivity (as people do)?? I know that Addie seems to put on weight in the winter......so I cut back to absolute lean meat, etc.......wouldn't you just do that for a senior dog? Is that what 'senior' food does....cuts back on fat/caloric content or something? (I know.....tooooo many ? here....I get so lost on nutrition) If this has already been said...so sorry, I've been a bit busy, and may have not read every post.

[Mordy]

debi, cutting back makes sense in some areas. for example, fat supplies 2 1/4 times as many calories per weight unit than protein and carbohydrates do, and it is mainly a source of energy. a low-energy animal does not need as much fat.

protein, however, is required to maintain and repair body cells, and aging dogs often have trouble extracting much needed nutrients from the food - that's why many older dogs can be very thin. a higher amount of easily digestible protein is a good thing.

what most commercial pet foods do is cut back drastically on both protein and fat, leaving the dog with carbohydrates, which supply energy but do nothing for maintaining the body. the result is often an older dog who is somewhat overweight but has a poor skin and coat and shows other signs of poor diet.

[Renee750il]

Now that was a great explanation, Mordy!

[Debi]

Thanks Mordy!! I actually understood that.....there is hope for me yet. Sometimes I get a bit confused reading everything out there. Your posts are GREAT.

[Mordy]

well, i'm glad to be of help. do feel free to point out anything in my posts that you don't understand, sometimes i have a tendency to get a bit more technical than really necessary.