Why Do You Change the Senior Dog's Diet?

When your dog starts to age their metabolism slows down as well as their digestion and other metabolic functions. A question that comes up often is when should you change your older dogs diet to dog food that is more suitable for them. This depends on the age of the dog and the size. Larger dogs live shorter lives and some breeds live longer than others. For example a Great Dane or a Saint Bernard usually only lives for nine or ten years where small dogs such a Chihuahuas and Poodles can live from anywhere to fifteen to twenty years.

Most veterinarians usually agree that a dog should have a change of diet in the last third of their life. This would mean that the Great Dane's diet needs to be changed at age six and the Chihuahuas diet needs to be to be changed around the age of ten to eleven. Of course this does not go for all dogs. If you dog is healthy and is active, you may want to wait to change the diet until they start slowing down. Talk to your veterinarian and tell them how your dog is acting and getting around. With your observation and their knowledge, you can make an informed decision of when you want to change the diet.

When the decision is made, you may want to change the diet slowly by mixing in a little of the adult dog food with the senior. Slowly take away the adult food until there is nothing but senior food in the diet. This will give your senior dog's digestive tract time to adjust and you will not have to deal with him throwing up or having diarrhea.

Don Rainwater has written many articles and books about the care of older dogs. If you wish to learn more about raising a senior canine or to view products especially designed for the older dog, visit http://seniorcanines.com