You hate to acknowledge it, but your furry pal is getting a older. You will want to assure that your pet is happy and healthy for many more years to come. You will have heard and seen all of the hype about the new dog diets for aging pets. But is there really any difference between dog food for full grown dogs and kibble suggested specifically for seniors?

The best resource for information about dog diets is your pets veterinarian. Only you and your vet know the specific needs of your pet the best. Discuss with your vet your concerns and questions. He or she will be able to advise you on what changes, if any, need to be made to your dogs diet.

If your senior dog does not have any health troubles and keeps a healthy weight, then there will be no need to change your dogs diet from adult to senior dog food. But, on the other hand, if your dog has trouble keeping there weight down or digestive problems, you may need to switch diet. If weight is the only problem, then consider lowering the amount of dog food you give to your pet. This may be all the change your dogs diet needs.

A senior dog is classed as a dog in the last third of their life. Larger dogs, such as Great Danes, live to be about 9 years old. When they reach the age of 9 years old, you may want to think about a senior dogs diet. On the other hand, a Poodle will not reach senior status until about age of ten, this is due to the longer life expectancy. The decision to alter your dogs diet should be based on there health condition, rather than there actual age in years. Your vet will help you to decide when the right time is to change your dogs diet.

Dog food specially made for senior dogs has less calories. This helps any weight issues. Senior dog food also contains more fiber for the different dietary needs in your dogs diet. As dogs age, they tend to have constipation, this extra fiber will help relieve this problem.

Renal failure can be another medical problem, that often occurs to senior dogs. How can your dogs diet help this problem? By reducing the amount of protein you feed your dog in its diet, will lower the work load for the kidneys. This is the reason, that senior dog food mostly has lower protein content than regular adult formulas.

Whenever possible, give your dog dry dog food to eat, this is will help with dental health. The dry kibble is a big help in reducing plaque and tartar buildup. If you have trouble getting your older dog to eat dry food, you may need to moisten it with water, or you could purchase some of the moist canned varieties that are available.

If your vet recommends that you need to use supplements as part of your senior dogs diet. It will be because, some pets are unable to eat properly due to oral problems. Other older pets are unable to get all of the nutrients they need from their food for different health reasons. Supplements such as daily vitamins and glucosamine can be a benefit to maintaining a healthy diet for your dog.

Glucosamine helps joint health. For senior dogs, glucosamine can help to fight arthritis and hip displasia.

Vitamins C, A, and E may prevent the natural aging process and encourage better health for senior dogs. Talk to your vet about adding such supplements to your dogs diet.

You want what is best for your pet. Your senior dog needs to have a diet that meets their special nutritional requirements. You and your vet can work together to decide what is the best diet for your senior dog. Your dogs diet directly affects his or her health. Take care of your pet by monitoring your dogs diet closely with the aid of your veterinarian.