Dog Food question

[mart]

Hi there, and yes, yet again another dog food question.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good quality food. I do have some limitations however. Logan is an older pup (12) and has to have regular blood work done to keep an eye on his kidney function. We have noticed that his coat is getting dry and coarse of late, and would like to switch his food. Do we need to keep him on a senior food, or would a higher quality food be better?? We currently feed him Proplan selects.
Thoughts appreciated!!!

[etyson11]

For the price and quality, I cant say enough about Taste of the Wild (especially High Prairie mix). I'm sure someone will be along soon to provide further suggestions.

[britlover]

i always stick to the grain-free foods rated six-stars on http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com and have had excellent results. I have used the Orijen senior food and really liked it, but my senior dog does not do well on chicken protein. EVO just came out with a fish-based grain free and am using that now.

[dmedric]

Max (a senior-around 13 years old) now eats Wellness Core (grain-free) and does well on it. We also use Canidae (grain-free) as a secondary food for variety and mix in Merrick canned foods for a special treat. We haven't switched to senior foods -- no real reason -- he just seems to do fine on the regular adult foods and doesn't have any health problems.

[Barb Wright]

Thought maybe the following articles would be helpful in making decisions about what to feed a senior dog.

http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/se ... ial-needs/
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/pr ... nior-dogs/
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/senior-dogs/

Lew Olson is a professional Nutritionist and her articles are great tutuorials for gleaning information about the nutritional approach to health and healing. There is a wealth of knowledge available in her series of articles and Newsletters.....certainly offering lots of ideas and sensible approaches to dealing with age related problems and how to avoid or mitigate most of these problems brought on by age.

HTH

[Lisa]

Personally, I tend to stay away from foods billed as "senior" foods, because they tend to be lower in protein. Recent studies indicate that senior dogs may actually need more protein than younger dogs.

For my own dogs (even the old one and the one in renal failure), I alternate between Nature's Logic, Solid Gold's Barking at the Moon, and Wellness Core.

[jwmkem]

You should check with your vet because the food might need to be special because of your dog's renal/kidney problems. The vet can probably give you the name of some food that has the right amount of electrolytes and protein for your dog's health issues.

[janet909]

You should check with your vet because the food might need to be special because of your dog's renal/kidney problems. The vet can probably give you the name of some food that has the right amount of electrolytes and protein for your dog's health issues.

I would agree with that. Interestingly, my 14 y/o dog got pancreatitis (now two bouts) after I switched from her senior food to Taste of the Wild. I think there was too much fat and protein in it. Because of her age and her meds, I should have discussed it with my vet. It may not have been the only reason but we think it could have contributed to it.

I'm not dissing Taste of the Wild. My three brits are all on it. It was probably just too much for my old girl.

[Lisa]

You should check with your vet because the food might need to be special because of your dog's renal/kidney problems. The vet can probably give you the name of some food that has the right amount of electrolytes and protein for your dog's health issues.

Sadly, I've found that most vets simply tend to recommend prescription diets, which I won't feed. Generally, when I have a dog with a health issue, I don't ask my vet for a food recommendation. Instead, I ask her for a nutrition recommendation...what types of things should I avoid, what should I look for, what % of fat is appropriate, what % of phosphorus, calcium, moisture, etc. Then, I take those recommendations, and look at the higher quality commercial foods for one that meets those requirements.

For example, when all the dogs had a stomach bug, the vet tried to sell me a bag of Euk. Low Residue. I asked her why she recommended the food, and she said it was because of the low fat and easy digestibility. So, I said thanks but no thanks and picked up a bag of NB Venison...low fat, easy digestibility. With Emma (foster in renal failure), she wanted her on a prescription low phosporus diet...problem is it's also low in protein and calories and Emma was emaciated. Again, I asked what made the food idea - low phosphorus - and found one with higher protein and calories and low phosphorus.

[mart]

Thanks for the advide everyone! I will call and find out what our vet is looking for in the senior food, keeping in mind his kidney issues. I was actually looking at TOTW, so I will do some checking and go from there!

[Eltu200]

Hi there, and yes, yet again another dog food question.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good quality food. I do have some limitations however. Logan is an older pup (12) and has to have regular blood work done to keep an eye on his kidney function. We have noticed that his coat is getting dry and coarse of late, and would like to switch his food. Do we need to keep him on a senior food, or would a higher quality food be better?? We currently feed him Proplan selects.
Thoughts appreciated!!!

[Emilewep]

Ive had dogs stop eating their dry dog food also. Couldnt figure it out and tried everything. Noticed that it was always Summertime when it happened and I thought maybe the food got rancid from the heat. So, I bought a freezer and stored the food in it. I havent had any problems since. They really like the frozen kibble, maybe cause its a little crunchy.

[gagesbarb]

Good observation...Thanks for chiming in