Kibble Options For 10 Year Old Husky/gsd Cross

[Little Gifts]

My sister's dog Wolf is nearly 10 and very active for her age with no real health or joint problems. I switched all three dogs over to a mainly kibble diet a few months back - either Canidae ALS or Black Hawk Chicken and rice twice a day with either greek yoghurt or sardines or chicken necks. Treat wise they get dried fish, yoghurt drops, lamb spines and other dried chicken thingies. Wolf has always been on the lean side and due to her hunger levels she gets a cup in the morning and at night. As a dog who used to need to be hand fed she scoffs this down wityh no problems.

Unfortunately, even though this diet seems to agree with her health wise (shiny coat, clean teeth, no more ear infections, etc) she has lost weight and is feeling bony around her spine. As she is already lean we are concerned about this. The vet said she needs a diet more attuned to a senior dog. I looked at the options (like that Hills B/D mentioned in the other old thread about diet) and the ingredients list is not what I'd consider appropriate for good quality kibble - too much grain and by-product.

Can anyone give me other suggestions on good kibble or even items to add to what I already think is good kibble (the Canidae and Black Hawk) to put some weight back on and keep it? Should I just feed her more of everything? Could she need some age appropriate supplements to help her metabolise all the nutrients she is getting in her current diet? As I said she is still very active and has shown no signs of any joint issues for a dog of her size. She plays zoomies and bitey face as hard as the other, younger two and still flies through the air rather than using the stairs! Her coat has been a little manky but only in that, like some others have experienced, she has been constantly moulting this summer.

Thank you!

[Sheridan]

Sorry, didn't see this. If she's otherwise doing well on the current diet, I would feed more to start with to see how she goes.

[sheena]

You could try feeding her some cooked rolled oats porridge...the real stuff, not the instant, in addition to what she is getting at the moment. It has been known to put weight on. The Black Hawk Lamb & Rice has a higher fat content than the chicken. I think the chicken is really meant for dogs that are trying to lose weight.

[White Shepherd mom]

She sounds like a gorgeous girl who has no idea she's an oldie. It's great that she is so healthy! Just be careful not to give her too much fat as her pancreas might struggle. What diet did you have her on before you changed to mainly kibble?

[Salukifan]

A bony spine I'd consider to be 'normal' for an older dog as loss of muscle condition/tone/mass starts to take its toll.

Weight, on the other hand is more challenging.

I have a three dogs at home aged 13 or older. My personal belief for older dogs whose digestive systems are not working at optimal levels is that the QUALITY of the nutrition really starts to bite. You need to feed the best sources of protein etc that you can. Kibble's OK, premium kibble is best in that department due to quality of ingredients (IMO) but raw, unprocessed protein and fat is also important.

I feed the RC Mini Seniors to my two older poodles (one is 15, one will be 15 this month) but I also feed raw chicken wings.

You could try the RC Large Aging kibble if you wanted to try another product. Information is here and RC are usually pretty good at supplying a sample to try.

I'd suggest upping the quantity of kibble too but also feeding chicken wings a few times a week. Don't forget though that she won't have the muscle of a younger dog and don't fret about that.

Edited March 14, 2013 by Haredown Whippets