- Nutritional needs change such a lot as dogs grow from puppies into adults and again as they move into their senior years. If we can time it just right and change our puppy over to an adult food once they are fully grown or an adult dog over to a senior food at the correct age, there are many health benefits. An important one is preventing unwanted weight gain. In fact, some studies show that avoiding excess weight gain can extend your dogs lifespan by up to 2.5 years!
- And did you know that the food dogs eat as puppies can affect their health for their whole life. Foods specially formulated for puppies are the perfect way to ensure healthy growth and development of bones and joints. Bones grow from growth plates found at the end of long bones and when they close, the dog is considered fully grown. For small breeds this may be around 9-12 months but in large breed puppies, this may not be until they are 18-24 months old.
- A complete and balanced food formulated for adult dogs will ensure the dog has enough energy for their day to day activities, whilst avoiding weight gain. As a general rule, dog foods are formulated so that if the dog eats the right amount of their food to meet their energy requirements, then their requirements for ALL nutrients will be met too so you don’t need to worry that they are short of essential vitamins or minerals.
- Joint supplements can benefit joint issues such as arthritis. In health, glucosamine is made within the joint but in osteoarthritis this process can be compromised so adding it in the form of a supplement can help. Joint supplements which also contain chondroitin are worth looking for because chondroitin acts in the body to slow the rate of cartilage damage so the two work together to improve healthy joints
- As dogs age they require less energy because, like us, they gradually lose muscle mass over time. This loss can be minimized in two easy ways – firstly, daily walking to maintain the muscle and secondly through a diet that has been specially formulated for the senior dog. Senior dogs foods are usually lower in fat but have enough protein to ensure muscle mass is maintained.
- Last but not least, keeping the brain active is essential as dogs age. There are lots of ideas for scent games etc online but one of the best things we can do is to make meal times fun and play to their natural scavenger behaviour with things such as lick mats and puzzle feeders.
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