Author Topic: reduced calorie or senior food?  (Read 2794 times)

Offline pyr4me

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reduced calorie or senior food?
« on: November 27, 2007, 07:08:09 pm »
My Tipper will be 8 years old soon and has been eating Innova Adult. He is still a high energy dog and hasn't slowed down that much, except for that I noticed he didn't tolerate the summer heat as easily this year. Since both of the breeds he is made up of have a tendency to gain weight, my vet has always had me be very careful to measure his food, not too many treats, etc. to keep him at a healthy weight. I have noticed that he seems to be looking heavier lately and I reduced how much of his food I was giving him, which is much less than the  recommendation s on the bag (which I know are just a guideline, but still).  But I'm wondering if I should change his food to the Innova Reduced Calorie or the Innova Senior?
Jennifer

Tipper (8 1/2 yrs) Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix
Jenny (4 yrs) Great Pyrenees
Gabriel (14 yrs) Sealpoint Himalayan cat
Melanie (11 yrs) Domestic medium hair cat

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us."
~Robert Lewis Steven

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: reduced calorie or senior food?
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2007, 07:26:46 pm »
Dogs are just like people...when they get older they need to eat much less as their metabolism slows down dramatically. I wouldn't change his food. Just make sure to give him much less food than he would eat and check his weight every week.
I remember reading an article about an old man who lived to be 92 years at a time of the interview. He was super healthy and skinny. He said that his daily food consumption was 500-600 calories!  :o :o :o
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Offline navarre1316

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Re: reduced calorie or senior food?
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2007, 07:45:40 pm »
Is he putting on weight or is it his coat?  Since he had a hard time with the summer it could be effecting the way his winter coat is coming in (I don't have any idea how their coats grow in, just putting ideas out there!)?  If he is still real active I wouldn't change his food either, and really how much of a difference is it between the foods usually it's not that much.  I'd do like Whisperer says and just monitor him weekly if you can and go from there.  By the time my moms weim was 15 she was eating a 1/2 cup, I thougth the dog had to be starving but she looked great!
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Navarre: GSD 9/13/99-5/14/06 patiently waiting
Issabeaux: GSD 1/27/07
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Nicole

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Re: reduced calorie or senior food?
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2007, 07:58:04 pm »
Cabeza is 8 and we have him on Innova Adult. I've had him on Innova EVO, but found that even on only a cup a day, he was looking a little portly. So, he's now on the adult and gets about 3.5 cups a day and his waist has nipped in and he looks great. I would just adjust the amount, but there isn't any need to switch.

Offline maxsmom

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Re: reduced calorie or senior food?
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2007, 04:00:00 am »
I would take the earlier suggestions and weigh him regularly.  We weigh our dogs every other week at Petsmart for free.  That way I know if the 2 youngsters are still growing like they should and if Cody is getting too heavy.  With my Springer, after she turned 12 and started having problems with her spine, she started packing on the weight.  She was on prednisone for allergies and tended to eat a lot and gain.  I started mixing her food 1/2 Innova Evo and 1/2 weight control.  That way she could eat as much as she was used to and still dropped weight.  If I had reduced her food, she would have thought I was starving her.  If I based Cody's food intake on his appearance, I would have almost stopped feeding him by now.  He looks so fat but it is his body build and his super thick coat.  It doesn't look that long or thick until you try to find his skin and can't  He looks like a different dog now that he has most of his winter coat.  I always prefer to get their actual weight.
Kathy
Max  2 Irish Wolfhound
Jake  2 Great Pyrenees
Cody   3 Tibetan Mastiff
ChiChi 1.5 Caucasian Ovcharka
John and Nicki Maine Coon cats