Caring for a geriatric dog?

Question

Any suggestions for putting weight on a very old dog? He eats but he looks terribly skinny and he shivers when he's outside even when it isn't all that cold. Our vet advised us that the dog has lived well beyond his normal lifespan and trying to run a lot of tests and treatments on him is not in his best interest. He still gets around ok (although slowly), wags his tail and is happy to see us but he is so thin. He has always been a large and robust dog and it's really hard to see him this way. Up until the past few months we marveled at his good health for his age, but he is going downhill quickly. Any suggestions to put some weight on him or to help make the most of his remaining time with us would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Seeing your dog age is very hard especially when they start to show the years in his body. There are a couple of things i could suggest however the weight thing could be an issue as it is hard to know what is wrong with him and what is causing it. If he is terminal he may not put the weight back on.
So, I would get him onto a good quality senior dog food as that has high amount of nutritional support for his digestive tract and high in things he needs and low in the things he can do without. You will find that he will have alot of muscle wastage and that is the weight loss you are probably experiencing.
I would get a coat for him to help him feel warmer and elevate his bed if he has one so it is not on the cold ground and keep him out of a draft.
It sounds as though you are lucky to have this dog still so it sounds as though your job now is just to keep him happy and warm and comfortable.
When his quality of life starts to go down hill and he stops eating and being happy unfortunately that is the time that you may have to make the hardest decision of all.
I believe our animals tell us when they have enough so until then just enjoy him until that day comes.

Best of luck with your old pal.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I also have an older dog (she's 14 now) who was losing weight even though her appetite was still pretty good. The vet could find no other reason than her age. I did some research and found these recipes on line. It's not happening quickly, but she is starting to gain some of her weight back and she seems more content. Hope it helps.

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/diet4.htm

Answer 4

Old dogs lose weight due to intestinal problems, diabetes and thyroid problems. Their teeth might be sore and loose, their sense of smell is waning, so they dont have an appetite. If your dog is old and thin enough for your vet to suggest it's lived long enough, you need to make sure you arnt just hanging onto it for your own sake. That's selfish, as the poor old dog cant tell you when it's had enough. My lab was 15, and losing her sight, hearing and mobility, and getting dementia, so I did the only thing I could do, and put her to sleep.

Answer 5

One of the biggest problems with geriatric dogs to loss of muscle, the reason is they require almost double the meat protein of an adult dog inorder to maintain muscle and for cellular repair


The Geriatric Dog
Nutritional research has shown that healthy older dogs need more protein than young adult dogs - as much as 50 percent more. The additional protein is required to maintain a geriatric dog's protein reserves and support protein turnover, which are important in helping the dog's immune system function at its full capacity. Dogs that do not receive adequate protein are more susceptible to stress, such as injury or infection.

Dottie Laflamme, D.V.M., Ph.D., a Ralston Research Fellow, says, "It is important to provide older dogs with enough protein to help them fight the stress of aging, including injury and infection. Dogs fed inadequate amounts of protein may appear healthy, but may be less able to resist infection or fight off other diseases."

Despite this research, there has been a longstanding concern that excessive protein in diets for older dogs may cause kidney damage. The link is traced to clinical signs in dogs with kidney failure that relate to a buildup of byproducts from protein metabolism. However, research conducted during the past decade has shown that protein does not harm the kidneys.

Research first supporting the link between excessive protein and kidney disease was conducted in the 1920s, showing that male rodents exhibited progressive renal disease when fed a high-protein diet. 1 Another study on rodents, conducted in 1982 by B.M. Brenner, also showed that excess dietary protein caused kidney damage. 2 Though these studies were correct in rats, the results unfortunately were extrapolated to other species.

In contrast, research over the past 10 years or so has shown that protein does not harm the kidney of dogs. In studies conducted at the University of Georgia in the early 1990s, both in dogs with chronic kidney failure and in older dogs with only one kidney, protein levels as high as 34 percent caused no ill effects. 3

Delmar R. Finco, D.V.M., Ph.D., professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia, says, "Our work was directed at learning whether a high-protein diet damages the kidney. After four years' studying geriatric dogs and two years' studying dogs with chronic renal failure, we found no indication that a high-protein diet was injurious to the kidney. However, the data did raise the question whether low-protein diets in geriatric dogs could be considered injurious."

In other studies, David S. Kronfeld, Ph.D., indicated that compared with high- or low-protein diets, moderate-protein diets, those with up to 34 percent protein, had no ill effects in dogs with chronic renal failure and were associated with general improvement. 4 The report confirmed that unless a dog has clinical evidence of kidney disease or other problems for which protein restriction may be beneficial, there is no reason to recommend a change to a low-protein diet.

Research on dogs at other universities and at the Purina Pet Care Center has generated similar results. Julie Churchill, D.V.M., assistant clinical specialist in companion animal nutrition at the University of Minnesota, was an investigator in studies to learn whether altering the amounts of dietary protein and fat could protect the kidney in aging dogs. 5

"We found there is no benefit in restricting protein in geriatric dogs," Churchill says. "We observed no changes in morbidity or mortality. So, the question is, 'Why restrict protein if there is no benefit?'"

Similarly, preliminary findings from the Purina Pet Care Center indicate that healthy geriatric dogs fed 45 percent dietary protein have maintained health and body condition, with no evidence of increased kidney damage due to protein intake. The evidence supports other recent research that protein at any level consistent with complete and balanced nutrition has no adverse effect on the kidneys of normal, healthy dogs.

It is known that as dogs age they become less efficient in metabolizing protein than young dogs so that older dogs require more protein than young adult dogs to fully replenish their protein reserves and maintain protein turnover. The specific amount of protein needed, as a percent of diet, depends on several factors.

"Geriatric dogs should be treated individually," Churchill says. "I think it's important to conduct a good health examination and blood biochemical profile by the time a dog is 7 years old in order to evaluate organ functioning and determine the best diet for that individual dog."

Similar to how the nutritional needs of dogs change with their age and lifestyle, their energy requirements tend to decrease with age. However, not all geriatric animals are less active or overweight. In fact, a greater proportion of older dogs are underweight than any other age group.

Problem is the research shows the need for meat proteins but very few dog food manufacturers are producing higher meat protein diets and companies like Hills Science diet are totally still arguing against, but they also put less actual meat in their foods than even most cheap dog food producers
Meats proteins are easier to digest and metabolize than grain proteins so it is not surprising that many senior dogs end up losing weight and muscle, and muscle is also need to support joints.

Currently there are some grainfree high protein diets available
this page list some, though not everyone is high protein on the page there are foods on the page that range from 36% to 52 % protein and because there are no grains in any of these food, that means they are all highly digestible if you want to try do a switch gradually over a 2 week period you willl have to cut back on the amount fed because they are nutrient dense the feeding amounts are one the bags, most of the food have a link to the manufacturer website, on the websites are food locators which can help you find a store near you that sells, price wise the foods are going to be more but than meat does cost more than grain to feed

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grain_free

Another option is continue what you are feed but to supplement with Satin Balls, it often recommend for dogs who have been ill for a while and have lost weight and need to regain

http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm