As your dog gets older, their nutritional needs change. A senior dog food specially formulated for older dogs can help ensure your more mature dog is receiving the right balance of nutrients to support their health and well-being.

Here are some of the benefits of feeding your senior dog a senior dog food:

• Reduced calorie content: Senior dog foods are typically lower in calories than regular dog foods. This is important as older dogs tend to be less active and may not need as many calories and are potentially more prone to putting on weight.
• Increased fibre content: Fibre helps to keep your dog's digestive system healthy. Senior dog foods often have higher fibre contents than regular dog foods.
• Reduced fat content: Fat can be harmful to your dog's health, especially as they get older. Dog food formulations created specifically for mature dogs are typically lower in fat content than adult dog foods.
• Increased protein content: Protein is important for muscle growth and maintenance.
• Added supplements: The more common added supplements for senior dogs are glucosamine and chondroitin. These specific supplements are beneficial to bone and support joint health. All Nature's Harvest wet foods contain these two important supplements as we believe supporting great joint health is key to the health and wellbeing of our dogs.

Choosing a senior dog food can be overwhelming as there are a lot if the on the market. Nature's Harvest recipes for Senior Dogs has been specially formulated for the specific needs of senior dogs. You can find out more about our Nature's Harvest senior dog food here.

If you're not sure which senior dog food is right for your dog, it may be worth having a chat with your vet. They can give you an outline of what to look for in a senior formulation.

With age comes a slightly different approach to feeding. There are some simple tips you can follow which we have outlined below:

• Feed your senior dog smaller meals more often: Older dogs can be prone to a more delicate digestive system. With this in mind and to aid in digestion, offering smaller meals more often allows an older digestive system to process food evenly and slowly so that the stomach isn't overwhelmed with large quantities of food all at once.
• Make sure your senior dog has plenty of fresh water: This is obviously not just for senior dogs! But keeping a senior dog hydrated will help with any digestion sensitivities.
• Monitor their weight: As dogs mature, it become more important for you to keep an eye on how much your dog weighs. Senior dogs are more likely to gain weight as they become less agile and more sedentary, so it's important to monitor their weight and make sure they're not gaining too much.
• Take them to your vet for regular checkups: This will help to ensure they're getting the care they need and that any health problems are caught early.

By following these tips, you can help your senior dog live a long and healthy life.