Is Your Aging Pet’s Diet Making Them Sick?

Choosing your pet’s diet

As pets age, their bodies need different nutrients to stay healthy and happy. When choosing your pet’s diet or food, it’s essential to consider the changes their body will be going through in their older years and what kind of changes will be beneficial to them at this time in their life.

In this article, we look at changes you can expect your aging pet to go through regarding the digestive system, kidneys, and skin, how these changes can affect their diet, and how they should change based on that information.

How Diets Affect Pets

One of the most critical components of a pet’s diet is protein. Cats are obligate carnivores who need to eat meat to get the nutrients they need. Low protein cat food is ideal for aging cats who may not be as active, but high protein cat food may be best for a playful cat who needs extra energy to maintain muscle mass.

Pets can also gain weight from a diet full of treats and table scraps. Many owners try to give their pets human food because it smells better than pet food, but this can lead to obesity problems. For dogs, obesity can lead to arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease, all severe health risks for our pets.

Changing your cats Diet

If your cat is aging, it might be experiencing a loss in weight. They also might not be acting as interested in food as they used to. These are two signs that it might be time to change your cat’s diet. There are many cat foods out there made especially for the needs of senior cats, and they can help with weight gain and provide more energy so your cat can enjoy their meals again.

Some of the best foods for senior cats include Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets Metabolic Weight Management Formula, Hill’s Science Diet Senior Cat Chicken & Rice Formula, and Iams Healthy Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food (for over seven years).

Get the Right Help to Change Their Diet (a vet)

There may be a reason your pet needs a change in diet from time to time. This can result from not being able to find your pet food brand at the supermarket and changing their diet as they grow.

After neutering, pregnancy, illness, or, in general, they may need a special diet to help them lose weight. Whatever the reason, we’re here to help! Please take a look as we explore and identify why and how to change your pet’s diet effectively.

Do They Enjoy Their New Food?

Keep them on separate plates or bowls, and do not mix food. Keeping the new and old food, in particular, introduces them to the idea that this strange new substance has a different smell and texture to the food!

Do not move on to the next step until your cat happily eats the new food for at least three days.