The year is nearly at a close and that means you and your furbaby have spent another year together. While it is nice to remember the life you and your pet have had together, the new year can also remind you that your pet is one year older.
If you put up your 2025 calendar and then realise your young, bouncing puppy or curious kitty is now a senior, here's five tips to keep in mind regarding their evolving diet needs.
One. Fresh, Leafy Green Vegetables
Older dogs may struggle more to digest nutrients in foods, become allergic or intolerant of foods they could eat before, as well as suffer immune dysfunction as their immune system gets weaker. Easy, bio-available vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, such as those found in leafy greens like spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce are excellent additions to your senior pet's diet. These can be added to their meals, blended into liquids, or offered as treats. These nutrients will keep your pet's brain, gut and immune system happy.
Two. Foods Rich in Essential Fatty Acids.
As animals get older, they can begin to suffer from coat dryness, dullness, and hair loss, as well as cognitive decline, loss of skin elasticity, scaly or itchy skin and more. Essential fatty acids like Omega-3s, found in small oily fish like salmon, support healthy skin, coat, and brain function. Consider adding a small amount of cooked salmon to their meals or incorporating a high-quality fish oil supplement.
Three. Vitamin-E Rich Foods.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage which is vital as your pet becomes more susceptible to injury. Free-range organic eggs, salmon, seeds, and cod liver oil are good sources of this vital nutrient.
Four. Eating More Protein (Making Sure It’s High Quality.
As pets age, they often experience muscle loss. Increasing their protein intake, especially from high-quality sources like lean meats, poultry, and fish, can help maintain muscle mass and strength.
Five. Natural, Whole, Species-Appropriate Foods
Giving your senior pet the right nutrition may seem daunting, but really, it's easy. Choose a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods. Raw foods like Pawganics is full of biologically available, delicious and high-quality foods that will support your pet for the rest of their long life.
Life goes on, and every year is a precious year to spend with your pet. Look after them the way they've looked after you, with the right nutrition.
