Quote:
Originally Posted by YorkieMommieof3  If you have a senior and a baby they will have totally different nutritional needs My Young senior is on a low protein diet where my baby needs more protein and fat. Check with the vet. I always recommend gluten free foods for these little guys. They don't process grain very well. I also like making home made food as well |
Actually, a lot of research is showing that seniors need MORE protein. Not that low protein is wrong for your dog, I just though tI'd put the information out there, so anyone can decide for themselves.
It's up for debate whether seniors need a low protein food - if anything, I've heard, they can utilize MORE protein.
Quote:
Because senior dogs’ systems are less efficient at metabolizing protein, they actually need more protein than previously thought. If they don’t get a high enough level of protein, muscle wasting can occur because the body breaks down the muscle tissue to get what it needs.
One concern in feeding older dogs a high-protein diet has always been the potential effect on kidney function. It has long been believed that feeding a food with a lower protein content would protect the dog’s aging kidneys by lessening the workload. Recent research, however, proves that the right type of protein does not damage the kidneys, and feeding a lower protein diet does not protect them. In fact, even senior dogs who only had one kidney and were fed a high protein diet outlived seniors who were fed a low protein diet. A similar finding was made regarding long-held concerns about high protein and liver disease. Some doubted the benefits of the low-protein diet for seniors long ago: back in 1994, in an article in Veterinary Forum (September 1994), Dr. Delmar Finco stated that "benefits from a reduced protein diet typical of existing canine geriatric products have never been proven, and the possibility exists that reduced protein diets are not in the best interest of the geriatric patient."
|