Dogs Dinner’s Up

When dogs (and people) get older their sense of smell can diminish.  This can greatly affect the dining ‘experience’ as smell plays a major part of the incentive and enjoyment.   Often accompanied by a diminished appetite, one way to help tempt the diner is to warm the food.  Heated food gives off a stronger smell as more molecules enter the air.  This may be all you need to entice your aging dog so if there’s something he previously enjoyed, you can try this method.

If your dog is older and large in stature, sometimes ailments such as arthritis can make it painful to bend a head forward.  Taller dogs have a lot further to bend to get to the floor.  So for those of you who feed your dog from a bowl you could try placing it on a small platform or adapt something from the home so whilst standing he can reach it easily.

Nutritional requirements can also change with age as the body changes or when exercise is less vigorous.  Consider a formula to suit your dog’s age and if wanting to change from one diet to another please do so gradually so as to not upset the dogs digestive system.

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)