Nutrition consults

After reviewing six senior Chihuahuas, I wondered:

Why are most senior diets over-simplified?

Most senior diets are built around broad assumptions:
- Lower protein, lower calories, “easier to digest.”, safer

In older dogs, I see three common issues:
• Protein is reduced too early - leading to gradual muscle loss
• Calories are cut without assessing metabolic demand
• Multiple supplements are layered in, while core nutrient balance is ignored

Age alone does not determine nutritional need. Function does.

Questions I asked myself when I reviewed Chihuahuas aged 11 - 12:
1. Is the kidney filtering efficiently?
2. Is muscle mass being maintained?
3. Is absorption compromised?
4. Is inflammation present?
5. Is appetite stable?

13-year-old dogs can have completely different metabolic realities.

One may need strategic protein support.
Another may need careful phosphorus control.
One may be underfed in an attempt to “protect” organs.
Another may be slowly gaining fat while losing muscle.

When we rely only on a “senior” label on pet food, we risk feeding a category instead of assessing a body.

Longevity isn’t achieved by automatically reducing everything in the pet’s diet.

It’s achieved by adjusting precisely - based on what that individual system is doing today.

If your senior dog has been placed on a generic “age-based” plan without a functional review of muscle, kidney markers, metabolic demand, and body composition, it may be time to reassess.

I offer structured nutrition consultations for complex cases through Pet Labs (™️).

Reach out!

#petnutrition #animalhealth #veterinarymedicine #seniorpets #pethealth #petlabs