What nutritional/dietary changes do I need to make for my senior dog?

A lot of times you'll need to add some glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, MSM—these are all good for the joints. Sometimes fish oils are needed, as they are used for the joints and brain health. And calorie restriction should be considered because, as seniors, we don't need as many calories as a growing puppy. We've reached our full potential.

For our senior dogs, a lot of it goes back to their lifestyle. Think of it like people—if we're a little bit more sedentary, if we're watching movies a little more or sitting around the house a little more, our dog is also likely inside more than outside and not getting quite as much exercise. In this case, the dog will need fewer treats and fewer calories to take in, so we need to be aware of that. We can spoil them a little bit too much with treats. But if they are an active senior pet, then they still might need the appropriate calories. What you want to make sure in general is that they don't gain too much weight. And then we think about our giant or large breed dogs needing joint supplements, that's something nutritionally we can add in, and we often do recommend adding that into the diet along with, perhaps, an omega-3 or fish oil supplement.