Best Dog Food For Senior Dogs

We earn commission from qualifying purchases through affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

Aging is a natural process that dogs all go through. The body’s cells, organs and systems will change over time. This can be a scary thing for dogs as well. Dog owners don’t know what might happen next.

Due to some problems raised in senior dogs like arthritic conditions, cognitive decline, and appetite loss then nutritional requirements also changes in senior dogs.

One of the best ways to keep your senior dog healthy is by providing them with appropriate nutrition for their stage in life. check our detailed article what best food you can provide.

In this article we will discuss which foods are best suited for senior dogs and why it’s important to provide them with proper nutrients when they get older.

Read to discover how to find the senior dog food. As in the market with no food available , our vet and vet tech will help you to find the best dog food for older dogs.

If you are in a hurry  our top pick is for senior dogs Wellness senior dog food & for senior small breed we highly recommend Eukanuba Senior Small Breed Chicken Flavor

Our Tops Pics for Senior Dog Food.

1. Wellness Core Senior Dog Food- Best Senior Dog Food

Features:

  • Top ingredients: 1-Deboned turkey, 2-chicken meal, 3-lentils, 4-dried ground 5-potatoes, peas
  • Food Type: Grain-free
  • Calories/cup: 359 kcal per cup

As our pets age, their nutritional needs change.  As a pet owner, you may not be aware of the best food for your senior dog. 

Wellness Core Senior Dog Food is a great option for senior dogs because it’s made with high quality ingredients to help provide them with all the nutrients they need as they age.  The unique formula helps promote healthy digestion and supports immune health in aging pets. Best of all, Wellness Core Senior Dog Food is affordable so every owner can afford to feed their loved one well!

Check on Chewy

Check latest price on on Amazon


2. Nom Nom Beef Mash Fresh Dog Food (best homemade meal for senior dogs)

nom nom now senior dog food

Features:

Top Ingredients: Ground beef, russet potatoes, eggs, carrots, peas

Food Type: Grain-free

Calories: 1239 kcal per kg

Nom Nom Beef Mash Fresh Dog Food is a premium dog food that is sourced, processed, and made in the United States.

Nom Nom Beef Mash Fresh Dog Food Dogs are a popular pet in the United States, and while most dog owners feed their dogs some sort of dry kibble, there is a growing trend of people buying fresh food for their pets.

Nom Nom now provides scientifically proven grain-free human grade for all life stages of dogs including senior dogs.

This formula contains lower fat to protein as compared to other foods.

This influx of new customers has led to an increase in demand for quality ingredients which can be hard to find at traditional grocery stores.  This is where Nom Nom Beef Mash Fresh Dog Food comes into play.

The company produces high-quality wet food that is made from human-grade ingredients and all natural flavors without any artificial colors or preservatives for your furry friend’s enjoyment. 

The best part about this product being so great is that it’s not just healthy for your pup but also more affordable than other brands on the market today due to bulk pricing.

Check the latest price on Nom Nom Now


3. Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Adult 7+ Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food

Purina pro plan bright mind senior dog food

Top Ingredients: 1-Chicken 2- rice, 3-turkey 4- brown rice 

 Approx Calories: 423 kcal/cup 

 Crude protein approx: 29% 

 Crude fat: 14%

Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Adult 7+ Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food  is a premium dog food that’s specially formulated for senior dogs.  It offers the highest protein and fat content available in dry dog food, with no added sugar or artificial colors.

This recipe is also made without wheat, corn, soybean meal, animal fats (preserved with BHA), or artificial flavors to help improve your pet’s skin and coat condition.

Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Adult 7+ Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food has been clinically proven to provide improved quality of life for older dogs by reducing their cognitive decline by up to 30%. With all these benefits in one package you can see why it’s our best-selling senior dog food!

Check on Chewy

Check on Amazon

Compare at Petco


4. ORIJEN Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

orijen dog food for senior

Top ingredients: 1-Deboned chicken, 2-deboned turkey, 3-Atlantic flounder, 4-cage-free eggs, 5-whole Atlantic mackerel

Food Type: Grain-free food

Calories/cup: 414 kcal/cup

If you are a senior dog owner, ORIJEN Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is one of the best options for your pet. You can find it at most stores in the United States.

It provides complete and balanced nutrition with less protein to reduce strain on aging kidneys while still providing plenty of taste dogs love.

It also contains glucosamine and chondroitin to help promote joint health, plus added omega-3s for healthy skin and a shiny coat.

This formula food contains 43% protein, 32%carb and about 17% fat keeping fat to protein ratio approx 39%.

Check on Chewy

View on amazon 

Compare at Petco


5. Eukanuba Senior Small Breed Dry Dog Food

eukanuba small senior dog food

Eukanuba Senior Small Breed Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food is the best option for senior dog owners in the United States, as it helps with joint health and muscle care for your beloved pet.

Eukanuba Senior Small Breed Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food is specially formulated to help support healthy joints and muscles as your dog ages. This formula contains glucosamine and chondroitin which promote healthy cartilage production and maintain joint flexibility, plus omega 3 & 6 fatty acids which reduce inflammation. It also promotes a healthy metabolism by providing high-quality protein that aids in weight management.

It also prevents dogs teeth against tartar build up in small breeds, senior dogs.

The result of these ingredients is an easy-to-digest food that tastes great! Your senior small dog will love Eukanuba Senior Small Breed Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food and you will feel great knowing that you’re helping to keep him healthy.

Check on Amazon

Check on Chewy

Compare at Petco


What to Look for in Dog Food for Older Dogs

Today we will be talking about what to look for in dog food for older dogs.  After all, the best way to take care of your senior dog is by maintaining their health and wellbeing. The first thing you should know is that there are a lot of diets out there that can help with senior issues such as arthritis or other joint pain, but it’s important to find one that fits both your pet’s needs and yours. We’ll go over some different considerations when looking at these types of foods before listing our favorite brands!

The benefits of a balanced diet for your dog

We’ll start with the basics. A diet that is meant to help with arthritis or joint pain will focus on ‘grain-free’ products, this means less carbohydrates and more protein! However, dogs are natural omnivores who have evolved alongside humans – they don’t need meat in every meal. A good rule of thumb is to have 50/50 split in terms of meat and plant material, so when you pick your dog food, try to avoid the ones with only 15-20% protein by weight.

Free-Range vs Farm Raised

There are two ways meat can be produced for dog food – free-range and farm raised. The difference stems from the conditions in which the animal lives, whether it is free to live freely or if it is confined to a closed space. By buying products that are labeled “free range”, you’ll get better quality meat because of what high nutritional value can be extracted from carcasses!  On the other hand, “farm raised” means that the animal lived in a closed space and was fed with grain-based feed – this process includes more meat from animals such as cows, chickens and pigs.

Ingredients to Avoid When Looking at Dog Food for Your Older Dog

Some ingredients to avoid when looking at food for your senior dog are meats that include by-products, sugars, dyes and rawhide/hides. All of these could be harmful to your older pet’s digestive system! By-products can include organs which contain organ tissue that is not ideal for consumption over long periods of time, sugars may worsen diabetes if your senior dog has it and dyes can be a potential health risk to anyone, let alone older dogs with weaker immune systems. Lastly, rawhide is meant to help clean teeth but it can also pose a choking hazard or digestive complications if not properly chewed before swallowing

Can older dogs eat senior food?

It is not a myth that senior dogs can eat senior food. But, it’s important to know what the dog needs and if their health allows them to have this type of food.

If your pet has any medical conditions or diseases, they may need to be on a special diet which will include prescription ingredients for their specific condition. Senior pets are prone to many health issues such as arthritis and kidney disease, so in some cases these types of healthy foods could help with pain management and also slow down the progression of kidney problems among other things.

There are many different types of senior dog food available today- dry kibble, canned wet food, or moistened biscuits-it just depends on how much work you want to put forth when feeding your pet each day. For a dog who isn’t very active or is suffering from a health condition, dry kibble food seems to be the most convenient.

However, not all senior dogs can eat these foods because of their medical conditions. (You should check if you have this dog). If your older pet has any specific problem with their teeth, they may have a hard time eating this type of senior dog food, or they can just get too full on eating dry kibble.

If this is the case for your dog, there are wet foods which you serve in their bowl, and once it’s eaten down to a certain level, simply add more food to replace what was eaten. Doing this will ensure that your pet receives all of the water needed.

Final thoughts on the best dog food for senior dogs

The best dog food for senior dogs should be a diet that is composed of high-quality protein and fat sources. This will help your canine companion maintain healthy skin and coat, which can become dry or dull with age.

There are also special kibble formulas designed to promote joint health in seniors, a common condition among older pets.

If you’re wondering what the best senior dog foods on the market are right now, we’ve compiled our top picks above and we also picked the top two best for senior breeds.

Wellness senior dog food & for senior small breed  Eukanuba Senior Small Breed Chicken Flavor

Photo of author

Emma Olson

As a graduate of Animal Nutrition, I am passionate about telling fellow dog lovers what they need to know about their dog food according to disease, age, and breeds. I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, USA, and I enjoy writing blog posts about pet health.