Comments on Senior Dog, Senior Cat Care

>Cats: no fat pad on the lower belly, no bloated belly

Hmm... I don't think my cat is severely overweight or anything but I think he definitely has a fat pad on his belly. I guess it's time to make some changes. I already only feed him twice a day so I guess maybe I just need to cut down his portions.

Hi, Dr Will!
Re Less Food as activity declines....sometimes you have to feed less because hormones are declining in older dogs, even when activity doesn't decline...my 10-yr-old intact Whippet's hormones are declining, translating to somewhat lower metabolism, so she's getting less food, still walking 30 min/day, and coping with her boisterous grandchildren.
Yes, enzymes are helping, for Zoreia and her 6-yr old son...her 6-yr-old daughter doesn't seem to need them yet.
Re probiotics....they are really delicate little fellows, who can be easily destroyed by stomach acid, so I usually use an Enteric Coated type (like one of the Jarrow brand), and feed at night, just before bed, empty stomach, when the dogs don't have an abundance of stomach acid going. Seems to work better for my Whippet Pack.
Re EFA's...big, but an effective way to train young dogs to pill, also! For my puppies, I usually swap off, one day a good EFA, the next a high DHA, for brain development. Within a few days of starting this swap routine, I noticed greater Focus ability, during Training Sessions. One of my little Whippets (a Sighthound!) is showing a Talented Nose, and wants to be a Search Dog, like her maternal grandma.
I used to feed a Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement to my Elders, but then I found a couple of additional ingredients that made it work better...MSM and Hyaluronic Acid. The HA helps rebuild synovial fluid, while the MSM gives the Glucosamine/Chondroitin combo something to BIND TO, while making more cartilege. When I switched her to Gluc/Chond/MSM/HA combination, my now 10-yr-old began jumping into/out of/onto/off of and over everything, she felt so good again! I never thought of feeding Chicken Feet. I don't get too many of those, since my chickens are mainly a Laying Flock...but all my Whippets do get a fresh egg, every day, which I now feed Raw!

thank you for this informative and useful post - i'm so happy to read this one from the suggestion box!
one of my favorite things to help my 14-year-old senior gal with mobility is stylish "footwear," or no-slip socks. after she had surgery, her mobility was compromised and these socks helped her feel more confident moving about the house - especially on our slick hardwood floors. they can be found readily online, but i bought her "power paws," complete with heart design (aww!) from the folks at http://woodrowwear.com. the rep was very helpful with sizing questions.
i also think it's helpful to know that age doesn't automatically mean that your senior *must* slow down. my gal became a canine good citizen at age 12 and a therapy dog at age 13! she now volunteers once a week at the senior center.

Great article, thank you so much. Question, please. I looked at the Nutri Cat product you recommended and it appears to be a full multi supplement. I am currently feeding my 12 year old Persian the Transfer Factor ( along with a raw / prey diet). Do you recommend using both products with a older kitty at the same time?
I feel so good about using the Transfer Factor products... before meeting Dr. F, I used a variety of other products with no real success. I have very healthy kids :)
Thanks :)
Lori

I have seen first hand everything that Dr. Falconer talks about work for my 6yr old great dane. She is in far better health today at 6 than than she was at 3yrs old, just by making the changes he talks about. She went from spiraling downhill with numerous cancerous tumors from over vaccination, heartworm meds and kibble diet to cancer free and running with 2 vizlas' at the dog park. Not bad for an "old" lady (who by the way loves her sardine popsicles on a hot day in Seattle)

This posting is very helpful. When I was feeding kibble to my dog, I fell victim to the "puppy" and "senior" formula marketing. Silly me! The raw food has made such a difference to my big white guy. He used to scratch a lot and he'd shed so much, I had to vacuum every other day. It was insanity.
On raw food (thanks Dr. Falconer), he no longer itches, so he doesn't scratch and he no longer sheds. How could that be? White German Shepherds are supposed to be HUGE shedders. Well, I guess they must be allergic to kibble cuz raw food rocks.
I like the idea you stated about giving them one type of meat for a month. I ran out of my pork, so the dogs are getting mostly beef now and some fresh frozen venison a hunter friend gifted us. I found out I can order a "dirt" pig from the meat locker, which they buy from the farmer down the road. Our beef comes from our next door farmer neighbor's grass fed cattle.
I'd like to hear more about vaccinations and if it's possible not to give any to our dogs. Wolves don't get vaccinated and I don't think they get the diseases domestic dogs get. Why should we be doing even one, except if it's a law.
Thanks so much. I look forward to your postings!

Good advice on biologically appropriate food. I found that more than 10% organ meat caused my dog to have cannon butt. Also factory-farmed poultry can be problematic for dogs. You probably don't recall, but my dog's skin turned black and smelly. This condition resolved when I stopped feeding chicken. He had no problem with turkey, so other fowl as it works. Rabbit. Lamb. Mutton. Goat. Beef or bison heart. Pork shoulder or butt. These were staples as I could get them. There's a learning curve, but the condition of our animals always tell us which way to go (or when to move in another direction.) Stool too soft; feed more bone. Stool too hard; feed more muscle meat. To feed vegetable matter or not is a matter of debate. I pulverized vegetables and mixed with ground turkey or sardines. I stopped sweating this when I moved over to "prey model" diet. Good stinky tripe, however, is quite the delicacy. Austin Raw Feeders and other co-op buying groups are wonderful resources for dog and cat owners who want to transition a senior pet to raw.