You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

It is now well established that older dogs require less calories...so food intake should be reduced to avoid obesity

It is now well established that dogs over 8 years of age require about 20% fewer calories to maintain body weight and condition than younger adult dogs, so in theory you should reduce the amount that you feed by one-fifth.

There are several reasons why dogs show this change in energy requirement :

• As dogs get older there is a change in the ratio of lean body mass to body fat, and the lean body mass component gets smaller. This effect decreases energy requirements through complex hormonal and metabolic changes.
• Older animals often take less exercise than younger adults
• Other factors may change (reduce) the dog's metabolic rate so it uses up calories slower

If you continue to feed the same amount of food through old age your dog will be getting 20% more calories than he/she needs resulting in weight gain and obesity. Obesity is a very serious problem for older animals. It puts additional stress on limbs - making life more difficult for pets with arthritis, it puts stress on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and it also predisposes to the development of other diseases such as diabetes mellitus and skin disorders.

However, there are a few circumstances in which it would not be advisable to reduce calorie intake - for example if your dog has a metabolic disorder that increases metabolic rate such as hyperthyroidism, cancer or major organ disease. In such circumstances reducing calorie intake would hasten weight loss. So ask your veterinarian for his/her advice about the need for calorie control in your old pet.

Updated October 2013