Food for a Senior Dog With a Sensitive Digestive System

As your beloved dog grows older his stomach can become more sensitive. Being mindful of what you feed your aging canine will help you to keep his digestive system healthy. Dogs over 5 years old are considered senior if they weigh more than 90 pounds. A dog weighing less than 90 pounds is considered a senior at 7 years old. Signs of a sensitive stomach in your dog include excessive gas and loose stools.

  1. Changing Foods

    • Changing your dog's diet can be troublesome for her system. You can make the transition go more smoothly by mixing a little bit of the new food in with the old food. Increase the amount of new food each day until you are solely feeding your dog the new food. The only exception to this is if your dog is having a negative reaction to the food, in which case you should change the food abruptly.

    When to Feed

    • Because of your dog's sensitive stomach, smaller and more frequent meals are ideal. When dogs eat too fast they often ingest a lot of air. Feeding your dog smaller portions throughout the day will combat this problem because he won't be as hungry at each meal, and establishing set feeding times will also help.

    What to Feed

    • Before choosing what to feed your dog you need to determine what is causing your dog's sensitive stomach. Your veterinarian can help you determine if your dog has a sensitive stomach due to allergies, parasites, or just changes that come with age. If there is no underlying problem choose a high quality dog food that is designed specifically for senior dogs with sensitive stomachs. The veterinarian may make a recommendation or there are many brand names that offer such formulas.

    What Not to Feed

    • Do not give your dog table scraps. In general, dogs have trouble digesting human food and the sensitive digestive system of your senior dog will have even more trouble. In addition to not giving your dog table scraps intentionally you should also watch your dog carefully to make sure she is not eating anything she's not supposed to at other times, such as garbage or spoiled food.