Appetites, Good Smells, Senior Dog Wellness

September 13, 2011

September is Senior Wellness Month and since my dog Cleo is an older girl now, there are lots of relevant topics to cover here this month. After the Senior Dog Seminar at the San Francisco SPCA last weekend, my mind has been full of ideas about how to make these golden years the best for Cleo.

Senior dog appetites. I have written previously about our trips to the vet and a specialist to uncover Cleo's allergies. We have her on a restricted diet to remove the foods she's allergic to now. Recently her morning appetite has diminished some. She isn't interested in digging in right away, she sometimes leaves a little behind and she has even walked away once or twice.

Given how much we cater to her needs, yes we love on her a lot and she is our only dog, we weren't sure if Cleo's recent behavior was in reaction to something we were doing. She does have dental issues so I have been concerned and watchful regarding her actual consumption of food as well as her play time with squeaky toys. However nothing has really struck me as out of the ordinary yet.

Surprise!! I came home from the BlogPaws pet blogging conference with a sample of The Honest Kitchen's Force pet food. This particular THK formula is for older dogs. Cleo isn't allergic to any of its ingredients. Today if she could have wielded a spoon with her paw, Cleo would have pushed me out of the way in order to speed up the breakfast meal prep!

As I re-hydrated the food sample in her bowl, Cleo came rushing into the kitchen completely engaged. She stayed nose to the counter as long as I would let her, only moving off to the side when I made her step back. Lately she has been staying in the living room until the very last minute of her meal preparation - today she stayed as close by as we would allow.

What's in a smell? Apparently everything to a dog. THK isn't fooling around when it comes to using a dog's sense of smell to entice them to eat. The smell of the ingredients might have captured her attention but they captured mine too. I thought of the rosemary and bits of savory and sweet mixed together. Maybe Cleo's palate is more varied than I realized? We already include grated carrot and green bean with her meal, but maybe we should consider a little fruit and herbs too?

Here is her unasked for review just because I couldn't stop staring at her reaction. September is Senior Wellness Month, and a great time to look at all the ways to help your senior pet eat well in their golden years.