Decreased appetite (hyporexia) or complete absence of appetite (anorexia) is a clinical sign that can appear relatively frequently in older dogs. The reasons can be multiple and include from pathological causes to behavioral alterations. Regardless of the origin, it is important to follow the appropriate strategies to correct the lack of appetite in these animals.
If you are wondering why your elderly dog does not want to eat and what to do about it, in this article on our site we talk about the causes of lack of appetite in older dogs and what to do in each case.
Pathological causes of lack of appetite in older dogs
There are a wide variety of diseases that can cause total (anorexia) or partial (hyporexia) loss of appetite. However, some of them are especially common in older dogs:
- Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Dogs with chronic kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease, often have anorexia as a result of uremia (accumulation of uremic toxins in the blood) and anemia. This should be one of the first differential diagnoses to consider in elderly dogs with poor appetite.
- Tumors: Cancer is a geriatric disease with an especially high incidence in dogs between 7 and 12 years of age. Some tumors can produce non-specific signs such as anorexia and weight loss, so one of the differential diagnoses that should be considered in the face of thinness in older dogs and that, in addition, have a lack of appetite, are tumors.
- Digestive diseases: any disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract can reduce appetite. In the specific case of older dogs, one of the main causes of anorexia or hyporexia are alterations in the oral cavity, especially periodontal disease, gingivitis and loss of teeth.
- Hepatobiliary disorders: the first signs seen in liver diseases, such as chronic hepatitis, are nonspecific signs such as anorexia.
- Endocrine pathologies: in elderly dogs one of the most frequent endocrine pathologies that produces a reduction in appetite is hyperparathyroidism.
In addition to these causes, it should be noted that any process that causes pain or discomfort can cause anorexia in elderly dogs. For this reason, in geriatric dogs with a lack of appetite, it is especially important to assess the existence of painful processes, especially those that affect the joints, the spine or the musculoskeletal system.
Pharmacological causes of lack of appetite in elderly dogs
Old dogs often have chronic pathologies that require pharmaceutical treatments Some of them, such as NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), amiodarone, methimazole or urinary acidifiers, may cause anorexia as a side effect
Within this group we must also consider the chemotherapeutic treatments Antitumor drugs not only act against cancer cells, but also against he althy cells of body tissues that are actively multiplying, such as the gastrointestinal epithelium. This causes chemotherapy drugs to cause gastrointestinal toxicity and cause anorexia.
Disorders that cause loss of appetite in older dogs
There are a number of external or environmental causes that can cause disorders in the eating habits of dogs, especially when they are older. The most common causas are:
- Loneliness or separation from their caregivers.
- Loss of peers or tutors.
- Routine changes, including changes in schedule or residence.
- New animals in the home, causing changes in the social structure.
What to do if my elderly dog has no appetite?
Sometimes caregivers of older dogs come to their veterinarian's office wondering why their older dog isn't eating or why he doesn't want to eat anymore. As we have explained in the previous section, the causes of lack of appetite in older dogs, both hyporexia and anorexia, are multiple and range from pathological causes to external causes that cause disorders in eating habits. For this reason, whenever you detect a decrease in appetite in your dog, it is important that you go to your veterinarian so that they can establish a diagnostic protocol and detect the cause of the problem. issue.
Depending on the cause of the hyporexia or anorexia, different strategies can be followed to try to improve the appetite of elderly dogs:
- When the cause of hyporexia or anorexia is pathological, it will be necessary to establish a specific treatment against the primary pathology that is causing the lack of appetite.
- When there are external or environmental causes that alter eating habits, a behavioral therapy must be performed to try to correct the animal's behavioral alterations. Among other things, a meal schedule must be respected, food associated with a pleasant moment (for example, after a walk or when the caregivers come home) and the animal rewarded with caresses and good words when it eats well to achieve this. a positive reinforcement. However, in these cases the best strategy is prevention. Avoiding sudden changes in its routine, trying to make the changes gradually and with enough time, will be the best alternative for the animal to adapt to the new situation without suffering imbalances in its eating habits.
How to whet the appetite in older dogs?
Regardless of the cause of the loss of appetite, other strategies can be used in a complementary way to try to improve the appetite of older dogs:
- Offer moist or semi-moist food: this type of food makes chewing easier as it is soft and, in addition, tends to give off a very aromatic aroma. greater than, for example, feed. They are called "cans of wet food" or "jars", and we also find them formulated for elderly dogs, so if you are looking for jars for elderly dogs, you should pay attention to specifying the age, as well as guaranteeing that the ingredients used are of quality and natural. If you feed your dog dry food, you can moisten the food with water or chicken, meat or vegetable broth (always without s alt). Although it is a good alternative in all dogs with a lack of appetite, it will be especially effective in animals with alterations at the level of the oral cavity.
- Offer hot food: If you usually bring a homemade portion, you can try offering it hot. If you use a diet based on dry feed, you can choose to moisten it with water or hot broth.
- Offer food for senior dogs: on the market there are feeds specially formulated for elderly dogs, which are not only adapted to their needs nutritional, but also have a high palatability, which manages to stimulate your appetite. Likewise, today we find other types of food also designed for elderly dogs, such as dehydrated food and even vacuum-packed homemade food.
Keys to adapt an elderly dog's diet and stimulate its appetite
The age at which dogs reach senility varies between breeds. As a general rule, large and giant breeds reach it at 6-7 years, medium at 8-10 and small at 11-13. At this stage of their lives, dogs have specific needs, which makes it essential to adapt their diet to their new requirements.
In the event that you feed your dog a commercial feed, it is recommended that when he reaches senility you begin to provide a pienso senior, that is, a feed specially designed for elderly dogs. In these cases, it is important that you make the change of diet progressively to avoid alterations at the level of your digestive system.
On the contrary, if you usually feed your dog a homemade ration, it is important that you adapt his diet taking into account a series of factors. Next, we explain the main factors that should be taken into account when designing the diet of elderly dogs:
- Lower energy concentration: Older dogs decrease their physical activity and produce less growth hormone. This leads to a reduction in muscle mass, body weight and basal metabolism, which requires a reduction in the energy concentration of your diet. It is important not to confuse the reduction of the energy concentration of the food with the reduction of the amount of food. The amount of food that must be provided is the same, but it must have a lower energy density.
- More palatable diets: With age, the sensitivity of smell and taste tends to decrease, so it is important to formulate rations especially palatable and tasty to stimulate your appetite.
- Textura: in dogs with alterations in the oral cavity, it may be necessary to change dry food for wet, semi-wet or homemade food. In this way, we will be able to facilitate the pressure and chewing of food and reduce the pain associated with chewing dry and hard food.
- Increase feedings: in older dogs it is recommended to feed several meals a day, although without increasing the total volume of food. In other words, it is appropriate to distribute the total amount of food in several meals a day in order to avoid overloading your digestive system. For example, if you usually divided the daily ration into two feedings, it is recommended that when your dog gets older you distribute it in three feedings.
- Maintain moderate protein levels: the level of protein in the diet should be moderate, but it is important that it be high value protein biological and highly digestible, since these animals have a worse utilization of nutrients.
- Adequate supply of essential fatty acids: at this stage it is especially important to ensure a good supply of essential fatty acids, since dogs geriatric patients have less capacity to desaturate fatty acids.
- Increasing Fiber Levels: Senior dogs' diets should have higher fiber levels for two reasons. On the one hand, because it allows reducing the energy intake without reducing the volume of the ration and, therefore, without reducing the feeling of satiety of the ration. On the other hand, because elderly dogs are more prone to constipation, so levels of soluble fiber should be increased to promote intestinal transit.
- Vitamin supplements: With age, the competence of the immune system decreases. For this reason, it is advisable to include supplements with vitamin E, beta-carotene and lutein, in order to boost the animal's immune system.
In any case, whenever you decide to feed your dog homemade food, we recommend that you consult a veterinarian specialized in animal nutrition in advanceIn this way, you can guarantee that the food you give your dog is always adapted to its physiological needs. For more details, don't miss this other article: "Food for older dogs".
