A balanced dietthat meets your dog's needsis absolutely essential for a healthy dog's life. This means it should contain everything your dog needs, i.e. meet your four-legged friend's nutrient and energy requirements. Especially in old age, you have to expect that the body will no longer be able to cope with problems so easily.

At VEGDOG youcan find specially developed wet foodfor your pet. It fully meets their needs and is adapted to the requirements of older dogs.

Which food for good joints?

You should pay a lot of attention to your four-legged friend's joints.

These are put under a lot of strain over the course of a dog's life, especially in large dogs or dogs that are too heavy! Protecting the joints early on by keeping them slim (and every gram counts here) and providing them with sufficient nutrients is essential. Essential fatty acids, especially the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, are particularly good for joints. These can have an anti-inflammatory effect and thus relieve pain in z.Barthritic changes to the joint. They also ensure a shiny coat and support the natural skin barrier.

You can use a mixture of vegetable oils that are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. We recommend our VISH OIL made from algae, hemp and linseed oil. This offers an excellent vegan alternative to conventional fish oil, is tasty and contains significantly more EPA and DHA than pure vegetable oil.

Would you like to give your four-legged friend a little treat? Our low-fat MOBILITIES are particularly suitable for our older pets as a healthy snack between meals, as they support your pet's joint health thanks to the vegan glucosamine

Healthy nutrition for good skin

With age, the coat can lose strength and shine. The skin can become sebaceous and the coat dull and matt.

This may be due to an increased need for nutrients due to reduced intrinsic synthesis or absorption capacity. This means that the digestive tract z.Bis no longer able to absorb all the nutrients and minerals it needs for a healthy coat from food. In older dogs, an increased supply of nutrients and important trace elements may therefore be necessary. Zinc, copper, vitamin A and essential fatty acids are particularly important. These ensure healthy skin and coat and restore shine.

Fatty acids are an essential component of the healthy skin barrier and the acid mantle of the skin. A deficiency of these essential fatty acids leads to a skin barrier disorder. Water loss occurs, the skin becomes dry, the coat dull and matt.

Treats as an immune booster?

Our four-legged friends can also become more susceptible to infections and illnessesas they get older if their immune system becomes weaker and weaker over the years. This makes it all the more important to provide your four-legged friend with everything they need every day to keep their immune system working at its best. A healthy diet, sufficient exercise and good grooming can largely support and strengthen the immune system.

The "all-rounder" omega-3 fatty acids (contained in our VISH OIL) should also be included in an immune-supporting diet! But also foods that are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and polyphenols. These include: turmeric, blueberries and other wild berries as well as pumpkin seeds - all of which are true immune heroes!

Our VEGGIES IMMUNE with sea buckthorn and turmeric are an immune booster and therefore the ideal healthy reward for your senior. Whether given with food or as a snack - your four-legged friend and his immune system will thank you for it.

Health check with veterinary advice: counteract weight loss

It's not uncommon for our furry friends to lose weight as they get older. A change in metabolism can lead to weight loss, for example, but muscle loss can also cause the kilos to tumble off the scales in old age. However, if you are unsure or the weight loss is very severe, you can always seek veterinary advice. A health check not only helps to detect possible illnesses, but also to find out which diet is right for your furry friend.

Dogs drink a lot as they get older

Have you ever wondered why your furry friend's water bowl is empty much faster now than it used to be? To a certain extent, this is completely normal and a good thing! Your pelt-nose is doing everything right if it wants to cover this need sufficiently. Therefore, make sure you give your furry friend enough to drink. To determine whether your furry friend is drinking too much, you can use the following rule of thumb:

40-100 ml per kilogram of body weight

Of course, this value can vary, especially on warm days. However, if your pet drinks more than this on a regular basis, you should seek veterinary advice. A high water requirement can be a symptom of kidney problems or problems with the pancreas.

Plenty of exercise in old age is not only good for humans!

Another important topic is exercise. In order to keep the heart and circulatory system fit in old age, our dear four-legged friends should be exercised regularly.Here it is particularly important to ensure that the exercise keeps your pet fit and does not overload them. It should therefore be adapted to your pet's physical constitution. One example of exercise that is easy on the joints is light swimming. Fast starts and stops and tugging games should be avoided. To provide a little diversity in the mind , you can incorporate small commands into the walk to keep your faithful companion mentally fit too.

New paths and routes also provide new things to sniff out and explore. Another positive effect is that your senior won't get too fat. Excess weight should be avoided at all costs, as it can massively overload not only the joints but also the entire metabolism of your four-legged friend. Studies have even shown that slim dogs live up to 2 years longer

Social contact is an important topic at every stage of life.

However, you should consider the character and individual needs of your four-legged friend.

Is he or she more extroverted and seeks contact with other dogs? Or is your dog a little more reserved or even no longer able to romp around due to their age? Try to find a healthy balance for your pet. There should be the opportunity to make contact with other dogs if they are interested or to be able to withdraw if necessary.

If you pay attention to all these points, you will provide your senior with the best foundation for a wonderful golden age - enjoy it