General concerns of senior animals:
Over the past few years, there have been great advances in all fields of
medicine. New therapeutic alternatives and advances in the control of
infectious disease have made the life spans of our pets longer and
happier. This is one of the reasons why the overall pet population is
aging.
Some of the general "complications" of ageing include changes in the: digestive tract, skin, urinary tract, metabolism, cardiovascular system, muscles and skeletal system, and overall behavior. Many of these changes are very similar to those that occur in humans.
General nutrition of senior animals:
There are two important considerations when dealing with older animals.
First, all animals age at different rates and must, therefore, be treated
on an individual basis. Second, all animals are creatures of habit. They
like routine. If you are going to change the routine, please do it in a
slow and considerate fashion. This might not always be feasible, but for
the most part, try.
Nutrition of senior animals is rather similar to that of a mature animal. Feeding is for maintenance of body condition, but there may need to be special attention paid to the palatability of the food. As a part of aging, not only does the eyesight and hearing start to fade, so does the sense of taste. For this reason, it may become necessary to "enhance" the flavor of the food. This is sometimes as simple as adding water, but can become as complicated as preparing special diets.
As far as diets for senior animals are concerned, a decent level of protein needs to be maintained, but since the overall metabolism and activity levels are reduced, energy can be reduced as well. This can all be accomplished by feeding a diet with a higher level of fiber than the maintenance diet, but with similar levels of protein. Fat is still required, but a level either equal to or lower than maintenance is preferred.
Unless there is an actual problem with the kidneys of your pet, it is not necessary to reduce the level of protein in the diet. It is important to insure that your older pet is healthy by having regular check-ups performed, and special attention needs to be given to your pet's teeth. It is also a good idea, if not already being done, to feed more than one meal per day. Since there may be a reduction in the absorptive capacity of your pets intestines, this can help maximize the nutritional quality of the feed.
Since you are trying to reduce the obesity of your pet, introduction of a younger animal may result in an increase in appetite. So if you believe that your pet is lonely, you may want to think twice about introducing a puppy or kitten to your now senior pet. Also, as mentioned earlier, this would also disrupt your current pet's daily pattern and could provide more stress than necessary.
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