senior(16) dog is ALWAYS hungry

Question
QUESTION: ok so i have a 16 year old american eskimo and i know he doesnt have any kind of worm or other parasites! and its only been recent that hes always hungry! i mean hes jumping in the air when we go to feed him, we feed him several times a day(about 4-5 times a day) but we have to be carefull not to give him too much or he'll get sick(he's on a steroid and arthritis meds). can you please help me! thank you much, ^_^angel tiger n Alyssa

ANSWER: Hi Aylssa,

A senior dog has very specific nutrient requirements and it may simply be he needs a food change. How much does he weigh, what kind of food do you use and how much of it? It's a good sign if he's jumping in the air at 16, but I'd like to know more about his current diet so I can make more precise recommendations.

All the best, Catherine

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok so we feed him Pedigree wet canned food(up to 2 cans a day, sometimes more)we try to feed hime specifically the senior diet that they have. but they have recently stopped selling it so we feed him the puppy diet with rice.

Answer
Alyssa, you need to go to a premium food.  Pedigree is very poor nutritionally, I believe he will do much better on a good food.

Here are two I recommend for your boy:


http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=sd

http://www.innovapet.com/products/default.asp?id=1409

You can mix in some tripe, water packed sardines,well cooked brown rice, sweet potato or premium canned food such as Merrick's, but Pedigree puppy is both the wrong formula and a very low quality product. I'm betting he will LOVE these foods and do extremely well on  either.


Let me know how it goes!

All the best, Catherine