senior diet

[bulldog family]

I just ordered Norm the Fromm senior dry dog food. I think he has arthritis, so I'm thinking there is more glucosamine in it. Has anyone else heard anything about this fromm food? He will be 6 in April... is he a senior in Bulldog year?

[gatorfan85]

Well he in normal dogs...no in bulldogs I would say yes. I dont know much about the food but was reading the ingrediants and things when Beefy was acting like his bones were aching when it was cold for about two days. From reading it ....it sounds good. But I guess you would have to try and see. I would def start giving him a joint health vitamin if you arent already.

[bullmama]

I agree with gatorfan, I think a supplement would be good in addition to the food.

I don't think 6 is really senior just yet- because many bulldogs live a long time when they are well taken care of. It is hard to say with bullies.

[bulldog family]

He's taken good care of now, but I'm not sure when he was a puppy.... during the critical bone and joint growth.

[gatorfan85]

I know Beefy is only 3 (i think) and due to inproper diet,exercise and everything else ebfore he got us he is already showing signs of arthritis...so he now has to take 3 diff kinds of vitamins a day. I was thinking about switching to the senior formula for the added glucosamine/

[bullmama]

I guess it is hard to say when any bulldog is officially a 'senior', I think (not 100% sure) the average lifespan is 8 years, so in that case I would say age 6 is senior , but some also live to be 10 years or more. Maybe talk to your vet about switching foods to a senior diet?

[bulldog family]

I trust my vet almost everything EXCEPT food. The extra glucosamine won't hurt him. I'm thinking it will be ok for him. He could be on a worse diet, right?

[sheshistory]

Good question. Bentley was six when he died and I had some similar concerns with him as he aged, particularly because he had both of his ACLs operated on when he was 1 year and 3 years old. To answer your question, yes, I would definitely say 6 is a senior bulldog. In the last year of his life, I definitely saw Bentley slow down in a lot of ways and just change a little bit from the dog he used to be - playing less, getting up a little slower, a little more moody at times - but still happy and healthy. (Bentley did not die due to poor health!) I think it's great to be proactive about your dog's aging process but I also think it's worth mentioning that most of the dog foods that do contain glucosamine do not contain enough to make an impact on your dog's joint health so you might want to compare the glucosamine content in the food compared with what he would be taking if you were using a supplement and determine whether or not it's worth it for you to get that particular food, especially if he's doing well on another brand or formula.

Let us know how it turns out!