Recommend food for 14 y/o dog

jtkpenguin · 24-01-2021 1:46pm #1

I've a 14 y/o mixed terrier, Dexter, his weight is 15.2kg & although he goes for one short walk daily & still plays in the garden etc, he's not terribly active as he's got arthritis in both back legs & is on Rymadil & Tramadol (I know ppl don't always approve of these but they seem to work for him).
We get his bloods done yearly to check the kidneys are ok.

Due to Covid the wife & I are now both unemployed so money is extremely tight.

I'm looking for recommendations for either a dry or pouch food to feed him, I don't want to feed raw food.

Thanks in advance
Jasper

PS: Picture for attention :-)

cocker5 · 24-01-2021 3:05pm

jtkpenguin wrote: »

I've a 14 y/o mixed terrier, Dexter, his weight is 15.2kg & although he goes for one short walk daily & still plays in the garden etc, he's not terribly active as he's got arthritis in both back legs & is on Rymadil & Tramadol (I know ppl don't always approve of these but they seem to work for him).
We get his bloods done yearly to check the kidneys are ok.

Due to Covid the wife & I are now both unemployed so money is extremely tight.

I'm looking for recommendations for either a dry or pouch food to feed him, I don't want to feed raw food.

Thanks in advance
Jasper

PS: Picture for attention :-)

He’s lovely! Look great got his age!

What’s your monthly budget OP approx?

jtkpenguin · 24-01-2021 8:17pm

Thanks cocker5, he still thinks he's a puppy but we see him slowing down & getting greyer around the muzzle :-(

I'm not really sure of a budget, we can't afford the highest quality & therefore most expensive but we don't want to give him the cheapest old ****e either, so somewhere in the middle, we're trying to adjust our monthly outgoings to make sure he's well looked after in his twilight years & if it means we loose out on stuff to make sure the stuff he gets is of good quality, then that's what we do.

Rob Thomas · 24-01-2021 8:19pm

What a lovely fella !

cocker5 · 24-01-2021 8:41pm

jtkpenguin wrote: »

Thanks cocker5, he still thinks he's a puppy but we see him slowing down & getting greyer around the muzzle :-(

I'm not really sure of a budget, we can't afford the highest quality & therefore most expensive but we don't want to give him the cheapest old ****e either, so somewhere in the middle, we're trying to adjust our monthly outgoings to make sure he's well looked after in his twilight years & if it means we loose out on stuff to make sure the stuff he gets is of good quality, then that's what we do.

Absolutely there has to be a happy medium for you guys OP!

When I first got our rescue we fed him
Orijen 6 fish (we now feed raw) and I know my sister feeds her cocker Acana for the last 8 years with no issues .. my guy is 21kg and the 6kg bag of orijen
Is around €65 and lasted us one month.

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0013/orijen-adult

I would add the following into his food once per week, a whisked raw egg, tinned pink / red salmon, grilled chicken breast and some veg (carrots / tender stem broccoli) etc just to make sure he was getting all the nutrients he needs.

Here is a good site that helps you see nutrients in dog food:

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0013/orijen-adult

Type in brand and it will give you an indication..

Acana is cheaper but still good quality:

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0758/acana-adult-large-breed

This size you probably last you 2 months plus

https://www.petstop.ie/acana-heritage-senior

I’m sure there are other brands people can recommend that are good quality and cheaper again .. unfortunately I don’t know the good ones ..

aonb · 24-01-2021 8:49pm

OP, my elderly guys have been fed home cooked food for years now, and are thriving on it, and love their food. It works out so much cheaper than dog food, and is far better quality than most dog foods. I only have 1 elderly terrier mix left, so its even easier to cater for him. Once a week, I boil up a pan of food that will last for the week. If you buy a 1kg pack of chicken thighs or legs - whatever is on offer, put in a pan, with a cup of brown rice, sweet potatos chopped, carrots chopped, brocolli etc, and boil with water. Remove the chicken, debone and chop up - add back to the pan, and either portion up into tupperwares and freeze or put in big bowl in the fridge. I alternate with any vegetables that are cheap/in season. I vary the chicken adding any meat that is a good price. He also loves fish, so the bags of frozen white fish fillet are popular. In addition, I give him raw chicken wings (good for anal glands) - buy big pack, freeze and defrost as needed. He also gets a squirt of salmon oil in his food several times/week. I often add an egg to his bowl too. On days when Im running low on his home cooked food a bit of brown rice mixed with a tin of sardines in oil is good - or a scrambled egg.

jtkpenguin · 25-01-2021 1:50pm

cocker5 wrote: »

Absolutely there has to be a happy medium for you guys OP!

When I first got our rescue we fed him
Orijen 6 fish (we now feed raw) and I know my sister feeds her cocker Acana for the last 8 years with no issues .. my guy is 21kg and the 6kg bag of orijen
Is around €65 and lasted us one month.

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0013/orijen-adult

I would add the following into his food once per week, a whisked raw egg, tinned pink / red salmon, grilled chicken breast and some veg (carrots / tender stem broccoli) etc just to make sure he was getting all the nutrients he needs.

Here is a good site that helps you see nutrients in dog food:

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0013/orijen-adult

Type in brand and it will give you an indication..

Acana is cheaper but still good quality:

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0758/acana-adult-large-breed

This size you probably last you 2 months plus

https://www.petstop.ie/acana-heritage-senior

I’m sure there are other brands people can recommend that are good quality and cheaper again .. unfortunately I don’t know the good ones ..

I will talk to the wife & see what we can do about ordering some Acana, thanks for all the very useful info.

jtkpenguin · 25-01-2021 1:51pm

aonb wrote: »

OP, my elderly guys have been fed home cooked food for years now, and are thriving on it, and love their food. It works out so much cheaper than dog food, and is far better quality than most dog foods. I only have 1 elderly terrier mix left, so its even easier to cater for him. Once a week, I boil up a pan of food that will last for the week. If you buy a 1kg pack of chicken thighs or legs - whatever is on offer, put in a pan, with a cup of brown rice, sweet potatos chopped, carrots chopped, brocolli etc, and boil with water. Remove the chicken, debone and chop up - add back to the pan, and either portion up into tupperwares and freeze or put in big bowl in the fridge. I alternate with any vegetables that are cheap/in season. I vary the chicken adding any meat that is a good price. He also loves fish, so the bags of frozen white fish fillet are popular. In addition, I give him raw chicken wings (good for anal glands) - buy big pack, freeze and defrost as needed. He also gets a squirt of salmon oil in his food several times/week. I often add an egg to his bowl too. On days when Im running low on his home cooked food a bit of brown rice mixed with a tin of sardines in oil is good - or a scrambled egg.

Great ideas there, thanks a mill

Springwell · 25-01-2021 4:04pm

Markus Muhle is a good compromise of quality and price. It's usually about €3.45 per kg vs €6-8 per kg for something in the Orijen range. Dogs seem to do well on it and have lovely coats

Zak Flaps · 25-01-2021 8:06pm

aonb wrote: »

OP, my elderly guys have been fed home cooked food for years now, and are thriving on it, and love their food. It works out so much cheaper than dog food, and is far better quality than most dog foods. I only have 1 elderly terrier mix left, so its even easier to cater for him. Once a week, I boil up a pan of food that will last for the week. If you buy a 1kg pack of chicken thighs or legs - whatever is on offer, put in a pan, with a cup of brown rice, sweet potatos chopped, carrots chopped, brocolli etc, and boil with water. Remove the chicken, debone and chop up - add back to the pan, and either portion up into tupperwares and freeze or put in big bowl in the fridge. I alternate with any vegetables that are cheap/in season. I vary the chicken adding any meat that is a good price. He also loves fish, so the bags of frozen white fish fillet are popular. In addition, I give him raw chicken wings (good for anal glands) - buy big pack, freeze and defrost as needed. He also gets a squirt of salmon oil in his food several times/week. I often add an egg to his bowl too. On days when Im running low on his home cooked food a bit of brown rice mixed with a tin of sardines in oil is good - or a scrambled egg.

OP, if money is an issue, this above is a great option(s). And going by the ingredients, it'll provide all that your dog needs.
I just love your dog.

Doctors room ghost · 25-01-2021 8:09pm

I have a staff the same and she loves a chicken breast boiled and cut up and boiled rice mixed in.sometimes I mix a stock cube in during boiling.stock cube salt probably not good for her but at that age and not every day it won’t do harm

jtkpenguin · 26-01-2021 6:59pm

So we've just brought the old Dexter dog back from the vets & the upshot is that he's got a chip off both canine teeth, we knew he had one chipped & it's been like it a long time & never bothered him at all. but thought he was eating a bit funny the last few days, hence the visit, so vet's suggested no more kibble for him.

The wife isn't too happy about cooking up a big pot of stuff like has been suggested, but is willing to give it a try.

Is there any soft pouch or canned food that would suit him?
TIA
Jasper

Springwell · 26-01-2021 7:05pm

Rocco wet food - good quality and not pricey. Plenty of meat in it and loads of flavour/variety to keep him happy

DBB · 26-01-2021 8:00pm

Springwell wrote: »

Rocco wet food - good quality and not pricey. Plenty of meat in it and loads of flavour/variety to keep him happy

+1
Very good food, and very reasonably priced, especially if bought in bulk! Plenty of choice flavour-wise too

Zak Flaps · 26-01-2021 8:46pm

From the recommendations on this page, i just ordered €50 worth of Rocco wet foot from Zooplus yesterday.
I just use wet food to mix in with my Westie's nuts to make dinner a bit more flavoursome!!

tk123 · 26-01-2021 9:21pm

Another vote for Rocco. I also use Rinti and Naturediet.

jtkpenguin · 27-01-2021 1:44pm

Thanks to you all for the responses, going to give him Rocco & see how he goes.
Cheers,
Jasper

Recommend food for 14 y/o dog

Comments