Nutritional management in older dogs significantly affects mobility, organ function, and quality of life. Both obesity and muscle wasting are common in senior dogs and require targeted dietary strategies.
Obese senior dogs carry excess weight that compounds arthritis pain and reduces exercise tolerance, creating a welfare-negative cycle. Weight loss in overweight arthritic dogs consistently improves mobility and reduces pain medication requirements. Simultaneously, muscle wasting in very old dogs requires higher quality protein to maintain strength and mobility. Nutritional management is one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available to dog owners without veterinary prescription - simply maintaining healthy body condition from middle age significantly improves late-life welfare.