As dogs age, they become less active and their bodies are less able to burn off calories. As such, senior dog food tends to have fewer calories than adult dog food, but this isn’t always the case. And, when shopping for the best senior dog foods for weight loss, it is important that the food still contains the essential vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber levels to ensure your dog stays healthy and fit.

Below, you will find reviews of the best senior dog foods for weight loss, as well as a guide to choosing the one that is most suitable for you and your canine companion.

Disclaimer: The foods reviewed here were chosen because they have certain characteristics that might help with some of the causes or consequences of this medical condition. However, they are not a medical treatment or a substitute for medical treatment. Keep in mind that each medical case is different and what works for some pets may not work for others. Your veterinarian is the right person to advise you on the best diet for your pet’s individual case.

A Glance at Our Top Picks (2024 Update)

The 10 Best Senior Dog Foods for Weight Loss

1. Ollie Chicken Fresh Dog Food Subscription – Best Overall

Ollie Chicken With Carrots is one of the menu options available from fresh food subscription and delivery service Ollie. It uses chicken as its primary ingredient and contains carrots, rice, spinach, and chia seeds, as well as a host of other healthy ingredients. Although the food isn’t specifically marketed as senior dog food, Ollie tailors the food and portion size according to your dog’s specific requirements. They take into account age as well as current and ideal weight. The food is slow-cooked fresh food, so it should be appealing to most dogs, and it is easy to eat.

Because it is fresh food, however, Ollie Chicken With Carrots is expensive, and it does require a subscription and the answering of a survey to access the food. However, its quality and its fresh, healthy ingredients make this the best available senior dog food for weight loss.

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2. IAMS Healthy Senior Dog Food – Budget Buy

IAMS Healthy Aging Mature & Senior Large Breed Dry Dog Food is formulated for large breed dogs aged 7 years and older. Its primary ingredient is farm-raised chicken, and the food also contains chicken by-product meal, barley, and corn. It contains no artificial additives and zero filler. It includes omega-6 for coat health, which is also important in aging dogs because the coat and skin are often the first areas to show signs of aging.

Although it is a low-cost food, the high-quality protein and beneficial ingredients make this our budget choice for senior dog food for weight loss for the money.

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3. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Senior Recipe

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe has the primary ingredient of deboned chicken with other main ingredients, including brown rice, barley, and oatmeal. The food also contains Blue Buffalo’s LifeSource Bits, which contain antioxidants to boost immune system health. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids help protect and preserve skin and coat health, while additional ingredients target joint health to ensure your senior pup can enjoy continued mobility.

The food is low in protein, at around 18% of the food, and senior dogs benefit from a higher protein level because they need to maintain muscle mass. Ideally, this figure should be 28% or higher, but that is unusual in dry food.

Blue Buffalo is a premium food with a premium price tag, but it has high-quality ingredients that are included to maintain health and mobility in your senior dog without packing on weight.

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4. Merrick Grain-Free Senior Dry Dog Food

Merrick Grain-Free Senior Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food lists deboned chicken as its main ingredient, with other prominent ingredients including chicken meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and turkey meal. This is a grain-free recipe, so it is only really suitable for dogs with grain sensitivities and allergies because grains are considered a beneficial ingredient for most dogs. The food consists of 30% protein, with more than three-quarters of that protein being high protein from meat sources.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are included to promote healthy joints and omega fatty acids for improved coat and skin condition. Merrick Grain-Free is an expensive food and grain-free, but it does have a 30% protein ratio, which is ideal for senior dogs, especially considering the majority of it comes from chicken and meat sources.

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5. Nutro Ultra Small Breed Dry Dog Food

Nutro Ultra Small Breed Weight Management Dry Dog Food is a dry kibble designed for senior small breed dogs with the goal of helping them achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Its primary ingredient is chicken, and the ingredient list also includes lamb meal, salmon, and chicken fat. It contains 28% protein, which is around right for a senior dog, while a selection of superfoods is included to provide antioxidants, prebiotics and probiotics, and essential vitamins and minerals.

The food is on the expensive side for quite a small bag, but it will last because of the smaller portions fed to small breed dogs. While this is a good quality food, a recent recipe change has seen the calorie count increase, although it also brought the protein content up from 24% to its current 28% level.

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6. American Journey Senior Chicken Dry Dog Food

American Journey Senior Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is a grain-free recipe food that uses deboned chicken as its main ingredient with chicken meal and turkey meal as the next two ingredients on the list. It has a good protein content of 30%, which is enough to help ensure a senior dog doesn’t lose condition. However, this is a grain-free recipe, so you should check with your vet before switching from a grain-inclusive meal. Although some dogs can be sensitive to grains, it is rare, and it is more likely that a dog is allergic to the primary meat protein used.

The recipe includes antioxidants that support the immune system, omega fatty acids for good skin and coat condition, and triglycerides from coconut oil that can support good brain health. The food is on the upper end of the budget scale, although not as expensive as some premium options.

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7. Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Senior Adult Wet Dog Food

Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Senior Adult 7+ Turkey & Brown Rice Entrée Wet Dog Food is a wet food. Other than water, the primary ingredient in the food is turkey, a lean and low-fat meat choice. The wet food has a 12% protein ratio, which is reasonable for a wet food for senior dogs. Wet food can be especially beneficial to senior dogs with dental problems. Dry kibble can cause discomfort or pain, while wet food is easier to chew and digest. It also contains water, which helps ensure that your senior canine stays hydrated. Some wet food can contain more calories, however, so you do need to ensure that you feed accurately and according to the feeding guidelines to be able to maintain your dog’s ideal weight.

The food also contains a host of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B complex, which can increase energy levels while helping combat fleas and ticks and staving off potential heart complaints and some cancers. Because it’s a wet food, it is a little more expensive, and Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Senior Wet Dog Food can cause some issues with gas and odorous stools.

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8. Blue Buffalo Homestyle Senior Recipe

Blue Buffalo Homestyle Senior Recipe is a canned wet food with the main ingredients of chicken, chicken broth, and chicken liver. The food has 7.5% protein, which could do with being a lot higher, but the protein does, at least, seem to primarily come from meat sources.

The food does not contain any by-products, artificial flavors, or preservatives and does include glucosamine and chondroitin, which help support healthy joints and a strong immune system. It is an expensive food but can be given as a treat, combined with dry food, or fed as an entrée to a meal and includes good-quality ingredients.

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9. Victor Purpose Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food

Victor Purpose Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food is a dry kibble with the main ingredient of beef meal. The food also contains chicken fat, fish meal, and chicken meal, indicating that the food gets a lot of its 27% protein content from meat sources. Although 27% protein is borderline for senior dogs, it would benefit from being just a little bit higher. It contains glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health, which is important in aging dogs. It is also fortified with an extensive list of vitamins and minerals.

The food is reasonably priced, but it does use several meat proteins, which means it might not be suitable for dogs with sensitive stomachs or if you are looking to avoid a particular meat protein.

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10. Diamond Naturals Senior Formula Dry Dog Food

Diamond Naturals Senior Formula Dry Dog Food is a dry kibble with the main ingredient of chicken. Other prominent ingredients include chicken meal, whole-grain brown rice, and cracked pearled barley.

The food has 25% protein, which needs to be higher for a senior dog food, but does contain glucosamine and chondroitin, prebiotics, probiotics, and antioxidants. The food is reasonably priced, and the small kibbles are easy to eat, but it would benefit from more protein.

Buyer’s Guide: Buying the Best Senior Dog Foods for Weight Loss

Buying senior dog food for weight loss means that you are essentially looking for two primary features in the same food: a food that is suitable for dogs aged 7 years and older and one that helps prevent weight gain or that can be used to help a dog lose weight. As well as making sure the food has appropriate levels of protein and does not contain too many calories per serving, you should also look for ingredients that can help improve joint health, manage cognitive and brain function, and condition the coat and skin. These are all especially beneficial to older dogs. If your dog has bad dental health, which is common in older dogs, you should also consider a food that is easy for them to chew without causing extra pain.

Wet vs. Dry

The first decision you will have to make when buying dog food for any dog is whether to feed wet or dry food. Debate continues as to which is best because they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

However, for all its benefits, wet food is expensive and has a shorter shelf life than dry food, and unless your dog eats exactly a full sachet or can at every meal, the remaining portion will need to be stored in the fridge until it is finished.

Dry food may be less appealing to your dog, and rather than promoting good dental hygiene, the hard kibble can be difficult for some senior dogs to chew. It may even cause discomfort and pain if your dog has bad teeth or dental hygiene issues.

Dry and wet foods don’t have to be fed exclusively. You can feed a combination of the two, either at different times or even in the same meal. This enables you and your dog to enjoy the benefits of both while maintaining a healthy diet.

As well as dry and wet food, there is also the question of raw food. Raw food is not heavily processed like most commercial food. It can be made at home using fresh ingredients, but there are also some companies that specialize in making this food and delivering it to your door. Fresh food is meant to more closely mimic the diet of dogs in the wild. It does tend to be high in protein, which means that it can be beneficial for senior dogs, but it is the most expensive option, and unless food comes portioned, you will have to store it in the fridge between feeds.

Protein for Senior Dogs

Whatever type of food you give a dog, one of the most important elements is protein. The amino acids from protein help build and maintain muscle, repair tissues, and help ensure healthy skin and coat. Senior dogs typically require more protein because their muscles break down more easily and need more repair and support. Experts advise that senior dogs get 50% more protein than healthy adult dogs. However, if your vet has recommended that your senior dog be given a low-protein diet, you will need to be especially careful that you are not feeding too much.

It is advised that senior dogs are fed food that contains between 28% and 32% protein by dry matter. With dry food, this is easy to work out, and you can use the crude nutrient analysis on the packet. Foods that do not contain any significant moisture need to contain 28% to 32% protein.

With wet food, it is a little more difficult to determine protein ratio. Wet food can contain between 70%–85% moisture, and you need to calculate the protein by dry matter. As such, a food that is 75% moisture and that contains 10% protein actually has 40% protein by dry matter. To calculate this amount for any wet food, take the protein ratio, divide it by the amount of dry matter in the food, and multiply by 100. In our example, this equates to (10/25) x 100 = 40%.

When Should You Start Feeding Your Dog Senior Food?

Although the ideal age to feed a dog a senior diet depends on the breed, health, and condition of the specific dog, senior food is generally targeted at dogs aged 7 years and above. Consider your dog’s activity levels, and when you notice that they are moving around less, laying down more and that their coat and skin are starting to look old, it may be time to consider moving to a senior-specific food.

What to Do if Your Senior Dog Won’t Eat

It is important that your dog is getting enough food and essential ingredients, so it can be a major concern if they stop eating or refuse to eat the food you’ve bought them. However, there are some steps that you can take to hopefully encourage a dog to eat:

Conclusion

Senior dogs have different dietary and nutritional requirements to adult dogs and puppies. Senior food should be designed to meet these needs and can help maintain your dog’s health. The best senior dog foods for weight loss can also help maintain a healthy weight and even shed pounds.

Ollie Chicken With Carrots was the best senior food for weight loss we could find while compiling our reviews. Despite being a little pricier than other foods, the slow-cooked fresh food is nutritional and appealing while having good protein and calorie levels for a senior dog. IAMS Healthy Age Mature is a cheap, dry food that is free of artificial additives.

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Featured Image Credit: Phuttharak, Shutterstock