Senior food - Minature schnauzer

The Miniature Schnauzer is a smallest dog in the Schnauzer breed and originated in the mid-to-late 19th Century from Germany. The Miniature Schnauzer is a cross between the Standard Schnauzer and other smaller breeds such as the Poodle. A miniature Schnauzer is a spunky, but aloof dog who does things their own way. They tend to be good guard dogs without the tendency to bite.
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Schanuzerpaws93
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First Name: Dan

Senior food - Minature schnauzer

Post by Schanuzerpaws93 »

Hi, apologies if there is an existing thread about this ..

Our mini is turning 8 in November and we were considering introducing a senior food however I’ve found conflicting info surrounding when minis are actually senior and this can be interpratated as 10+ based on size rather than the usual 7/8 age which seems to be the standard ‘senior’ age

What age do you believe minis should transition to senior food?

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Dawnspell
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Re: Senior food - Minature schnauzer

Post by Dawnspell »

Not something I've thought about as yet but I get the impression the senior foods are just lower calorie to help prevent weight gain in older dogs as metabolism slows down a bit. They also can have extra supplements added for joints etc.

For myself I'd be more inclined to stick to the food mine was on and give supplements as extra. You know then you are giving the correct dose and its fresh, fish oils can go off so probably not as effective if in the food already and probably not high enough dose to be of benefit. If theres any weight gain then look to reduce amount feeding.
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Re: Senior food - Minature schnauzer

Post by Oscar 12345 »

I would only change foods if there was a specific reason to (assuming your schnauzer is loving its food and doing well on it). If you think your schnauzer is getting stiff or lacking energy then after appropriate check-ups etc. I would consider giving useful supplements to aid old age. My first schnauzer got "senior" at around 12/13 when I noticed him slowing down, sleeping more, becoming deaf. I think most schnauzers (unless you are unfortunate) don't show old age until they are very old. Senior for me therefore is around anywhere around 12/13. Leigh probably has a good view having had lots of dogs/schnauzers.
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Re: Senior food - Minature schnauzer

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Dan, welcome to the Forum :)

Smaller breed dogs do tend to live longer than large /giant breeds and can remain fit and active into double figures. With our dogs we have not used a ‘senior’ food as such but have supplemented their normal diet for those who are becoming more stiff in their joints. Our first two miniature schnauzers who passed away just short of their 14th birthday had some extra nutrients (MSM / glucosamine) added to their usual food in the last couple of years from 12 years of age. We currently have seven dogs over 7 years old including three miniature schnauzers. The eldest mini has just celebrated her 11th birthday and is fit and well, on no medication and has a Yumove senior tablet added to her usual food but that is the only extra. All our dogs are raw fed on a food from a specialist raw food for dogs company which includes raw meat / offal and vegetables with some added herbs and flaxseed oil. Our eldest dog (an affenpinscher) is coming up to 14 years old and he has the same food as all the others but with the addition of the Yumove Senior and Dorwest Herbs Turmeric tablet as he does suffer some arthritis and the latter was recommended by our vet a few years back as a good anti-inflammatory.

I do agree with the 2 posts above that generally speaking there should not be a need to transition to a ‘senior’ food which, much like the ‘puppy’ and ‘junior’ food are often marketing ploys to sell certain products at a higher price. There can be specific reasons why an older dog might need extra nutrients due to ageing including those to help with stiffening joints, arthritis or poor health generally but my approach with our dogs is to supplement when needed rather than change the food altogether. It may depend what food you are giving to your mini currently as I can only speak from feeding raw food with ours. Additional nutrients can be added to any food by the manufacturers and some actually put supplements such as glucosamine and MSM in their food routinely for any age so, if you are thinking of supplementing, do check the ingredients first.

I must admit that I don’t think of our dogs as ‘senior’ until they are about 13 years old but the 7 year old benchmark does seem to be commonly used. It is also the age at which show dogs are regarded as ‘veteran’. You may be interested in this link too:

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=23946
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Schnauzerluv
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Re: Senior food - Minature schnauzer

Post by Schnauzerluv »

I never changed my elderly mini's diets either, I only added salmon oil for Chelsea at about 12 years old, to help with her heart and joints, it did seem to help even though she wasn't showing too much sign of getting "old" yet and still very healthy. I remember thinking how healthy she was actually at 12YO. She started slowing down a slight bit in her 13th year, and more so in her 14th year. But until that, she showed no signs really of slowing down. So I would consider 13 for senior as well.

Still as Alison mentioned, I would not change the food, I would supplement what I had to and reduce amount if my elderly schnauzer needed less calories.
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Re: Senior food - Minature schnauzer

Post by Greene »

We changed Hans and Gunther’s food to senior when they were 11-12, but not just because they were getting older. They stopped being interested in the food they had been gobbling down previously. The new food is the same brand, but instead of just lamb or chicken, it has a mix of meat types. I still spice up their food with steamed broccoli, canned chicken, and/or rice. They are back to inhaling their food, so whatever was the issue, it’s gone now.
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