Search for the best senior dog food: Science Diet Senior 7+ review
Search for the best senior dog food: Science Diet Senior 7+ review
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📑My Credentials:
Bachelor of Science, Animal Science: Emphasis in Animal Biology
Honors: Cum Laude 3.85/4.0 GPA
University of Florida, 2005
(relevant coursework includes but not limited to: MAC3472 Honors, CHM2045, CHM2045L, MAC3473 Honors, CHM2046, CHM2046L, ANS3043, ANS3317L, ANS3384, CHM2210, CHM2211, PHY2053, PHY2053L, ANS3006C, ANS3206, PHY2054, PHY2054L, CHM2047, MCB3020, MCB3020L, VME4103, ANS3440)
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
University Of Florida College of Veterinary Med 2009
4 years: 8+ hours a day, 5-7 days a week, 12 months a year (ie: too many courses to list )
3.4 GPA/4.0
Small Animal General Practice 2009-present
USDA CLASS 2 Certification/Accreditation (2009-Present)
Pet Nutrition Certification (Jan 2024-Present)
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⛔Unless specified, none of my videos are sponsored. I do not recieve any perks, free food, or “kick backs” for the foods I review unless specifically disclosed. The content provided is my own opinions based on the information at hand at the time of filming, my Veterinary Doctoral degree, continuing education coursework, and personal experiences in practice.
💻Helpful websites:
AAFCO: https://petfood.aafco.org/labeling-labeling-requirements#low_fat
American College of Veterinary Nutritionists: https://acvim.org
World Small Veterinary Association Nutrition toolkit: https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit-English.pdf
Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Text: https://www.markmorrisinstitute.org/sacn5_download.html
Free access to the Merk Manual: https://www.merckvetmanual.com
⚕️⚕️⚕️Please note that these videos are for educational purposes only. They are not intended for diagnosis or treatment of any animals. If you have questions regarding your pet’s health or are having a pet related emergency, please contact your personal veterinarian. 📽️All videos are property of Animaldocrea, LLC
At what age do I transition my dog to senior? I been feeding pro plan SSS. 26/16… miniature schnauzer…
Please look at more senior foods my 8yr old lab won’t eat this, she backs away from it like it’s on fire, have a whole bag can’t give it away shelters won’t take an open bag. Not enough options for seniors all have very high protein.
Hey Dr. Rea, what food would you recommend for a 9 year old female Golden Retriever with Spondylosis, and just diagnosed T-zone lymphoma (watch and wait stage), and needs to lose a few pounds, and cannot eat big kibble size, and doesn’t contain Rosemary Extract.
Great to see a food designed specifically for seniors!
Why didn’t you mention the ingredients?
Glenn is gonna love this one 😆
I like your videos
Just discovered your channel and I’m so thankful for the depth that you go into with your reviews. I would love if you could go through the Tom&Sawyer fresh pet food line. They seem to have a lot of numbers that they provide but I’m not sure how much of it is substantive or if it’s just marketing. It would be amazing to find a human grade cooked food line that us Canadians could explore.
Do you have any opinions on wysong dog food, specifically the growth formula? I noticed on aafco that all there lines specifically are for mature adults (not all life stages like most), and growth is for puppies. I was just curious if you had any thoughts on this food line, I tried comparing your charts with the mineral contents but I have multiple charts. Specially I have a larger breed (about 50-60 lbs at mature) and don’t know which chart is correct for my dog. Also they only have gaurentee analysis not typical. But I was just wondering if you ever heard anything about wysong dog food. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your expertise. The Hills Science Diet Healthy mobility large breed contains only 0.61% Calcium and is recommended for adult and senior dogs. What I don´t understand is why the Science Diet Healthy mobility medium (protein 18.6, fat 13.7, fibre 2.2, calcium 0.61, phospor 0.54, sodium 0.22, Vit E 700mg, Vit C 100mg) is not recommended for senior dogs only for adults, but fulfill all requirements for senior dogs (as far as I understand the label). I am also sometimes confused with Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3 better for joints and Omega 6 better for skin? Greetings from Germany
Whole Blend has a line called Fresh and it’s turkey and Rabbit. The calcium / phosphorus levels are good. Can you review this food please . Made in St-Marys ontario Canada 🇨🇦
Hi everyone! The Hill’s Adult 7+ Small & Mini
Chicken & Brown Rice
Recipe Dog Food has fiber within range and calcium at .8 (still not within range but much closer) along with everything else in range like the food in video. Definitely another good option to check out!
I used your scoring and found Blue Buffalo Basics Senior was the closest to the parameters.
Blue Buffalo Basics Skin & Stomach Care Senior Dry Dog Food – Turkey & Potato
Protein 18.0%
Fat 10.0%
Fiber 7.0%
Calcium 0.8%
Phosphorus 0.6%
Vitamin E 300IU/kg Min
Vitamin C 100mg/kg Min
I would appreciate if you could do a senior cat version too!
I feed my 8 year old yorke Hills Science Adult 7+ Small & Mini Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food. The lowest calcium I could find.
Protein 21.5 %
Fat 15 %
Carbohydrate / NFE 54.5 %
Crude Fiber 3.7 %
Calcium 0.8 %
Phosphorus 0.67 %
Potassium 0.81 %
Sodium 0.32 %
Magnesium 0.134 %
Vitamin C 194 ppm
Vitamin E 823 IU/kg
Total Omega-3 FA 1.05 %
Total Omega-6 FA 3.62 %
Can you review IAMS Large Breed Chicken formula please?
Lotus Senior has calcium that is .70, so seems possible.
Dr. Rea, thank you for your work on this channel. I would like to encourage you to spend more time discussing and possibly including in your point system the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. I’ve noticed that more companies are including this ratio in their expanded nutritional analysis.
After doing some research I concluded that this ratio is important as it shows the optimal inter-relationship of calcium and phosphorus on the animal body. As mentioned in the journal Nutrition, issue 31.3, “…The two major constituents of bone, calcium and phosphorus, are linked by a functional and regulatory relationship, and are best considered together. The absolute requirements of both minerals, as well as the ratio (the recommended range is between 1:1 and 2:1), AAFCO recommends that the Calcium (Ca) level shall not be more than 2.2 times the actual Phosphorus (P) level. That is why the ratio should be carefully calculated, as an excess or a deficiency of one or both minerals during the developmental and maintenance phase can be a major factor in terms of nutritionally induced deficiencies
.
Further research shows that the optimal levels are 1.1 to 1.4 though they can go as high as 2:2 as recommended by AAFCO, depending on the breed, activity level, health, body weight & fat and temperament of the dog. Another study has shown that “…it is important to note that an increased fecal dry matter excretion (due either to a low dietary digestibility or a high food intake) also increases the fecal losses of calcium and phosphorus 12,13,14 and therefore increases the daily requirements for the minerals.” [Kienzle E, Dobenecker B, Wichert B, et al. Effect of fecal water and dry matter excretion on fecal mineral excretion in dogs studied in a fiber model. J. Nutr. 2006;136(7):2001S-2003S.]
That’s why the recognized range for calcium and phosphorus that you use is important but supplementing that with a Ca to P ratio which shows a better proportionality of these two minerals on the body. Depending on the diet and its bioavailability, calcium and phosphorous amounts can become off either up or down, specifically meat which contains a lot of phosphorus, so diets that include more meat require more calcium to maintain the correct ratio and be beneficial for the body. Grains also contain protein but that protein is not as bioavailable as from fresh quality meat, beef or poultry.
A perfect example is as follows
Brand Calcium Phosphorus Ca-P Ratio
Open Farm Turkey & Ancient Grains 1.79% 1.30% 1.38
Fromm Large Breed 1.39% 1.16% 1.19
Hill’s Adult .75% .56% 1.33
*Dry matter basis
We can see here that Hill’s though having low CA and P levels actually on a ratio basis is almost as high Open Farm. This is why ratios are perfect for comparing different quantities and equalizing them for comparison. So even with Hill’s low numbers its calcium to phosphorus ratio is higher than Fromm’s.
What makes matters worse is that even if dog food contains the recommended amounts and ratios of Calcium and Phosphorus, dry food is much more calorie-dense, which results in overfeeding, weight gain and possible renal issues.
The standard Minimum of 0.5 g of Calcium per 1000 calories (with the recommended amount of 1g) and 0.75 gm of Phosphorus per 1000 calories.
The Merck Veterinary Manual also states that the amounts of nutrients ( calcium max 1g and Pho .8g max) may need to be modified up or down by 30%, which makes these figures vague and confusing. But by going with the Ca to P ratio at least you are keeping the correct optimal proportions in the mineral level. Please consider using this metric in the future.
Can you please review Aura pets eye drops? It’s for cataracts to be removed. Thank you
Thank you Doc for all the wonderful work and information you are making available to us as pet parents. I am bringing home an English Cream Golden puppy in a few weeks, and was curious if it would be appropriate to feed an "Adult" life stage food if it matched the Small Animal Clinical Nutrition parameters for a LBP more closely than Hills Science Diet LBP (Hills was the closest to the parameters of any kibble that I could find). Thanks a million!
Please review Science Diet Pollock and Insect.
What about AGEs that is in processed kibble and that can cause cancer, is there no way to avoid that other than homemade food for dogs I guess? My dog died suddenly if uncontrollable seizures and they guessed a brain tumor hit she didn’t live long enough to do a CAT scan, but it makes me wonder if it would of been different if I wasn’t feeding kibble
Science diet 11plus
Great info & seems like a legitimate option…!!!
Hi Dr. Rea– if you get the chance, could you take a look at IAMS Healthy Aging?
What’s the best food for 17 yrs old chihuahua with only few teeth left.
According to Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine: “There is no true reason to feed a senior diet to our aging dog unless there are noted problems, such as lean body wasting, arthritis or obesity,” says Joseph J. Wakshlag, Ph.D. ’05, D.V.M. ’98, professor of clinical nutrition and sports medicine and rehabilitation. “These conditions all require different approaches to nutrition. So there is no one-size-fits-all for senior dogs. Making this something to discuss with your veterinarian. It can be complex.” Sorry, feeling impish today. LOL
I went through the entire Science Diet dry product line. Their prescription diets do have some that met all senior parameters. Sticking with none prescription I thought the Adult Chicken & Barley Recipe was closer to the senior criteria than their 7+ formula. The protein was a little high at 23.9 but otherwise everything, including minerals, fell within the parameters.
When I was search for a senior food I was perplexed as to why they didn’t have the minerals within optimal range on all of their foods; especially, if they had them correct on this one.
Thank you for the great info!
What would you recommend for a 4 year old American Cocker Spaniel with idiopathic epilepsy, allergies, and only eats small bite kibble, and doesn’t contain rosemary extract?
I used your pet scoring system for Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken and Brown Rice and their calcium and phos looked like it was within appropriate range, though they were only minimum percents listed.
Just found you here! I was comparing our Simply Nourish Senior Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe dog food and found that it is really high in protein for a senior dog at 26%, Fat was within range at 9%, fiber was 7.5%, Calcium high at 1.2%, Phosphorous high at .9%, vitamin E low at 200 IU/kg. It also lists potassium, zinc, selenium, vitamin A, and Omega-6 Fatty acids and Omega-3 fatty acids. It does not list vitamin C, or sodium/chloride. I have a 13 year old maltipoo who is allergic to chicken, beef, and dairy according to a report I received from a rescue when she was rehomed with us. So, I work really hard to try to find the best food for her with NO chicken or beef. I thought I had found it in this, but the guaranteed analysis doesn’t match up to what you showed. Back to the drawing board I guess….
our pets have always done the best on hills and rc. Currently feeding hills as rc is too pricey. But my picky golden and yorkie love the sensitive skin and stomach. As do I, i have noticed all hills kibble smell so good, not rancid like a lot of the boujee brands that are going around online.
Hello Dr. Rea, For my 9 year old dog. Should I use use your "Senior Dog" analysis range chart on your Science Diet Senior 7+ video to compare dog food and or do you have a link to what analysis you recommend? I also watched your video; 2024 Best Small Breed dog food: Royal Canin Adult. In this video, your analysis range differs from the the senior one. Your videos are great! Thank you! I’m currently using the Royal Canin Small Breed Adult but exploring a lower cost option. Thanks for informing me that the ]term "small breed" is marketing. Oh one more question, can I refer to your anylsis range for both dry and wet dog food? Thanks again!
Stay safe with Helene. ❤🩹🙏
Please please PLEASE do a review on a popular "grocery" premium dog food from the Kroger family of stores, Abound Dog Food.
More specifically, the Abound so-called "Natural" Puppy Dry Dog Food.
Your insights are amazing and even though Kroger is the largest Supermarket Grocery store in America, nobody has done a real nutritional review on their Premium Abound Dog or Cat Food.
Thank you Dr. Rea 🤗
Hi Dr. Rea,
I was just wondering—I’ve seen in some of your videos you mention that potatoes and peas aren’t ideal for dogs, but in this video (and others reviewing Hill’s and Purina), you don’t mention that yellow peas are listed third in the ingredients. Could you clarify your position on that?
Thank you for this review Dr Rea. I would like to bring another option which has a lower calcium level: Hill’s Science Diet
Adult 7+ Perfect Digestion Chicken, Whole Oats & Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food.
Protein 21 %
Fat 13 %
Crude Fiber 2.2 %
Calcium 0.92 %
Phosphorus 0.65 %
The calcium is still a bit high but better than the one that you have just analyzed, and the fibre is also better. This is what I have been feeding my 7-year old Cocker for the last year, and he has been doing well on it. His blood work last week was great! 🐶😻💕
Great video! I love the Hills senior range – so many options! I currently feed a mix of small and mini 11+ dry and small and mini 7+ wet (85% dry, 15% wet). I have spoken to multiple Hills nutrition consultants and they said the formulas of these products are very similar and safe to mix together.
Hi Dr. Rea! I absolutely love your content and the nutrition ranking system you’ve created. My vet recently suggested I swap my dog to a senior diet and I was curious what your opinion is on the trade off between fiber and vitamin levels. Hill’s Scient Diet Adult 7+ Perfect Digestion Dog Food, Chicken, Whole Oats & Brown Rice Recipe has fiber within range at 2.2% (compared to 1.3% in the recipe being reviewed in this video) but its vitamin E and vitamin C values are 575 IU/kg and 210 ppg respectively (compared to 1463 IU/kg and 288 ppm). In your opinion, is it worth the lower vitamin values to have the fiber within range? Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this channel, it has been a life saver!
My 6 year old Yorkie poo would not eat canned Royal Canin senior or fresh Hills Science senior. She doesn’t eat kibble.
Can you do a review on Rayne Nutrition dog food? Thank you.
Hey Dr. Rea! Can you review Hills 11+ small and mini?
I’m so glad I found your channel. Love the knowledge you spread!
Dry food for a senior pet? "Dry dog food for senior dogs isn’t always the right choice. Depending on the dog, it can be difficult for senior dogs to chew and swallow. Especially if they have dental issues, chewing kibble can be hard for older dogs." American Kennel Club. I won’t even mention cats! 🎶"Will you still need me, will you still feed me; When I’m 64" 🎶 Happy Purrsday!
Good morning Dr. Rea can you do a review on Muenster Ancient Grains Recipe? The CEO of this company claims it’s human grade and he survived on this food for 30 days. Thank you
I really love all of the reviews I have seen so far for Science Diet. I would love to hear your review of Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies and 1-7 year old adults. We’ll be getting a Golden Reteiever puppy soon and Im leaning more towards that. It looks like they are slightly over on fat could you look into that? Is that okay in your opinion?