# Canned food for senior, toothless Pomeranian



## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

My grandfather has an 11 year old Pomeranian who has been toothless for a couple of years now. Her periodontal disease was so bad, she had to have every single tooth extracted  I noticed last night that underneath all her fur, I can feel her ribs very easily. He's been feeding her Blue Buffalo canned wet food- a heaping tablespoon in the morning and at night. She only weighs about 4lbs when she's at a good weight so I'm trying to figure out if she just needs more food or a higher protein/fat canned food. Any suggestions?

Thanks


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I looked up Blue Buffalo and it is around 8% protein, whilst EVO 95% meat is about 12% protein. Between you and me, I'd do my best to persuade your grandfather to switch to a canned meat with higher protein and more meat in it, but if he digs in his toes and you really think the dog is too thin, I'd just get him to slightly increase the amount he feeds.
Don't forget though, people don't realise nowadays how a dog should really look when they are at a proper weight. You should be able to feel their ribs quite easily and they should have a good belly tuck and a definite waist when you look down from above.


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

MollyWoppy said:


> I looked up Blue Buffalo and it is around 8% protein, whilst EVO 95% meat is about 12% protein. Between you and me, I'd do my best to persuade your grandfather to switch to a canned meat with higher protein and more meat in it, but if he digs in his toes and you really think the dog is too thin, I'd just get him to slightly increase the amount he feeds.
> Don't forget though, people don't realise nowadays how a dog should really look when they are at a proper weight. You should be able to feel their ribs quite easily and they should have a good belly tuck and a definite waist when you look down from above.


Thank you so much for the response! My grandfather has no problem switching to EVO- he's actually very excited! And I know she is definitely a bit underweight. With all her fur I can't look down and see her waist, but I can feel the separation between the ribs and her skin extremely easily. We've always tried to keep her at a nice lean weight to take any added strain off of her knees as she had surgery for a luxated patella 5-6 years back, but I think she's a bit too lean now 

Thanks again for the recommendation!


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Your grandfather sounds like a real good sort, you're lucky!
Hey, I know my dog can eat any type of food any time without a problem, but from what I've read this is pretty uncommon. A lot of dogs do have trouble switching foods quickly. If your pup has a bit of a sensitive stomach, just try mixing a little bit of the new food with the old food and then gradually increasing the new food over a week or two until her poops are normal. It sounds like you know exactly what you're looking for when it comes to weight too.


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

He loves that little girl so much and I know he's willing to do whatever is best for her  That's right! Thank you for reminding me- I will make sure he introduces the new food gradually, especially as it might be quite a bit richer than the Blue Buffalo. Thanks again!


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