The Golden Years

Is a Pet’s Health Linked to Their Owners Health?
Typically, dog owners who have healthy lifestyles carry their same healthy habits on to their pets. Retailers may want to cash in on publicity campaigns like the national human health campaign in March for Human Nutrition Awareness month.

"I think we’re moving into a time frame where people are becoming more aware of pet nutrition because of their increased knowledge of human nutrition," says Amy Dicke, DVM, the technical services veterinarian for The Iams Co., a Dayton, Ohio-based pet food manufacturer.

Greg Keane, the owner of Chow Hound, a small chain of pet retail shops in the Grand Rapids, Mich. area, found that learning about his pets’ diet helped him look closer at what he was putting in his own mouth.

"What I’ve learned about my pets’ diet has translated in to my own health," Keane says. "I’ve been taught things about organics and other things and I’m trying to make healthier choices now."

Or change may happen from the owner to the pet, too. As pet owners look at their own health habits and reevaluate their diets they may be more apt to think of their pets that they treat like family.

"People are starting to want to listen more about pet nutrition, so it may be a good time to hook senior health on to human health nutrition month," Dr. Dicke says.

-S.S. & A.S

Signs of the Times:
Five questions to ask a customer whose dog may be ready for a senior formula.
1. Is your dog less active than he used to be?
2. Does your dog seem to be having trouble with its joints?
3. Is your dog middle aged for its breed and/or size? (Larger dogs typically age faster.)
4. Has your dog gained a few pounds? (Keep in mind that two pounds on a 20-pound dog is a 20 percent jump in weight.)
5. Is your dog graying around the muzzle?

(Published in Feb. 2007)

The Golden Years
Tips for selling senior diets to customers in denial that their dogs are aging.
By Scott and Ann Springer

A midlife crisis can easily sneak up on a pet owner.

It seems like just yesterday that the family pet was chewing up sneakers and chasing behind the kids. But now Spot has a hard time getting on and off the kids’ beds and has signs of gray sprouting out around his adoring puppy dog eyes.

It may hard for an owner to believe that his or her 7- or 8-year-old dog is now at the middle of its life, but with the right nutrition, consumers may be able to extend and improve their pets’ quality of life.

"Telling someone their dog needs a senior diet is more difficult than selling them the diet," says Jeff McFarlance, the manager at Aardvark Pets, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Sales to Salivate Over
A healthier dog with greater longevity not only creates happier dog owners, but also translates into more dog food sales, McFarlance says.

"The dogs live longer, and so consumers use more food for a longer period of time," says McFarlance who has seen double-digit growth in senior dog foods over the past five years. "The combination of the two makes our sales increase."

According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 16 percent of dog owners surveyed say they use specially formulated food for senior dogs. This percentage was higher than those feeding specially formulated diets to puppies or middle-aged pooches.

"Dog food is a trip maker," McFarlance says. "If I can give them a food that is specific to their animals needs, it assures me they’ll be back again and again, and then I’ll have the chance to sell them something else, like a grooming product or a rawhide chew."

Store owner Kristine Godfrey has seen her sales go through the roof at All Pets Considered, in Greensboro, N.C. "We now sell more of the senior food than we do of the adult food," Godfrey says.

Godfrey believes her sales have increased in this category because dogs are living longer and people are more educated about better quality foods.

Changes at Chow Time
In the past 10 years, manufacturers have learned that increased levels of protein are beneficial to dogs.

"Dogs need amino acids that come from protein to function and live," says John Marsman, the director of marketing and nutritional services for Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc. located in Mishawaka, Ind.

Forty or fifty years ago, senior formulas contained only moderate levels of protein. "It was thought that higher protein levels could cause kidney failure, but we now know that it won’t cause a kidney condition," Marsman says.

Dogs with existing kidney issues should not be put on a high protein diet because it could exasperate their condition, Marsman cautions.

Protein levels should be at least 24 percent to boost immunity, supply essential amino acids, and prevent muscle degeneration, says Amy Dicke, DVM, the technical services veterinarian for The Iams Co., a Dayton, Ohio-based pet food manufacturer.

In the Mix
Manufacturers have seen and met the demand for diets specifically designed for the aging dog population.

However, you should carefully inspect the ingredient labels before you decide to stock senior formulas on your store shelves.

Another common ingredient to look for is antioxidants, which like a protein, work to improve a pet’s immune system, Dr. Dicke says.

"It’s best to have a combination of antioxidants because each has a role that is slightly different," Dr. Dicke says.

Antioxidants supply dying cells with ingredients to decrease the amount of damage they do as they die in the body. "As we age, cells tend to die a bit more rapidly," Dr. Dicke says, and so more antioxidants are needed.

Manufacturers have also addressed the aches and pains of dogs in their golden years.

Omega-3 and Omega–6 fatty acids can help control joint or muscle pain. "As an animal begins to age, we may see changes in their joints," Dr. Dicke says. "But if we have a balanced response of the omega 3s and 6s, we can curb that inflammatory response."

Additionally, these additives also influence skin and coat appearance, Dr. Dicke says. "Thirty-percent of protein goes into the skin and coat," she adds.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are a dynamic duo commonly used by humans to treat deteriorating cartilage and now are being used by their pets, too.

"Their joints get rickety and these can ease or relieve that situation to relatively high degree," Marsman says.

Some formulas even have a dental component. "It’s nice to have some kind of dental protection in the formula," Dr. Dicke says. "As a dog ages, the tartar tends to build up on their teeth."

Prebiotics and probiotics, which have been used to control gastrointestinal issues in humans, are also being added to dog foods. "These work to balance the good and bad bacteria in the gut," Dr. Dicke says.

Manufacturers are also using more digestible ingredients such as fish, pork, and chicken, Marsman says.

Sales to Sink Your Teeth Into
"People don’t think of moving their pet to a senior diet until they start to see clinical signs of aging," Dr. Dicke says. "Some people take offense to their dog being called a senior at age seven."

Turning an endcap into an educational resource about senior diets can help to transition customers who have delicate issues about their dogs’ aging process, Dr. Dicke says.

"Even if they aren’t quite ready to switch their dog to a new diet, they have the understanding that it’s there as an option to consider placing the dog on it," Dr. Dicke says.

Greg Keane, the owner of Chow Hound, a small chain of retail shops in the Grand Rapids, Mich. area, has seen how educational endcaps can increase sales.

"It opens up communication," Keane says. "In some cases, it gets the customer to ask, ‘My dog is seven. Should he be on a senior diet?’"

Seize the moment to educate about the dietary needs of senior dogs when you see a regular customer purchasing another bag of regular adult food for their dog that now has more gray under its muzzle, Dr. Dicke says.

"One on one education is a great way to teach a customer about senior diets," Marsman says.

Or, if you have a large customer base, consider keeping track of the age of your customers’ dogs in a database and then send the owners information about senior dietary needs, Dr. Dicke says.

If you have a flyer or newsletter you send out on a regular basis to your customers, you may want to consider discussing senior health issues in this media.

"We explain the features and benefits of these diets on our four-page flyer," Keane says. "People always want to know, ‘What can I do to make his life better?’ One of the easiest ways is to feed him better."

Cost may be a road block for some consumers, but converting to a senior formula may end up saving them big bucks in the end and take years off their dogs’ life.

"The consequences of a customer not switching their dog to a senior diet is a shorter lifespan, more health issues, and they run the potential for taking more trips to the vet," Marsman says.