Pet parents find it increasingly important for their cats and dogs to stay in good health, remain active, and live comfortably up to old age. As a result, the market for senior pet food nutrition is growing.
IQI Trusted Petfood Ingredients recently published a white paper specifically on the subject of senior pet nutrition.
Senior pet nutrition is a very specialized area of expertise. As cats and dogs reach the senior stage, they may experience different physical, physiological, metabolic, and behavioral changes. This can result in many issues, such as declining skin, coat, or teeth condition, deterioration in joint health and functionality, decreasing vitality, greater vulnerability to allergies and disease, or reduced stress tolerance. Specific ingredients can be used to control or mitigate these issues.
The composition of senior cat and dog food needs to focus on maintaining health and optimal body condition, including special attention to organ functioning, thereby extending life expectancy and prolonging the quality of life.
As their ability to digest and absorb nutrients reduces, both senior cats and dogs require sufficient intake of high-quality, highly digestible protein, highly digestible nutrients, and enhanced levels of antioxidants. Good nutrition can also help to delay the onset of geriatric dysfunction and chronic diseases, or helps to manage any diseases already present.
Ingredients for senior pet nutrition
IQI Trusted Petfood Ingredients specializes in sourcing ingredients with specific benefits to the health and well-being of senior cats and dogs. These include protein sources with the highest digestibility, such as chicken meat powder (CMP), chicken liver hydrolysate (CLH) or spray-dried chicken plasma (SDCP), full-fat krill meal, fish oil, or algae DHA – rich in high-quality fats and the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA –, taurine to strengthen the heart, and various sources of soluble and insoluble, fermentable and non-fermentable dietary fibers for good gut health.
“The pet food market has immense growth potential and is very dynamic. As IQI, we aim to respond to market and consumer trends, such as senior pet nutrition, in a timely manner and provide clear added value to our suppliers and customers. IQI is one of the few global market players to do this,” says Mark Oostendorp, CEO of IQI Trusted Petfood Ingredients.
New white paper on Senior Pet Nutrition
Recently, IQI Trusted Petfood Ingredients has released its latest white paper ‘Finding the right ingredients for senior pet nutrition to support healthy aging’, written by our Innovation Manager Geert van der Velden. The white paper is available for download here.
About IQI
IQI is a global provider of premium-claim ingredients to the top brands in the pet food industry and goes to great lengths to assure the quality of its products. IQI products are carefully monitored and developed through continuous innovation and by responding to the latest trends and pet needs.
