Senior Borzoi Feeding Guide

Large breeds like the Borzoi enter their senior years earlier than smaller dogs, typically around age 7+. With a lifespan of 9-14 years, your Borzoi may spend 7+ years as a senior, making proper nutrition during this stage critical. As activity naturally decreases, calorie needs drop while nutritional quality becomes more important than ever.

A senior Borzoi needs about 1001 to 1523 kcal a day, some 21 per cent below the 1251 to 1904 kcal of an adult, because resting metabolism and activity both fall while appetite often does not. A Borzoi is generally treated as senior from around 9 years, earlier in large dogs than in small ones. Cut the ration gradually rather than in one step, keep protein up rather than down, older dogs lose muscle before they lose fat, and restricting protein makes that worse in a healthy dog, and split the day into two or three smaller meals if digestion has slowed. Weigh the dog monthly: a loss of more than five per cent in a month is a reason to see a vet, not to feed more, since kidney disease, dental pain and cancer all present first as weight loss. Where a vet has prescribed a diet for kidney, heart or joint disease, that prescription replaces the figures here, which describe a healthy Borzoi of 60 to 105 lb.

Senior Borzoi Calorie Needs

Note: Feeding guidelines are estimates based on standard veterinary formulas. Every dog is different, consult your veterinarian for personalized advice.

Senior Feeding Schedule

Key Dietary Changes for Senior Borzois

Thyroid & Metabolism in Senior Borzois

Hypothyroidism can complicate senior feeding in Borzois. An underactive thyroid slows metabolism, causing weight gain even on reduced portions, coat thinning, and lethargy that mimics normal aging. If your senior Borzoi is gaining weight despite portion control, or their coat has become unusually thin and dull, ask your vet to test thyroid levels. Once on thyroid medication, dietary needs may shift, many dogs regain energy and require a slight increase in calories.

Recommended Supplements for Senior Borzois

These supplements are selected based on the Borzoi's breed-specific health profile and common senior needs:

Related Guides

Following the weight of an older Borzoi

A senior Borzoi should sit between 60 and 105 lb, and the figure that matters is not the absolute weight but its trend. Weigh the dog every two weeks on the same scale, at the same time of day, and write the number down: a loss of five per cent, which is 3 to 5.3 lb for this breed, is the earliest sign of most illnesses of old age and is nearly impossible to see by eye under a coat. A gain of the same order is just as informative, because carrying excess weight shortens the life of a dog with joints already worn.

If the weight drifts, change one thing at a time and give it a fortnight. Adjust the ration by ten per cent, not by half: a cut of 100 to 152 calories a day is enough to move the trend on a dog of this size, and a larger cut usually produces a hungry dog that scavenges. Keep the food, the treats and the exercise constant while you test, otherwise you will not know what worked.

When the calculated ration does not work

The figures on this page describe a neutered Borzoi at a healthy weight with the activity typical of a dog of 7+ years. Three situations make them wrong, and each has its own answer. A dog that eats the ration and keeps losing weight has a medical problem, most often dental pain, kidney disease or malabsorption, and belongs with a vet rather than with a bigger bowl. A dog that gains on the ration is usually getting calories elsewhere: treats, another member of the household, or a food denser than the one assumed here. And a dog that refuses the food outright is telling you about its teeth or its nose, not about its appetite.

Frequently Asked Questions