Raw food for senior dogs and low fat raw

Older dogs usually need a little less food, the same amount of protein and more care over fat. Dogs that need to lose weight need the same three things with the numbers turned down further. Here is the senior adjustment with worked examples, the lean proteins, softer bone options and the conditions that mean a vet decides before you do.

Updated 31 October 2026
7 min read
Matches the calculator's senior mode

0.5% less than the adult figure for a senior

The short answer

For a healthy older dog, pick Senior in the calculator: it takes half a percent off the adult figure, with a floor of 1.5 percent, because most old dogs move less and hold less muscle. Keep the protein up, go leaner on the meat, grind the bone if the teeth are poor, add oily fish for the joints. For a dog that needs to lose weight, feed 2 percent of the target weight rather than the current one, on lean proteins. For kidney disease, pancreatitis or any dog on long term medication, talk to the vet before changing anything.

The senior adjustment, worked

"Senior" on this site means 8 years and over, and the adjustment is a starting point rather than a rule. A 9 year old collie that still works sheep is an active adult for feeding purposes. A 12 year old Labrador that does two short walks is a sedentary senior. The feeding guide explains the activity levels; the figures below are for a normally active dog.

Dog	Adult, normal activity (2.5%)	Senior (2%)	Difference per day
10 kg	250 g	200 g	50 g
20 kg	500 g	400 g	100 g
30 kg	750 g	600 g	150 g
40 kg	1000 g	800 g	200 g

Then check the dog, not the table. Ribs easy to feel under a thin layer, a visible waist from above, a tuck from the side. If the dog is losing muscle over the spine and hips while keeping a belly, it needs more protein and more exercise, not less food. Weigh every 2 weeks and move the amount by 10 percent at a time.

Protein stays up

For years older dogs were put on reduced protein diets on the theory that it spared the kidneys. That advice has been withdrawn for healthy dogs: there is no evidence it protects kidneys that are working, and older dogs lose muscle (sarcopenia) faster than young ones, so they need good quality protein to hold it. Raw diets are naturally high in protein, which suits a healthy senior. Where protein does need managing is diagnosed kidney disease, below.

Fat goes down, or at least gets chosen

Fat is where the calories are. Switching a senior from lamb to turkey as the base cuts the calories in the bowl by roughly a third without reducing the weight of food, which matters for a dog that feels hungry on less. The proteins guide compares all ten; here are the ones that matter for a lean diet.

Protein	Fat	Notes
Turkey mince with bone	Low	The practical base for most diet dogs. Cheap, lean, carries bone.
Skinless chicken, chicken breast	Low	Lean once the skin is off. Wings carry fat in the skin, so use necks or carcass for bone.
Rabbit	Low	Very lean, dearer. Good for dogs that also react to poultry.
Venison	Low	Very lean, dear. Freeze game 3 weeks first.
White fish	Low	Cod, haddock, pollock. The leanest option of all, low in omega 3.
Beef 5 percent mince	Low to medium	Supermarket lean mince. Avoid the standard 20 percent.
Green tripe	Medium	Moderate fat, filling, and dogs that are being cut back still finish the bowl.
Lamb, duck, pork belly, 20 percent beef mince	High	Save for later, or for a dog that needs weight on.

Trim visible fat, take skin off poultry, scoop marrow out of any recreational bone, and avoid pork belly and lamb breast. Keep oily fish in, in modest amounts, because the omega 3 is the one fat an old dog should have.

Bones and teeth

An old dog with a full set of teeth can carry on with wings and necks. One with worn, loose or missing teeth should move to ground bone, which every complete raw mince contains, so the calcium stays at 10 percent without the chewing. Chicken necks are the softest whole bone if the dog still wants something to work on. Watch an old dog that suddenly eats slowly or drops food: it is usually mouth pain, and a dental check comes before a diet change. The bones guide covers sizing and the stool signs.

Raw for weight loss

Agree a target weight with the vet or from the breed standard and body condition. A 30 kg Labrador that should be 26 kg is 15 percent over.
Feed for the target. 2 percent of 26 kg is 520 g a day, against 600 g at 2 percent of the current weight. Put the target weight into the calculator, not the current one.
Go lean. Turkey or skinless chicken base, bone at 10 percent, liver and organ as normal, white fish as a change.
Fix the treats. Carrot batons, frozen green beans, cucumber. Treats under 10 percent of daily calories, and count the dental chews, which are often 50 to 100 calories each.
Walk more, gently. Two shorter walks beat one long one for a stiff dog.
Weigh fortnightly. Aim for 1 to 2 percent of body weight a week, so 300 to 600 g a week for that Labrador. Faster loses muscle; slower is fine, just slow.

When the vet decides first

Condition	Why raw needs care	What usually happens
Chronic kidney disease	Raw is high in protein and, because of bone, high in phosphorus. Both are restricted in kidney diets	A renal diet from the vet. Raw only with a veterinary nutritionist formulating it
Pancreatitis	Fat triggers relapses. Marrow, skin, lamb and duck are exactly the wrong foods	Low fat complete, raw or cooked, with the vet. Strict about treats and scraps
Immune suppression (steroids, chemotherapy)	Bacteria in raw meat are a greater risk to a dog whose immune system is suppressed	Usually cooked or a tested complete while on treatment
Dental disease	Whole bones are painful and dangerous on loose teeth	Ground bone complete, dental treatment first
Diabetes	Raw is low in starch, which can help stability, but insulin doses are set against a consistent diet	Change only with the vet so insulin can be adjusted

Senior and lower fat completes

Nutriment sells senior and low purine ranges in the 1.4 kg tubs. Bella + Duke has senior recipes and portions for the dog's target weight. Tuggs is the cooked alternative for a household that wants to avoid raw while a dog is on treatment.

Affiliate disclosure: links to brands here are affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change the calculator results or the order brands appear in. How this works.

Sources

WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee, global nutrition guidelines and body condition score charts
British Veterinary Association, policy position on diet choices for cats and dogs
Feeding percentages and the senior adjustment from the calculator data file feeding.json, based on UK brand feeding guides

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much raw food should a senior dog eat?

Half a percent of body weight less than an adult of the same activity, with a floor of 1.5 percent. A 20 kg dog that ate 500 g a day (2.5 percent) as an adult eats about 400 g (2 percent) as a less active senior. That is a starting point: an old dog that still walks for 2 hours a day may need the adult amount, and a frail one may need more food, not less, to hold muscle. Check body condition every 2 weeks and adjust by 10 percent.

Do older dogs need less protein?

No, and the old advice to cut protein for every senior dog has been dropped. Healthy older dogs lose muscle more easily than young ones and need as much or more good quality protein to hold it. The exception is a dog with diagnosed kidney disease, where a vet will set a protein and phosphorus target. Raw diets are high in protein and, because of bone, high in phosphorus, so they are a poor fit for kidney disease without professional help.

Can a dog with pancreatitis eat raw?

Only with the vet on board. Pancreatitis management is about keeping fat low and steady, usually under 10 percent of dry matter for dogs with a history of it. Lean raw proteins such as turkey, skinless chicken, rabbit and white fish can meet that, and some owners manage it well, but a single fatty meal can trigger a relapse, and raw bone marrow and skin are exactly that. A low fat complete, raw or cooked, chosen with the vet, is safer than DIY.

What is the best raw food for a dog to lose weight?

The same food, less of it and leaner. Feed 2 percent of the dog's target weight rather than its current weight, choose turkey, skinless chicken or white fish as the base, keep bone at 10 percent, and swap biscuit treats for carrot and green beans. Weigh the dog every 2 weeks and aim for 1 to 2 percent of body weight lost a week. Faster than that risks losing muscle rather than fat.

Can an old dog with bad teeth eat raw?

Yes, with the bone ground rather than whole. Complete raw minces have bone ground in and need no chewing. Skip whole wings and necks for a dog with missing or loose teeth, and have the mouth checked, because an old dog that slows down eating is often in dental pain rather than off its food.

Is raw food good for arthritis in older dogs?

Indirectly. The thing that helps arthritic joints most is weight: every excess kilo loads the joints, and raw feeding makes portion control easy because everything is weighed. Oily fish or fish oil for omega 3 has reasonable evidence for easing joint inflammation in dogs. Beyond that, raw is not an arthritis treatment and the vet's pain relief plan comes first.

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