As pets age, we begin having owners expressing concerns over the fact that they don’t eat their food like they used to. Labrador retrievers that used to inhale their meals in a matter of seconds will leave food in the bowl for a day or more. As such, owners begin to get concerned that there is an underlying health issue. In some cases, they may be right. Since pets won’t tell us why they aren’t eating, we are stuck running tests to see. However, an older person was simply asked why they weren’t eating their favorite food anymore, there’s a very good chance they would say “I just don’t like it anymore”. The reason for this is that our taste buds change as we age. Between our 40‘s and 50’s, the numbers of taste buds decrease slightly, causing some subtle changes in taste. However, when we hit our 60’s (early 60’s in women, late 60’s in men…), the remaining taste buds begin to shrink. Interestingly, they regress in reverse order from how we develop them as infants. The first taste babies develop is for sweet. Evolutionarily, this makes sense as the body needs as much energy as possible when growing and craving high carb sugars will promote this. As kids age, they then develop tastes for bitter, sour, savory, and, finally, salty. In geriatric people, these taste sensations will regress in reverse order. As a result, many people in assisted living will only eat sweet items like ice cream and other desserts. Dogs and cats also undergo taste changes. It is hard to know for sure how this occurs, so research is ongoing. But, they seem to lose sensation in the same order as in people.
As I said, there can still be medical reasons for appetite loss. So, we will still need to run some tests like lab work and maybe some kind of imaging. But, if everything is normal, we then go on a hunt to find a new food. Based on the age of the pet, we will look at different flavoring options. Since salty is the first thing to go, we will look for low sodium diets. You can also add water to dilute the saltiness out of the foods. Beyond that, it is usually a matter of simply buying smaller bags of age appropriate diets to find one they like. Be sure to consult your veterinarian on both brands and formulations, as we have had many issues recently with foods that have been poorly developed.
As pets start nearing the end of life, we are usually adding things to entice them. Since sweet is the last taste to stay prominent, we will usually try different sweeting agents. I know this sounds strange, but adding different syrups and such to pet food can have a huge impact. We will usually start with something healthy and less-sweet, like apple sauce. But, by the end, we are often using simple syrup or similar concentrates. My last dog would only eat things covered in expensive Vermont maple syrup. Very spoiled….
As research continues, better flavors of geriatric diets will surely be coming along. Until then, call your vet for ideas to help entice your older pet.