This is a specific conversation about Senior dog food — what changes as they age — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Eight rejections in a row — that's genuinely exhausting, and I want to help you crack this. Senior dogs do have real nutritional differences: lower calorie needs, easier-to-digest protein, and ideally some joint support built in. But when a dog is turning their nose up at everything, the nutrition conversation has to take a back seat to palatability first. To point you in the right direction: what breed and age is your dog, do they have any health conditions, and what have they been eating — or refusing — most recently?
She's a 13-year-old Bichon Frise called Margot. No serious health conditions, just a bit of stiffness in her back legs. She's rejected eight different senior dry and wet foods over the past four months. I'm at my wit's end — she just walks away from the bowl.
inparticular.ai
Margot is a classic fussy small breed senior, and the stiffness tells me her joints need some attention too. A few things to know: Bichons at 13 often have a reduced sense of smell, which is a big driver of appetite — so texture and aroma matter more than ever. Dry kibble is frequently the first thing they go off. Can you tell me which of those eight foods were wet versus dry, and whether any of them got even a sniff of interest before she walked away? That'll tell me a lot.
Most were dry kibble — probably six of them. Two were wet foods, one from a pouch and one a tin. She sniffed the pouch one briefly but still left it. The tin she wouldn't even approach.
inparticular.ai
That sniff of the pouch food is the clue I needed. Margot isn't done with wet food — she just needs the right one. Tins often have a stronger, more 'industrial' smell that puts sensitive dogs off. Pouch-format foods tend to have a fresher, more meat-forward aroma, which is exactly what an older dog with a dulled sense of smell responds to. Given her age, small size, joint stiffness, and the pattern you've described, I'd try Forthglade Complete Grain Free Senior — the turkey with vegetables variety in the multipack trays. It's a natural, gently cooked wet food with a soft texture and genuinely high meat content, so the smell is appealing rather than off-putting. It also contains glucosamine naturally from the meat, which helps with her joints without needing a supplement. The trays are single-serve, so there's no waste and every meal is fresh-smelling when you open it. Warm it slightly — 10 seconds in the microwave — before serving, and that alone can make a real difference for older dogs.
That sounds really promising actually. Is there anything else I should do to help her eat, or is it just about finding the right food?
inparticular.ai
A few things genuinely help beyond the food itself. First, serve it at room temperature or slightly warm — never fridge-cold. Second, go back to basics with her feeding spot: quiet, away from foot traffic, no other pets nearby. Senior dogs can become anxious eaters and small distractions put them off. Third, don't stand over her watching — it adds pressure. Put the bowl down, walk away, and give her ten minutes. If she hasn't touched it, pick it up without fuss and try again at the next meal. Don't add toppers or rotate flavours yet — you want to give Forthglade a clean run of five to seven days so you actually know if it's working. If she's still not eating after that, that's when a vet check on dental pain or nausea is worth doing, as those are quiet appetite-killers in older dogs.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order the Forthglade multipack and try the warming trick straight away.
inparticular.ai
Good luck with Margot — I hope she surprises you at the first bowl. The warming trick alone converts a lot of reluctant senior dogs, so start there. If she takes to it, stick with it for a few weeks before considering whether to add any joint supplement on top. You've been very patient with her; hopefully this is the one that sticks.
