What is the best brand of feed for an older GSD (11 years old)? She is a bit on the heavy side and could do with loosing some weight. She isn't my dog, but is my mother-in-laws, and my enquiry here has just come about after my partner and I were talking about her in the car today. She is very active still (runs about playing with the younger dogs), but does occasionally suffer from joint stiffness in the winter months in particular. Since looking into feed for my own puppy, I have learned a lot about the relative worth of different brands of feed. Currently I feel she is being over fed by my mother-in-law (a can of meat with mixer buscuits, but the dry mixer may well be a complete in itself), and she feeds once a day. I feel it would be better to feed to smaller meals twice a day, and in particular a meal that would benefit her joints.
Any suggestions?

Also, what about glucosamine? Would this be beneficial, and if so, can you give the glucosamine oils from within the capsules you get at Holland & Barrett?

Arden grange add Glicosamine to theri classic adult food.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Wafcol do a senior hypoallergenic food in salmon and potato which is particulary good for gsd as they tend to have delicate stomachs. My boxer is fed on Wafcol reccommended by a family friend who is a vet!!Although this brand doesn't include glucosamine in its senior product I have found the the cheapest tablets on the net (I think) from www.Healthy direct.co.uk. They do a selection of supplements especially for dogs including Glucosamine for the grand old price of £6.99 (90 tablets) This also includes free delivery. My boxer sufers from Elbow OCD and this supplement works a treat.It is also free from any additives and is made for animal consumption so you dont have to worry about giving human supplements where the dosage isnt always suitable for dogs!!

I've just put my oldies on to Vitalin Senior/Lite which is salmon/potato based and contains glucosamine.  Its a new product of theirs and is just on the market.  I think its cheaper than Wafcol as well.

Whatever you feed bear in mind that you have no control of either the quantity or quality of the glucosamine  or any other addtions that is in commercial dog food.

There is no need to feed a "senior" or "lite" diet to the dog, any more than there is to a human!

Just feed less if she is overweight.  Feed a good quality food as well, having seen the ingredients in some cheaper foods being flour I hardly think that is a good idea for a dog.  It may be cheaper but you may need to feed higher amounts and as they say you cannot make a first class product out of third class materials.

Naturediet suits most dogs, but if she prefers a dry Burns, JWB, etc.

GSDs do not have sensitive stomachs, although they may, as we do, have problems eating specific items or foods that do not agree with them.

I would add Fish Body Oil for both brain activity and joint mobility and if you want to add glucosamine I would look for HC rather than the cheaper sulphate it is more easily assimilated.  In addition I would feed extra Vitamin E and Vitamin C, the former for a synergistic effect with the FBO and the latter to strengthen collagen etc.

All these are available over the counter from supermarkets or health food shops but DO check the quality, just because, for example it says Vitamin E does not make all products equal, some are synthetic and some are natural, the latter are twice as potent as the fomer.

HTH

I don't know how much problems some GSD's can have with certain foods when compared to other breeds in present times but in comparison with other breeds we had years ago, the GSD's I have do not have the greatest tolerance to certain foods. 

We tried Oscars, years ago and both of them had the runs day in day out.  Couldn't tolerant it at all.  Too much cooked meats etc will also give them the runs.  And when I say too much I mean anything more than a few mouthfuls per day. And that's both of them.

Mine did very well on Eukanuba LB for years, I put them on Burns on the advice of a Holistic vet but my dog had sloppy poos constantly that were just not firming up, and he was getting the correct amount by body weight.  He also lost weight and he was very lean anyhow so I've changed again.  He's on Hills JD now and doing very well on it with nice firm poos.  Not the diet I'd have chosen for him but it suits him very well and that's the main thing.  He's 10 now.

I guess the best food for an 11 year old GSD is the food that agrees with them, plus the supplements that Tohme has mentioned.