Victor Senior Healthy Weight Dog Food Review: Recalls, Pros, Cons, and More

Victor Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food is one of the most highly rated foods for senior dogs that we have come across. The ingredient list is perfectly balanced to provide excellent nutrition for older dogs whilst maintaining a healthy weight.  

Feeding a senior dog that has is not as active as it used to be and is starting to put on a little weight can be a challenge. But you don’t have to worry anymore because Victor has got you covered. Their nutrient-dense recipe contains no empty calories and every ingredient supplies vital nutrition. What’s more, the Purpose Senior Healthy Weight range provides just the right amount of glucosamine and chondroitin to support aging joints. There’s also L-carnitine which helps to convert fat and supports dogs in maintaining a healthy weight.

The problem with some other dog food recipes is that senior dogs find them hard to digest and they can contain too many carbohydrates and fats which can lead to weight gain. Victor takes a simple but balanced approach to their formulation and ensures that all the micronutrients for canine health are included. Responsible pet owners appreciate the attention to detail and the way that the food has been tailored to meet the needs of older dogs. Amongst the many health benefits that it provides are: immune system support, joint health, and lean muscle development. Here we will expand on the benefits and features of this range as well as the pros and cons and the details of how it can help your senior dog to live a happy and healthy life.

Best for Weight Control

VICTOR Purpose Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food

• Includes glucosamine and chondroitin, to help with joint health
• Cost-effective solution to weight problems
• Made from premium-quality beef, chicken, and fish meals
• Includes L-carnitine to help convert fat to energy

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Victor Senior Healthy Weight Benefits and Features

This dry dog food is great for senior dogs of all breeds because it delivers the following nutritional benefits:

• Nutrient-rich recipe that older dogs can use to build healthy bones and muscles
• Protects older joints from further wear and tear
• Promotes healthy and efficient digestion with probiotics
• Delivers L-Carnitine which stimulates the metabolism to convert fat to energy and control weight
• Promotes a healthy immune system to fight disease
• Ingredients to support healthy skin and a shiny coat

Victor Senior Healthy Weight: Pros & Cons

Where is Victor Senior Healthy Weight Made?

Victor produces their Senior Healthy Weight range in their specially designed facility in Texas, USA that includes a full-time food safety team. The purpose-built pet food factory was set up in the 1950s by the Glover family and is still owned and managed as a family enterprise. The factory is located in close proximity to where many of the ingredients are produced  

Victor Senior Healthy Weight Ingredients

The full ingredients list of Victor Senior Healthy Weight is as follows:

Beef Meal, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Whole Grain Millet, Grain Sorghum, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Menhaden Fish Meal (source of DHA-Docosahexaenoic Acid), Yeast Culture, Chicken Meal, Peas, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Blood Meal Conventionally Dried, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Carrot Powder, Tomato Pomace, Salt, Organic Dried Seaweed Meal, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Calcium Stearate, Zinc Methionine Complex, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Chondroitin Sulfate, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Silicon Dioxide, L-Carnitine, Selenium Yeast, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Copper Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Calcium Carbonate, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Vegetable Oil, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract, Inulin, Lecithin, Folic Acid.

Let’s take a closer look at the nutrients that some of the major ingredients supply. In the US, pet foods are required by law to state the guaranteed nutritional analysis on the label. The guaranteed analysis for the main nutrient groups for Victor Senior Healthy Weight is:

• Protein (crude) – min 27%
• Fat (crude) – min 11.5%
• Fiber (crude) max 4.5%

Protein

Protein is an essential element in the diet of all dogs and in this recipe, it is provided by ingredients such as beef meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, and chicken meal.

They need it to build strong tissue and to repair the damage. A dog’s body can also burn some protein to produce energy. This range has a reasonable protein content which is higher than some other ranges targeted at senior dogs and is within the range (28%- 33%) recommended for older dogs. It would also suit dogs of most activity levels.

You may have read that older dogs need a diet with less protein but this is incorrect. Advice from the American Kennel Club is clear that older dogs need more protein than younger dogs and not less. Loss of muscle bulk and strength is a major issue for older dogs and they need a lot of protein to help slow down that process. To maintain their muscle mass, older dogs need 50% more protein than younger dogs.

Fat

Fats are a concentrated source of energy for dogs and are also needed for the maintenance of body functions. Fat makes up a minimum of 11.5% of this range. This is a fairly average proportion for senior dog food and it is derived from animal and fish fats.

Carbohydrates

These make up around 44% of the recipe and are provided by grains including  Brown Rice, Millet, and Peas. This is quite a high percentage for carbohydrates in a dog food but is needed to provide energy when the fat content is lowered to control weight. 

The key ingredients for the health of senior dogs are:

• Meat and fish meal – rich sources of chondroitin and glucosamine which are both needed to maintain healthy joints in older dogs. Although additional supplements of these amino acids have also been added to the recipe.
• Pea protein – provides fiber for a healthy digestion as well as being an additional source of protein
• Alfafa meal – high in protein as well as Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Beta Carotene, Potassium, and Calcium needed for strong bones and essential body processes including immunity
• Flaxseed – a very high value ingredient for seniors that delivers high levels of omega oils. These are needed for maintaining cognitive function (which can decline in older dogs) and may reduce inflammation (common in many age-associated conditions such as arthritis) and helps to control cholesterol.

Which types of dog is Victor Senior Healthy Weight best suited for?

This dog food is suitable for all breeds of senior dogs. As dogs age, their nutritional needs change as they face new health challenges such as arthritis, cognitive decline, and dental health issues.

However, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has not issued any specific guidance on the nutritional analysis of senior dog food. This is probably because the needs of different senior dogs vary so widely depending on what health conditions they have. Some older dogs have kidney disease, some have heart disease and some have arthritis. You may even have a senior dog with all three conditions!

Having said that, this food is targeted at older dogs that are less active and this is often as a result of arthritis. Some of the breeds that are most likely to develop arthritis are the Labradors, Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers.

 Victor Senior Healthy Weight Recalls

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration publishes all of its recalls on pet products to keep consumers up to date with the safety status of the products that they are considering purchasing.

The recalls could be triggered by the company itself, by an FDA request, or by an FDA order under statutory authority. As of the date of writing, there have been no recalls published relating to Victor Senior Healthy Weight range which demonstrates that their dedicated food safety team is doing a great job.

Victor Senior Healthy Weight: Where to Buy

You can purchase Victor Senior Healthy Weight online. Take a look at the great deals on Amazon and Chewy.

Best for Weight Control

VICTOR Purpose Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food

• Includes glucosamine and chondroitin, to help with joint health
• Cost-effective solution to weight problems
• Made from premium-quality beef, chicken, and fish meals
• Includes L-carnitine to help convert fat to energy

Check Chewy Check Amazon

Victor Senior Healthy Weight Specs

This carefully compiled recipe contains the exact proportions of protein, fat, and carbohydrates that a senior dog needs together with targeted vitamins, minerals, and other micro-nutrients.

Recipe Formula

In their Senior Healthy Weight recipe, Victor offers us a nutrient-rich dry dog food with a careful fat to protein ratio and L-carnitine to help our older dogs shed their extra weight and keep it off. This is combined with glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints as well as prebiotics and probiotics for healthy digestion.

Safety

Pet food safety is a priority at Victor who employs a dedicated food safety team that carries out extensive testing of raw materials and the finished products. They also test their ingredients externally to check that they meet food safety standards.

The parent company that operates Victor (Mid American Pet Food) has been awarded the SQF Code for Manufacturing 8.0, the SQF Quality Code 8.0, and the FSC 36 Safe Feed/Safe Food in 2018.

Price

You can get a 5-pound bag Victor Senior Healthy Weight for around $14.95 and this is the best option if you are trying it for the first time. Once you know that your dog loves the taste and texture, you can stock up on the 15-pound bags for $28.99 or even the 40-pound bag for $61.99 but you can get an extra 5% off this price by setting up regular deliveries when you check out.

Victor Senior Healthy Weight vs. Wellness Core Senior

Both Victor and Wellness provide balanced nutrition for older dogs. Both recipes feature healthy sources of animal protein although Wellness has a higher (32%) protein content. It also has a higher fiber content. If you are concerned about your dog’s joint health, in particular, Victor has higher guaranteed levels of glucosamine and chondroitin. Also, it delivers L-carnitine for weight management which is not featured in the Wellness recipe.

Bottom Line

It’s easy to see Victor Senior Healthy Weight is popular with both dogs and their owners. It has supported many older dogs and allowed them to have a happy and active life by maintaining a healthy weight. It’s also the go-to food if you are concerned about arthritis in the joints of older dogs.

If you are transitioning from another food, it is important to do this gradually as it can cause intestinal upsets if done too quickly. Once settled on this recipe, it has plenty of ingredients to support intestinal health.