The pet food industry has a knowledge gap — and it is aging into a crisis. Emma Bermingham, Ph.D., founder and head consultant at Ember Pet Nutrition, will address that gap head-on at Petfood Forum during her Tuesday, April 28, session, “Nutrition for senior pets: What do we really know?”
The short answer, she says, is not much.
“We know very little about appropriate nutrition for senior pets,” Bermingham said. “This is important given the incredibly long lifespans that our pets are now obtaining.”
Cats begin experiencing physiological changes at around 8 years of age, while the aging trajectory for dogs varies by size. Yet despite some pets now living into their 30s, no explicit nutritional guidelines exist for senior animals. Bermingham’s review of published nutrient analyses of senior pet diets points to a troubling conclusion.
“From published nutrient analysis of senior pet diets, it appears that current ‘senior pet diets’ are purely marketing-driven rather than formulated specially for our senior pets,” she said. “As an industry we should be aiming to do better to ensure, from a nutritional point of view, that our cats and dogs can age gracefully, as healthily as they can.”
The research that does exist on senior pet nutrition is limited in both scope and currency. “There is surprisingly little information about the nutritional requirements of senior pets, and what data is out there is relatively old and not always peer reviewed, and based on ‘old’ manufacturing techniques,” Bermingham said.
Aging pets have specific nutrient requirements
Her session will examine age-associated conditions — including cognitive decline and reduced immune function — that have shown responsiveness to nutritional interventions in experimental settings, suggesting aging pets have specific nutrient requirements that current diet formulations are not designed to address.
Looking ahead, Bermingham sees an industry at an inflection point. Many nutrients with potential to support senior pet health — such as omega-3 fatty acids — are already present in pet diets and are regulated, raising two key questions she believes the industry must confront: whether senior-specific nutritional guidelines should exist (her answer is yes) and what data is needed to establish appropriate minimums and maximums.
Generating that data, however, presents a practical challenge. “This is challenging as from a research colony point of view, most animals are retired once they get to about 10,” she noted, limiting the experimental control available for studying the oldest and most vulnerable pets.
A self-described felophile with 20 years of active research experience in pet nutrition across government and commercial organizations, Bermingham has made healthy senior pet nutrition an increasing focus of her work — and she hopes the industry will follow.
Bermingham’s session, “Nutrition for senior pets: What do we really know?” takes place Tuesday, April 28, at Petfood Forum 2026.
Petfood Forum and Petfood Essentials show dates are April 27-29, 2026, in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. To register or stay informed on the latest event developments, go to PetfoodForumEvents.com.
