Older dogs have a decreased ability to handle the same poor-quality foods they might have eaten happily when they were young. So if you haven't done so already, now might be the time to upgrade your poodle's food. Switch to a better brand of food or, better yet, start feeding a home-prepared diet made with high-quality ingredients.

Whether or not you improve her diet, adding digestive enzymes can be beneficial (Prozyme is one popular brand). They'll help your poodle digest her food more thoroughly.

It might be harder to keep weight off your poodle as she ages. A dog's metabolism slows down with age, and her energy level might decrease as well. If you continue feeding her the same quantity of food she's always eaten, her weight will go up.

Obesity is unhealthy for your dog: it can lead to serious health problems, heart disease, joint problems, diabetes, even cancer. So do her a favor and keep her trim.

You might notice that your poodle is less enthusiastic about her food as she gets older. If you don't feed a variety of food, she might be just plain sick of it, in which case a gradual shift to different food might help.

More likely, however, her senses have diminished, so the food doesn't smell as good to her. You can help make her food more enticing by topping it with fresh food (if you feed commercial food). Or add some liver powder to it. Another possibility is that her mouth hurts, so she doesn't want to chew. In that case, feed her softer food (and see your veterinarian about her dental health).

If your poodle has a sudden and drastic loss of appetite, or if she is losing weight even though she's eating, take her to the veterinarian. These could be signs of serious illness.