Every pet owner wants to give him the best. Therefore, most dog breeders prefer the first years of a puppy's life to feed him exclusively with natural food. However, over time, the preparation of individual dishes greatly tires a person. In addition, modern dry feed contains all the necessary nutritional components that are required by the animal. Among other things, veterinarians also have nothing against such food, arguing about what is better - food or natural food for dogs.
However, it’s not so easy to train a pet for a new feeding. The main problem lies not in the fact that a pet can refuse such a meal. Quite the contrary, dogs are happy to start to feast on crispy pieces. The problem is that with a sharp transition from one nutrition to another, an imbalance in the animal's body can occur. Therefore, before transferring a dog from a natural to a feed, you need to pay attention to a few recommendations. Let's consider them in more detail.
Phased transfer of the dog to dry food
First of all, it is worth paying attention to one important aspect. If the animal is already aged and has been eating all its life exclusively with what was cooked on the stove, then do not torment the pet. In this case, when deciding how to transfer an adult dog to dry food, it’s worth considering several times. The fact is that her body is already accustomed to one type of food. If you change the diet, it can adversely affect the health status of an aging pet.
It is also worth considering that the transition should be as smooth as possible. First, it is better to soak dry dog food for a month and gradually introduce the resulting mass into the animal’s diet. To do this, just take a handful of dog “crackers” and add about 2 of these portions of water. During this period, it is very important to ensure that the pet has constant access to moisture. Dry dog food absorbs a lot of water, so its amount must be constantly replenished so that the pet does not feel thirst and especially dehydration.
If during this period a pet starts going to the toilet more often, then this is completely normal.
If we talk in more detail about how to transfer a dog from a straight to feed, you need to voice a simple schedule. In the first few days, the diet of the animal should be no more than 75% of natural nutrition and 25% of soaked dry food. For 3-4 days, you need to reduce the natural cow to 50% and give the animal as much wet nutrition. The next two days, natural nutrition is reduced to 25%, respectively, the proportion of soaked dry food will be 75%. By the end of the week, the percentage of naturals is reduced to 15%. On day 9, the pet begins to fully eat dry food soaked in water.
If we talk about how many times an adult dog is fed, then, as a rule, pets aged are provided with food 3 times a day. It is preliminary recommended to divide the daily dose of feed into three equal parts. Younger dogs need to be fed more often, and puppies need about 6 meals a day.
What is better to feed the dog: dry or natural food
If we talk about the opinion of experts in this regard, then they recommend not to transfer the animal to "crackers" completely. It is best if about 20% of the natural diet is present in the dog’s diet.
However, it should be borne in mind that in no case should you mix dry food and naturalka. These types of food are very different. Because of this, different foods are not digested the same way. Therefore, it is better not to take risks. Thus, combined nutrition is considered the best. At the same time, a break between “crackers” and a natural woman should be at least 10 hours.
Who does not fit dry food
This topic worries many owners of four-legged pets. Before transferring a dog from a straight to feed, you should definitely consider a few nuances. The fact is that there is a risk that the animal may begin to manifest an allergic reaction to food. Therefore, at first, you need to carefully monitor the dog. If she begins diarrhea, diarrhea or vomiting, then it is worth stopping such feeding.
Also, itching of the skin, a sharp loss of hair and the appearance of dark discharge from the ears are usually distinguished among the signs of dry food rejection.
How to choose a feed
This point also should not be overlooked. Before transferring a dog from a straight to feed, you need to choose the best products.
Many give the choice to the pet itself. However, you need to understand that a pet can not always correctly determine which components it lacks. Therefore, when deciding how to properly feed a dog, you need to turn to the recommendations of veterinarians.
For breeds with poor health, it is better to give preference to feed marked “holistic”. For other pets, it is preferable to give premium or super premium food. It must be understood that the inscription "No. 1 in Europe" does not mean anything at all. All these slogans are the most elementary advertising move.
What components to look for
When choosing dry food, you need to carefully study its composition. Regardless of whether the food is selected for dogs of large breeds or for miniature pets, a large number of preservatives, soy and offal should not be present in the diet.
If the composition indicates meat flour, then this indicates that the diet contains natural meat products, but water is completely absent. This component saturates the pet's body with protein.
Ground grain is also useful. This component is the best source of carbohydrates necessary for the full life of a four-friend. It is also worth buying food, which includes rice. It contains a large number of useful trace elements and other nutrients that positively affect the life of the pet.
If we talk about how to feed a dog on a straight, then it is worth paying attention to several of the most common components.
Meat
Of course, this product must be present in the diet of the animal without fail. Dogs are recommended to feed lean meats. It is not necessary to choose the best varieties of meat products. Therefore, you do not need to buy an expensive tenderloin.
Pets of all ages can also be given horse meat, rabbit meat and lamb. However, you should be careful with the last two categories of meat, as they are considered quite fat. You should completely refuse pork.
Finding out how to feed a dog on a natural, many are interested in whether it is possible to introduce a turkey or chicken into a pet’s diet. You can actually give poultry to your pet. However, in this case, you need to monitor the condition of the skin of the dog, as some breeds may manifest an allergic reaction. You also need to remember that chicken should not be given to pets.
Boil meat is not necessary. However, to get rid of possible parasites, the product must first be frozen. In this case, the animal will not suffer from worms.
Some are afraid to give the animal frozen meat. In this case, you can scald it a little. However, it is not worth digesting it completely. In addition, it is worth considering that immersion of meat in boiling water does not destroy helminths. Therefore, it is best to hold a fresh product for several days in the freezer before giving it to your beloved four-legged friend.
Offal
The kidneys, hearts, and other internal organs of cattle can also be part of the dog’s diet. Sometimes owners of animals completely refuse meat, transferring the pet completely to offal. However, you must understand that these components have a lower content of nutrients and essential vitamins. On the other hand, such food is less calorie.
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that giving dogs a liver and lungs is not recommended. These organs are very poorly digested.
If the pet has never eaten meat, then it is worth starting this feeding with an unpeeled beef scar, gradually turning to beef.
Nevertheless, it is worth monitoring the reaction of the animal. If the dog refuses to eat meat, then it is not worth it to force feed it. The same applies to situations in which the pet is allergic.
A fish
These products can also be given to dogs. However, not every type is suitable for a pet. You can give dogs raw fillet of sea or ocean fish. It is not worth feeding the pet with river products, since they contain a huge number of parasites, which it is simply impossible to get rid of by freezing.
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that fish should not be bony. It is recommended to feed the animal with this food no more than 3 times a week.
Many pet owners love to go fishing with them, pampering their pets with a freshly caught catch. Do not do this, because in this case the dog can get sick and get very dangerous parasites.
Dairy products
If we talk about milk, then it will be useful to the animal only if its fat content does not exceed 9%. Cottage cheese should be practically lean. Its fat content should be up to 2%. If you violate these recommendations, it is very easy to cause diarrhea in your pet. On the other hand, giving your dog low fat milk products is also not worth it. Moreover, they do not contain useful trace elements.
Sometimes kefir has a laxative effect on the animal. In this case, it is worth changing the brand of the product and look at the reaction of the dog's body. If embarrassment recurs, then it is better to refuse kefir.
Dogs should not give fermented baked milk and sweet yoghurts. But there will be nothing bad from yogurt. However, you only need to choose a natural product. The shelf life of yogurt indicated on the label should be no more than 7 days.
Also, veterinarians are allowed to add starter cultures made from natural pasteurized milk to the animal’s diet. Such additives can be given along with cottage cheese.
What can not feed a dog
First of all, a pet should not give bones in any case. Some believe that this does not apply to chicken. In fact, it is small chicken bones that are most harmful. They can not only injure the esophagus, but also lead to an imbalance.
Also talking about what you can’t feed the dog, it is worth saying a few words about chocolate. The fact is that cocoa contains a huge amount of carbohydrates. In addition, chocolate contains additional additives that can lead to severe poisoning of the dog. By and large, pets should not be given sweets at all.
In addition, raisins and grapes should be completely excluded from the diet. The fact is that this berry contains special substances that provoke acute renal failure in animals.
If you feed your pet with garlic and onions, this can lead to anemia.
Daily ration
If we talk about how to feed a large dog, then it is worth paying attention to several recommendations of veterinarians.
First of all, the diet should contain fresh meat (it is best to give preference to beef). It is better to cut off excess fat so as not to stuff the animal with harmful food. Also, do not buy hooves, bones and lungs of cattle.
When buying meat, you must always ask the seller for a veterinary report. It should be written that the products have passed proper checks and do not contain dangerous microorganisms.
Buying the so-called meat for animals is not worth it. As a rule, sick or dead cattle go to him.
If we talk about how much meat should be given, then in this matter it all depends on the age of the pet. If a young dog lives outdoors in the winter, then she needs a lot more than this product. At home, you can give a little less meat.
It is better to cut food in small pieces, 1-3 cm each. However, do not grind food into porridge. The jaw of the dog should not loosen. The chewing process is good for the pet. In addition, ground meat, fish or poultry will be much worse absorbed in the body of both old and young dogs.
Offal to dogs is given no more than 2 times a week. Throat, udder and kidneys are recommended to be boiled.
It’s not worth it to feed your pet with fish every day. As a rule, fillets are given no more than 1-2 times a week. Before you feed the dog with fish, you need to remove all the bones from it. If they enter the pet’s stomach, it can cause damage.
Chicken meat should also be given no more than 2 times a week. The same goes for eggs.
If we talk about the total volume of food, then it is calculated very simply. If the animal is less than 6 months old, then per day the pet needs to be given about 6-7% of the food of its weight. Dogs older than 6 months require a little less - 3-3.5%. However, you need to understand that this formula is conditional. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the animal. Also, some dog breeds are more prone to obesity. In this case, you need to develop a pet diet with the attending veterinarian.