In order for a beautiful healthy dog to grow out of a fluffy little puppy brought to your house, you need to choose the right, well-balanced diet for him. After reading today's article, you will learn how to feed a shepherd and what to give a miniature lapdog.
General recommendations
Experts recommend feeding the animal at about the same time. This will help develop a specific pet walking schedule. Before deciding how many times a day your dog should eat, consult your veterinarian. He will talk in detail about how and how many times to feed a dog at different periods of its life.
Those who plan to give their dog “drying” need to remember how important it is that it be the same type of product from a trusted manufacturer. Indeed, unlike that of a person, the digestive system of a dog is not able to quickly adapt to replacing food. A sharp transition from one type of feed to another can cause diarrhea and other problems with the digestive tract. Therefore, the nutrition of adult dogs and puppies should not be too diverse. You need to train your pet for new food gradually. As a rule, the whole process takes about a week. This must be done by mixing the two types of feed.
What should be considered when compiling a diet?
First of all, you need to pay attention to the size of the pet. Even an inexperienced owner is very clear that a large dog will need much more food than a small breed.
An important role in the compilation of the dog menu is played by the temperament of the animal. Thus, active individuals consume a large amount of energy, which must be replenished. Therefore, frisky dogs need food with a fairly high content of proteins and carbohydrates.
It is extremely important to consider the breed of the pet. Some dogs are prone to diseases of the digestive system, so they should not be given certain foods. Representatives of some breeds are prone to brittle bones, therefore they need food with a high calcium content.
In order to properly balance the dog’s nutrition , its age must be taken into account. At different stages of life, the needs of the dog for certain substances differ significantly. For example, puppies poorly absorb complex and rough foods. Therefore, they need to be given gentle food. Active growth animals need protein, iron, and calcium.
A bit about dry feed
Modern pet stores present a wide range of similar products. High-quality dry feed will be a real find for those who, due to certain circumstances, are not able to cook on their own. It is believed that they contain all the vital substances. And some breeders are sure that the right “drying” is the best food. Many of them recommend dogs to feed such food. In this case, the pet receives all the vitamins and minerals along with the feed.
When choosing such feeds, it is important to pay attention to their class. The cheapest and low quality is considered an economy. For its production low-grade products and some artificial substances are used. Therefore, those who value the health of their four-legged friend, it is advisable to buy feed at least premium. Also, in the selection should carefully study the composition of the products offered. It is important that soy and other poorly digestible additives are absent.
Some manufacturers produce lines designed specifically for representatives of a particular breed. This makes life easier for those who do not know how and how to feed a shepherd or labrador. In addition, there is a division by age groups. So, in pet stores you can buy food for adult animals, adolescents and puppies.
Natural nutrition
This is the best way to keep your pet in good shape. And the vast majority of dogs will prefer natural meat to the highest quality “dried”. Those who are determined to give their pet such food need to remember a few fairly simple rules.
The natural menu should be varied and well balanced. It is important not to overfeed the animal, as this can be dangerous to its health. In addition, modern products do not always contain all the necessary substances. Therefore, in order to ensure proper nutrition of dogs with natural feeds, they should be given multivitamin complexes from time to time.
A few words about meat, poultry and bones
Low-fat beef, lamb or turkey is best for the dog. Chicken often causes allergies, so it should be given with great care. Since it is meat that is considered the main source of natural protein, it should prevail in your pet's diet. To protect your dog from possible infection with Toxoplasma or helminths, it must first be kept in the freezer.
Part of the meat can be replaced with offal. Natural nutrition for dogs involves occasional use of the scar, kidneys, lungs, heart, and liver. Animals are happy to eat all of the above foods. To increase the nutritional value of the dog’s diet, bone, fish or meat meal is introduced into it.
As for the bones, it is advisable to completely exclude them from the pet’s menu. They not only do not bring benefits, but also harm the animal. Veterinarians often have to extract sharp fragments from the gastrointestinal tract of four-legged patients. The only thing you can give your dog a nibble is raw beef mosles or cartilage.
Dog cereals and vegetables
Porridge is an excellent source of carbohydrates, so it is advisable to include them in the animal’s menu. Veterinarians recommend that dogs cook hercules, buckwheat and rice groats. It is they who are better than others digested by the canine organism and saturate it with the necessary energy. Occasionally, the nutrition of a furry friend can be varied with barley, corn, wheat or pearl barley. However, their constant use often causes digestive upsets.
To diversify the nutrition of dogs, it is recommended to add vegetables to cereals. They will allow supplementing the animal’s food with the necessary antioxidants and vitamins. When planning the menu, it is important to ensure that the amount of vegetables does not exceed fifteen percent of the total amount of food. Before putting carrots, pumpkins or zucchini in the bowl of your pet, they need to be heat-treated. In addition to the vegetables already mentioned, parsnips, bell peppers and beets are best suited for eating a dog.
Is it possible to feed pets with fish?
This is one of those questions that almost all inexperienced owners ask. This product must be present in the dog's diet, as it contains many beneficial substances. It is advisable to introduce him to the dog’s menu after the puppy is five months old. For feeding a dog, it is best to use pre-boiled and boneless ocean or sea fish. It can be zander, pollock, navaga, trout, pelengas or halibut.
It is extremely undesirable to give your pet raw river fish. It can cause helminth infections. In addition, excessive consumption of fish can lead to a deficiency of B vitamins. Therefore, it is recommended to feed the dog with this product no more than twice a week. It is extremely important not to mix it in one portion with meat.
Seaweed is very useful for the canine organism. They are considered an excellent source of phosphorus, potassium, sodium and iron. Therefore, it is also recommended that they be periodically entered into the four-legged friend's menu.
Puppies ration
Babies between the ages of two and six months are actively growing. Therefore, they urgently need high-calorie feed. However, you should not stuff the puppy immediately with all the goodies available in the house. Try to feed him at least during the first week of the animal’s stay in the new environment with what the breeder gave. Otherwise, you risk spoiling the baby’s stomach with a sharp change in food.
In the absence of clear recommendations, you can offer him raw meat. This is one of the few foods that does not cause indigestion. It needs to be fed in finely chopped form, since the stuffing is practically not absorbed by the canine organism. Very young puppies are usually given the so-called brace. It is a very frozen meat, cut into very thin slices.
In the diet of puppies under the age of three months, milk must be present. It is given just like that, added to cottage cheese or porridge. Later this product is completely excluded from the dog menu. This is due to the fact that the body of a grown animal ceases to produce an enzyme that breaks down lactose. From the age of three months, sour milk, kefir and other sour-milk products are gradually introduced into the diet of puppies.
It is important that the dogs ’nutrition consists of quality products, since many stomach diseases in puppies develop not because they picked something up for a walk, but because they fed him something that should not be in the diet.
Teenagers Menu
As a puppy grows up he needs less energy for normal development. Therefore, his diet should no longer consist of high-calorie foods. During this period, the active development of the skeleton begins, so it is important not to overfeed the animal. Otherwise, the dog will quickly gain excess weight, as a result of which bone deformation can occur. A teenage puppy should not be fat, because this often provokes the occurrence of rickets and dysplasia.
From the age of six months, raw vegetables are introduced into the dog's diet, no longer crushed to a puree state. From this moment, they are simply rubbed on a grater, and the meat is cut into larger pieces. As for dairy products, they should still be present on the menu. With age, the nutrition of dogs no longer changes, only the ratio of the main components is subjected to further adjustment.
The diet of an adult and an aging animal
The standard menu for dogs that have come of adolescence should consist of chopped beef, low-fat cottage cheese, vegetables and vegetable oil. It is also important to periodically introduce vitamin-mineral supplements into the diet of animals.
As for cereals, it is desirable to completely exclude them from the dog’s diet. However, in case of emergency, it can be given along with meat. It is better if the diet for dogs is monotonous. Experts do not recommend changing the usual set of products too often. The animal feed should not be too hot or too cold.
An aging pet is advised to limit fat intake and increase fiber. Therefore, grated vegetables and raw meat should prevail in his diet. For dogs of advanced age it is cut into smaller pieces, since most of them have problems with their teeth. Also, it is advisable for the dog to periodically give fat-free cottage cheese and kefir.
Features of feeding miniature dogs
Representatives of small breeds, which include yorkies, dachshunds, Pomeranian spitz and chihuahua, need a well-balanced diet that allows you to replenish the energy spent. By analogy with larger brothers, these dogs belong to the wolf family. Therefore, they need protein found in eggs, fish, meat, offal and sour milk.
In addition, toy terriers, yorkies and dachshunds are prone to heart disease. Therefore, proper nutrition for dogs of small breeds should include vitamin-mineral complexes with a high content of calcium and fluoride. In the diet of such animals must be present eggs, meat, fish, cereals, carrots, vegetable oil and cottage cheese. From cereals they can be given oats, buckwheat, oatmeal and rice. Cottage cheese is recommended to be diluted with a small amount of milk.
As for meat, it can be given both raw and boiled. Best for feeding small breeds, turkey, chicken, lamb and beef are suitable. It is important that there is no fat or bones in it.
Features of the diet of middle breeds
First of all, you need to figure out which dogs can be attributed to this group. Among the middle breeds are animals whose weight ranges from twelve and a half to twenty-five kilograms. These are Labradors, Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Likes, Collies and Husky.
Most of these dogs have a moving temperament and need great physical exertion. Therefore, the proper nutrition of the dog should include lamb, beef, rice, oatmeal, carrots, cabbage and dairy products.
Porridge for such animals is boiled in water or low-fat broth. Millet, buckwheat, rice and hercules are considered to be excellent sources of carbohydrates. Therefore, such food will make it possible to replenish the energy costs of the four-legged pet. As for cottage cheese and dairy products, they are needed in order to establish normal digestion of the animal.
Large dog food
This group includes Rottweilers, Great Dane, St. Bernards, Setters, Mastiffs, Alabai, German and Caucasian Shepherds. The weight of representatives of these breeds exceeds forty kilograms. Therefore, they need high-quality and properly balanced nutrition.
To provide the animal with all the necessary vitamins and minerals, it is not enough to give him one meat. For dogs, it is important to get cottage cheese, which contains a large amount of calcium. Also, representatives of large breeds must be given vegetables, low-fat fish, cereals, eggs and sour-milk products.
What can not be fed a dog?
Having figured out what should be included in the dog’s diet, you need to say a few words about what absolutely should not be on its menu. If you do not want to harm your four-legged friend, then try to remember a fairly short list of prohibited foods. Unlike people, pets practically do not absorb some of the components, so they are not recommended for shaggy pets.
Dogs should not be fed potatoes, legumes, sweets, tubular bones, pickles, mushrooms, cabbage and onions. Also, a ban is imposed on citrus fruits, marinades, sausages and flour products. Even if the above products do not harm the animal, they will not bring him much benefit. It is also strictly forbidden to give four-legged pets human food, including soups, borscht and meatballs.