| “We are what we eat” is a well-
known saying and holds true for our dogs too. It is therefore
important to ensure a befitting diet for your dog. Every dog
needs to be fed appropriately- consider his breed, his age,his
level of stress and exercise and the weather conditions. You
need to find out what is the ideal weight for your dog’s
type and then try and remain more or less at that weight.
If your dog is below the ideal weight increase the quantity
of food gradually until she has reached the desired weight
and if she is overweight, reduce the amount of food gradually.
This should help maintain the ideal weight as long as your
dog gets the required exercise, of course.
It is necessary to maintain the ideal weight if you want
your dog to be healthy. Underweight dogs will develop poor
muscle tone, suffer from metabolic and reproductive diseases
and from deferred healing. Overweight dogs suffer from arthritis,
metabolic diseases and have more skin problems too. Both conditions
show a general loss of energy.
If your dog has bright eyes, a shiny coat, a good appetite
and a good energy level, chances are his diet is fine. It
is best to take advice from your dog’s breeder or from
the vet before choosing your dog’s diet. Weigh your
dog at least once a month. Remember, the same diet may not
work if there is a change in location, weather conditions,
exercise pattern or age and therefore you need to constantly
check with your vet to confirm that your dog’s diet
is correct.
Meals:
Individual dogs vary in how much they should eat to maintain
the desired body weight- not to fat, but not too thin either.
Puppies need several meals a day, while older dogs may only
need one. Determine how much food keeps your adult dog looking
and feeling the best. Then decide how many meals you would
like to feed with that amount. Like us, most dogs love to
eat, and offering two meals a day is more enjoyable for them,
so we suggest you follow this. If you’re worried about
overfeeding, make sure you measure correctly and abstain from
adding supplements or too many treats to her meals.
Whether you feed your dog one or two meals a day, only leave
your dogs food out for the amount of time it takes her to
eat it – around ten minutes. Free feeding (when food
is available at any time) and leisurely meals encourage picky
eating and soon you will have a fussy eater on your hands.
Don’t worry if your dog doesn’t finish all his
dinner in the allotted time, he’ll learn he should when
he finds that his food disappears after some time.
Types of Food:
Today, there is commercially available dog food, that takes
into account the requirement of dogs. Most quality foods come
in puppy, adult, maintenance, high-test or performance for
skin and coat problems and in senior or light form. There
are three types of dog food available today- dry, canned and
semi-moist. Various types of treats and food supplements are
also available. Let us find out a little more about these
foods.
Canned Food: This is more palatable and has a higher
level of moisture as compared to dry food. Since this is more
expensive than dry food, owners feed smaller dogs with this
food although since their teeth are more closely arranged,
this could lead to food getting stuck between teeth.
Dry Food: As the name suggests, the moisture content
is low. Due to the dryness, the dog gets some amount of mouth
exercise while eating this and also reduces the chances of
food getting stuck between the teeth. It is also economical
and convenient and therefore chosen by most owners.
Semi-moist Food: This food has the right flavor for
your dog and is also convenient. However, they tend to contain
excessive amounts of salts and sugars besides artificial colors
and preservatives and are therefore avoided by most owners.
The sugars also increase dental problems.
Dry and canned foods contain similar ingredients but the
moisture content between them differs. By moisture, we mean
water, blood and broth. Most owners give their dogs a 25%
canned and a 75% dry diet so dogs have the benefit of both.
Dog Treats: These come in various sizes, shapes and
flavors ranging from organic cookies to beef sticks. Quality
treats are nutritious and also provide additional benefits.
The development of plaque and tartar can be reduced with dog
biscuit treats; rawhide treats are good for teeth and they
are a good past time for a dog, and liver products contain
good nutrients. Treats make a good reward while training dogs
but never go aboard with these. Some owners add treats into
their dog's regular meal size to avoid overindulgence. Avoid
giving your dog bones that chip easily or fatty and greasy
foods, chocolate is strictly a no-no.
Food Supplements: By supplements we mean, vitamins
and minerals. Be careful about giving these supplements especially
to growing puppies as they are known to develop musculoskeletal
disorders due to over supplementation. If you have any concerns
about the nutritional quality of the food you’re feeding,
discuss them with your vet. The decision to supplement diets
should be taken only after a discussion with your vet.
Kindly note that you do not need supplements if,
- You have chosen a correct diet depending on the weather
conditions, your dog's age, stress levels, etc.
- You find your dog alert, healthy-looking and neither overweight
nor underweight
Have I made the right choice?
With so many choices available in the market, how can you
be sure you are feeding your dog the right food? First of
all, you will have to decide on what your dog needs and how
much of it does she need. Once you know this, all you need
to do is check the label for details- the information is all
there.
Tips on reading the dog food label:
- Look for the nutritional claim and check if the food is
100% "nutritionally complete". If so, the food
is prepared for nearly all life stages of growth. If the
food is especially made for early development or senior
dogs, it will be marked accordingly.
- Look for the highest-quality ingredients, like meats,
fish and grains, to be among them. Ingredients are listed
in descending order by weight. The first three or four ingredients
will tell you the bulk of what the food contains. Try and
get food that contains meat or fish as the second or third
ingredient.
- Look for the amount of protein, fat, fiber and moisture,
in that order found under the Guaranteed Analysis (a list
providing the percentages of ingredients present in the
food minus the moisture). While these numbers are meaningful,
they won’t tell you much about the quality of food.
Note that nutritional value is in the dry matter and not
in the moisture content.
Choosing the right type of food:
It is equally important to choose the right type of food for
your dog. Bacteria within the digestive system help break
down food. While deciding upon the right food for your dog,
don’t try too many types and brands of food one after
the other as this can affect the dog’s digestive tract.
Once you have found a brand that suits your dog (within a
month you will notice the bright eyes, shiny coat and other
good signs), stick to it unless you need to change it. If
you need to change it, begin with mixing the old food with
the new food in a ratio that begins with less of the new food
and more of the old food. Over a period of 10 to 12 days,
let the ratio tilt the other way- more of new food and less
of old food until the old food is completely substituted by
new food. During the course of this change, if you find unhealthy
symptoms, a vet needs to be contacted immediately.
Striking the right balance:
Here are a few steps to help you maintain the right diet for
your dog:
- Choose quality food only
- Find out the ideal weight for your dog type (factoring
in breed and age) so you can aim to keep your dog within
these limits
- Decide on the amount fo food required to reach or maintain
the ideal weight. Consider the recommendations on the food
pack to roughly estimate the amount and frequency of the
meal. We suggest that you don’t rely completely on
this information as it usually does not take into consideration
the breed type, weather conditions, energy levels, etc.
- Increase or decrease the amount of food depending on your
dog’s activity level and housing environment
- Weigh your dog regularly and adjust the feed gradually
until the dog reaches the required weight
- Once you have reached the ideal weight maintain the amount
of food until one of the factors change
- Check your dog’s weight at least once a month to
ensure no adjustments are required
- You may want to check with your vet to ensure that everything
is as required in the diet of your dog
- Although you may feel tempted to give a few table scraps
to your dog, think twice. Table scraps are the cause of
digestive disorders like loose stools, bad gas, etc. Your
food does not cater to the nutritional requirements of your
dog and will only provide calories that will lead to your
dog being overweight. In some time you will find that your
dog dislikes his own food and will only want human food
and once your dog is here, it will be extremely difficult
to get him to eat dog food again. Moreover, your dog will
always expect table scraps which you may not want as not
everyone likes to have dogs around while eating. Your dog
may soon begin stealing human food if left unattended. Choose
dog treats instead.
Kindly note that the requirements of pregnant and nursing
dogs will usually be different. Moreover, the diet requirements
of a pup or a senior dog will greatly differ from a dog in
her prime.
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