Shepherd food

To maintain the health of the dog, nutrition is essential, which should be balanced in the content of BJU, minerals and vitamins. High-quality dry food contains everything you need. But you need to select them, taking into account the properties of the breed: anatomical and physiological characteristics, physical activity. Let's talk about the diet for a shepherd dog - one of the most common breeds of service dogs.

Today the market offers a large assortment of dog food, varying in quality and cost. Experts divide them into several classes.

From the name it is clear that these are the cheapest feed. They are also the most famous thanks to advertising. The amount of meat in their composition rarely reaches even 5%, but it is this component that should be the main one in the diet of dogs.

The rest of the ingredients are vegetables and cereals, as well as meat and bone meal and offal. Although economy class feeds are the most affordable, they are not suitable for permanent feeding of shepherd dogs, especially puppies. In addition to the fact that due to the lack of many essential trace elements and vitamins, such a diet will not be useful, it is also capable of causing harm.

This is especially undesirable for those types of shepherd dogs (German, East European), which have a physiologically relatively short digestive tract. Their feeding should be treated more carefully. Let's name several brands of this class:

• Pedigree;
• Chappi;
• Baron;
• Cesar;
• "Our brand";
• "Meal".

Such feeds have, perhaps, the best price-quality ratio. They are more balanced in composition and quite affordable. Meat and high-quality offal in them can be from 50 to 70%. The rest is grain and vegetable components (carbohydrates) and vegetable fats. The presence of flavors and preservatives is possible, but in small quantities.

For adult shepherd dogs, premium food can make up a full-fledged budgetary ration if you add mineral and vitamin complexes. It is best to select supplements after consulting your veterinarian. But such nutrition is unlikely to provide the normal development of a puppy.

The middle class line includes feeds:

• Advance;
• Dog Chow;
• Brit Premium;
• Nutra Nuggets.

But actually meat (not offal) they contain no more than 25%. Therefore, we will leave these brands in the middle class, although their quality is quite good.

These feeds are characterized by the fact that they are based on natural meat... Also in the composition there are vegetables and cereals in small quantities. There may be minerals and vitamins. When using only super premium food for dogs, no other additives are required. In addition, an excess of vitamins and macro- or microelements can even be harmful.

But not everyone is able to afford to feed their pet exclusively with such high-quality feed. due to the high cost of these brands... Therefore, many owners combine them in the diet of dogs with self-prepared natural products. In this case, some additives may be required, but they should be included in the diet strictly on the recommendation of a veterinarian. The most famous super-premium brands:

• Eukanuba;
• Brit Care;
• Arden Grange;
• Bosch.

Holistic products have appeared on the market relatively recently, but they are already highly appreciated by consumers and specialists. In general, their composition is not very different from the super-premium class, but there are important nuances:

• the food does not contain cereals, which the digestive system of not every shepherd dog can handle;
• on the packaging, the ingredients indicate which specific animal product is present (meat, fish or poultry), and most often - all 3;
• the composition includes fruits;
• medicinal herbs may be added.

Among them, you can choose suitable options for weakened or elderly animals, for pets, prone to allergic reactions or obesity or having any medical conditionsas well as for pregnant and lactating dogs. But the cost of such products is higher than the price of packages of similar weight in other classes.

Holistic foods include the following:

• Orijen;
• Acana;
• Pronature Holistic;
• Savarra;
• Grandorf.

It is difficult to answer unequivocally whether dry food is better or wet. The decision will depend on your pet's preference.

If we make a rating of dry food in terms of popularity, then the first places in it are likely to be economy class brands. This situation is explained by the fact that these products are inexpensive and you can buy them in any supermarket. And advertising, on which manufacturers spend a lot of money, helps them a lot.

But a responsible owner should pay attention to high-quality super-premium food and complete ration holistic, although their price is higher and they are sold only in pet stores and special veterinary pharmacies. Therefore, we will not additionally advertise cheap brands, we offer a quality rating of worthy products (indicating the approximate price range as of 2019):

1. Acana - 1200-1500 rubles. (2 kg);
2. Orijen - 1600-2000 rubles. (2.3 kg);
3. Arden Grange - 1100-1300 rubles. (2 kg);
4. Bosch - 500-650 rubles. (1 kg);
5. Eukanuba - RUB 500-650 (1 kg).

Baby dogs require a large amount of calories and various nutrients for growth and development, relative to their weight. For the animal to be healthy throughout its life, you should not save on nutrition for puppies. Manufacturers of super-premium and holistic feeds produce lines specifically for the younger generation of different ages, but it is impossible to immediately transfer pets to such a diet, you need to act gradually.

It is recommended to give dry food to puppies from about 3 months, but some breeders start to feed this way even earlier. If you use holistics suitable for age, consisting of small granules, this is permissible and even useful, but in this case there should not be a sharp transition. First, feed is introduced in the amount of 25% of the daily ration or slightly less. It is important to observe the reaction and condition of the little pet here. If all is well, after 3-4 days the rate can be increased by the same amount.

It should also be borne in mind that the food may cause an allergic reaction or simply not like the puppy. Then you will have to try to offer him another brand. The whole process of transferring to such food can take on average from 3 weeks to one and a half months.

The feeding rate is usually indicated on the package, calculated per kilogram of the animal's weight, it should be strictly adhered to. Puppies need to be fed more often than adult dogs. The number of feedings according to age is recommended as follows:

• up to 2 months - 6 times;
• 2-4 months - Five times;
• 4-6 months - 4 times;
• 6-12 months - 3 times.

From one year of age and throughout later life an adult shepherd dog is fed 2 times, no matter what kind of food she receives - homemade or industrially produced. The daily norm of dry food for an active healthy animal is 600-750 grams, which are divided into 2 doses. For a slow-moving, old or weakened pet, this dose should be reduced to about 500 g.

When using cheap brands that are not fortified with vitamins and minerals, in order for the dog to receive a more or less balanced diet, the daily amount must be increased.

Dog owners often ask the question: is it possible to use a mixed food system, that is, use both natural products and dry food. Some experts are strongly against it. But most veterinarians and experienced breeders find this to be acceptable. And everyone agrees that different types of food should not be mixed in one meal.

If you choose ready-made feed, the following recommendations should be considered:

• you need to buy products that are right for your dog (depending on age, health status, activity);
• try to acquire the same brand;
• if it becomes necessary to change the feed, it should be done no more than 1 time in 3 months;
• you should not allow a sharp transition to another brand, you should add a new product to the old one, gradually increasing the content of the introduced feed in the diet;
• you need to observe the drinking regime, there should always be another one near the bowl of food - with clean water;
• Always discuss the introduction of any additives with your veterinarian.

The following video will tell you about proper feeding of German Shepherd puppies.