What and how to feed the dogs?

Determining the type of dog feeding is an important and crucial moment. After all, the health, well-being, appearance and life expectancy of the pet will directly depend on how correctly it is selected and balanced. Currently, you can feed animals both with ready-made food, mostly dry, and natural, prepared with your own hands. Here we will analyze the features of each type of food, their examples, pros and cons in this article.

Recently, an increasing number of dog breeders believe that if an animal eats natural food, that is, prepared by its owner at home, then it grows strong, powerful and healthy. This statement is rather controversial. However, it has been proven that a properly balanced natural diet allows you to raise a truly healthy pet. But for this you need to know exactly what foods, nutrients and trace elements the dog needs.

All food products of these animals are divided into several groups, depending on which substances and vitamins they contain in the greatest concentration.

This is the main element of nutrition, it is he who is responsible for the normal growth and division of cells, and, therefore, for the normal growth, development of the dog and the collection of muscle tissue. Moreover, it is protein that is the only substance that does not have a cumulative effect. That is, it must be constantly present in the animal's diet.

Several substances are the main suppliers of protein.

• Dairy and fermented milk products. It is not only a source of protein, but also beneficial food bacteria. At the same time, sour milk should be present in the pet's diet from the moment he is 6 months old and until the very last days of his life. Whole milk is used for cooking cereals intended for feeding to puppies up to two months of age, as well as to pregnant and lactating bitches.

• Powdered milk it is permissible to use no more than 2 times in 10 days and in small quantities. And you should also know that it is forbidden to feed the dog at the same time with dairy and meat products at one meal (we are talking only about whole milk). The fat content of whole dairy products should not be lower than 7 and above 12%. If home products are used, then they must undergo a veterinary examination. Otherwise, instead of benefitting from natural nutrition, the animal will suffer one harm.

• Eggs. This product is not only a storehouse of protein, but also saturates the body with vitamins such as E, B2, B12, D. They also contain a large amount of useful polyunsaturated amino acids. But adult dogs are advised to include them in the diet no more than twice a week. The maximum daily amount is 3 eggs. For lactating dogs, puppies, animals after illness or surgery, chicken eggs in the diet should be replaced with quail eggs. They are given fresh or boiled.

• Meat, fish and offal. They are the main source of protein for dogs, their mass fraction in the pet's diet can reach 50%. Fish can be given 2 times a week, the calculation is simple - 5 g of this product should fall on 1 kg of animal weight. Marine fish species can be fed raw, river fish - only after long and mandatory heat treatment. Fish bones should be removed whenever possible, especially if food is being prepared for puppies. But the broth or juice remaining after cooking should be safely added to the rest of the products that make up the porridge.

• Offal usually included in the menu once a week. This group includes the heart, trachea, liver, kidneys, lungs, scar. They are given both in raw, finely ground form, and after they have undergone heat treatment. The main source of protein is meat. Preference should be given to beef, lean pork, rabbit and poultry. It is permissible to use minced meat or meat and bone, but only after heat treatment.

• Bones, only moslaki (for cleaning a dog's teeth) are allowed, as well as spongy or porous. Tubular and rib bones are potentially highly hazardous to the animal and should not be included in the diet, even baked or boiled. It is permissible to use them for cooking porridge broth. But for normal growth and development, the dog's body needs not a single protein, but other nutrients.

They are the main source of energy for the animal, and also saturate its body with fiber, which is necessary for normal intestinal motility. Cereals are their main source. The exact list of cereals should be determined by the veterinarian, depending on the age, breed and health of the animal. However, pearl barley, millet and corn grits should be absent.

The bulk of carbohydrates should come from cereals such as buckwheat, brown rice, wheat or barley porridge... They are boiled mainly in water. In cases of feeding puppies or pregnant and lactating bitches, they may be boiled in milk.

They should be regularly included in the diet of dogs.Some of them enter the body in the form of vegetables and fruits, raw or boiled (these products are also a source of useful carbohydrates). But getting the daily intake of vitamins and minerals from them is quite difficult, therefore it is additionally necessary to purchase special complexes of these substances if the animal is on a completely natural diet.

It is important to understand that everything should be in moderation, so the food should not be very fatty, not dietary. On average, a dog needs 10 g of fat per meal. They are sourced from fish oil, vegetable oil of all kinds, and sometimes good quality butter can be used in small quantities.

In addition to the list of required ingredients, there is also a list of prohibited foods.

• Pasta and white bread... These foods do not offer any benefit and are, in fact, a source of fast carbohydrates that lead to intestinal obstruction, as well as the rapid weight gain of the dog.
• Fatty pork, lamb and lard are also banned. These types of meat are difficult for animals to digest, and lard is generally pure fat.
• Spices and salt... Spices are foreign to the canine body and often cause allergies. Salt is a dubious product, and veterinarians have recently recommended giving up on it altogether.
• Sweets Are carbohydrates that have absolutely no benefit. In addition, they harm the teeth of the animal and upset the work of its digestive tract.

These foods interfere with digestion and cause bloating in dogs. In addition, they are simply not absorbed and not digested by the body of pets.

Preparing complete dog food with your own hands is a difficult, troublesome and time-consuming business. It is much easier to purchase a special mixture for pet feeding already ready to use. But here, too, the following nuances must be observed:

• it is worth choosing feed only from trusted manufacturers; budget food options should be abandoned;
• feed should be used in strict accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations;
• a special diet should be chosen for each dog breed, size and health condition;
• it is necessary to carefully study the composition of the feed; it should be free of ingredients such as flour, feathers, offal, preservatives and dyes.

If a decision is made to feed the animal with dry industrial food, then first of all you should pay attention to products from several manufacturers.

• Wolfsblut Are products of a German brand belonging to the category of holistic. The assortment includes products with various meat and fish flavors. There are also feeds intended for dietary nutrition of animals. The percentage of meat is at least 30 units. The composition contains no harmful additives and preservatives, the size of the granules is average. All ingredients have passed the strictest quality control.

• Brit Care Adult Large Breed Is a food specially designed for large animals. The composition is balanced, a wide selection of food with different tastes. The food belongs to the category of hypoallergenic, contains not only fruits and vegetables, but also special additives that help protect the pet from joint diseases.

• Probalance Is a domestic brand.A big plus of the feed is the presence of natural meat in the composition, and not meat flour. Affordable price, natural and safe composition. A big plus is the presence of an enhanced vitamin complex in the composition.

• Acana - a wide selection of different dry and even wet food for dogs of various sizes and breeds. The manufacturer's trademark is the presence of meat in the amount of 50% of the total mass of the product. There are no flavors or preservatives. The consumption of feed is economical, but at the same time the animal receives absolutely all the necessary substances.

• Almo nature Is an Italian manufacturer. In his line of food, he presents products for dogs of all ages and sizes. The composition is perfectly balanced, natural and safe. The food belongs to the premium category, although some breeders have already classified it as holistic.

• Happy Dog. The line of this manufacturer includes not only standard feeds, but also medicinal, dietary, and also suitable for animals of all ages and sizes. As with previous manufacturers, the feed of this manufacturer is balanced, proven in practice for its high quality and natural ingredients.

The first thing you should definitely pay attention to is the feeding regime. Manufacturers of dry dog ​​food indicate the frequency of feeding and the amount of servings on the packaging.

On average, healthy adult dogs are fed as follows:

• feeding frequency - twice a day at the same time;
• serving size averages 5-7% of the total weight of the animal;
• meals should be taken at least one hour before walking and at least two hours before bedtime;
• if one of the meals was missed, then the next time the serving size cannot be increased.

If the dog is old, then the conditions and diet change slightly, namely:

• dry food should be specially designed for older dogs; in it the granules are of a more suitable size and level of firmness, the composition is slightly different than that of food for young dogs;
• if the food is natural, then the volume of cereals in it should be reduced, as well as bones; but the share of cooked vegetables and meat that have undergone heat treatment, on the contrary, is increasing;
• the frequency of meals can be increased up to three times a day, while the volume of a single serving is reduced to 3% of the weight of the dog itself.

In addition, in older dogs, natural food should be quite liquid and include a large percentage of water, and the food itself should be as crushed as possible, practically rubbed into a homogeneous puree.

If before the operation the animal was fed with ordinary dry food, then after sterilization and castration it must be transferred to a special diet for such dogs. The best option is the products of the same manufacturer, whose food the dog ate earlier. Feeding frequency is still 2-3 times a day... The serving size should be indicated directly by the manufacturer on the package, depending on the age, size and weight of the animal.

If the animal was on natural nutrition before the abdominal operation, then after the surgical intervention it can be left the same. True, something will have to be changed in the menu itself.

It is strictly forbidden for such dogs to give boiled meat of any kind, sweets (even fruits with a high sugar content) and white bread. These products should disappear forever from the animal's menu and not appear in it in the form of even extremely rare exceptions.

About 1 time a week, the usual evening diet should be changed to a portion of any fermented milk product. It can be kefir or fermented baked milk. And for greater satiety of the dog, they should be pre-mixed with a small amount of low-fat cottage cheese. Such a change will help facilitate the work of the gastrointestinal tract and normalize its activity in general.

Even if before the operation the bitch's diet included other types of cereals, now the veterinarian must determine the appropriateness of their use. Therefore, the owner of the animal must definitely clarify this issue with him.

But on male dogs, castration has a much greater effect, since their hormonal background changes quite dramatically. Therefore, to maintain the health of the pet, it is necessary to make the following significant changes in its diet:

• in the first few weeks after surgery, food should be as soft, chopped and high in liquid as possible;
• the frequency of feeding can be increased up to three times a day;
• the average calorie content of the diet is reduced by 25%, especially the use of fats;
• the main source of carbohydrates is oatmeal boiled in water, but not instant cooking;
• in the role of fats, it is allowed to use sunflower olive or pumpkin oil;
• the source of protein is finely ground raw meat, once every 10 days it is allowed to give raw offal, every 7 days one of the meals can consist of raw sea fish;
• from vegetables, the use of carrots, zucchini and zucchini is allowed; from fruits you can only apples of unsweetened varieties and no more than 1 time per week.

Over the past few years, veterinarians and experienced breeders have reported that spayed dogs are easier to keep on natural food than spayed males.

Their health in the future directly depends on a properly selected diet for newly born puppies. If you plan to feed the dog only dry food, then first use semi-liquid ready-made mixtures with pieces of solid food as complementary foods. Within 1-3 weeks, puppies are completely transferred to dry food. Feed them extra natural is strictly prohibited.

In such mixtures, the manufacturer has foreseen all the needs of the pet's body.

If you plan to carry out natural feeding, then you should pay special attention to the following:

• the density of portions and their calorie content directly depend on such factors as weather conditions - in frosts, most of the energy is spent on heating the animal, therefore, the fat content of food should be slightly higher than normal; in the heat, on the contrary, the food should be less nutritious and more liquid;
• the frequency of feeding the puppies is 3-5 times a day; the older the animal becomes, the less often it is fed and the larger the portion is put on one meal; if the bowl of food is not empty within 20 minutes, it is removed before the next feeding;
• Puppies under 4 months of age should be fed within 45 minutes of walking to help them rest and recuperate faster.

During the first months of life of puppies, the basis of their diet is milk porridge, boiled and raw meat, offal in large quantities. The older the animal becomes, the more vegetables and protein sources are on the menu, the smaller - fats and simple carbohydrates. There is no colossal difference between the results of natural feeding of dogs and the use of industrial feed, but provided that all the subtleties and recommendations are followed, as well as the correct composition of the diet.

For information on how to feed your dog, see below.