As the previous topic in our health protection series on animal health, we explored the subject of dangerous foods for our dogs with the help of our expert veterinarian. This month’s topic is still related to feeding dogs, and following from the previous discussion, we will cover important information related to a healthy diet.
Just like with humans, one of the most important aspects for the development and further life of dogs is proper and appropriate nutrition. The quality and composition of the food are important for keeping our pets healthy and lively. We dog owners must take care of all this. Everyone wants the best for their pet, yet serious mistakes are often made in feeding. These mistakes can be avoided if we are aware of them, but most people do not know these important facts. How do we know how to feed our pet correctly? I would like to ask our veterinary expert, Dr. Péter Hauberger, about this.
Hello Doctor!
The domesticated dog, like its wolf ancestors, is fundamentally a carnivore, which is why their main dietary components are meat and various animal-derived nutrients. To ensure that our adult dog lives a healthy, active, and happy life, we need to establish the right balance among the six main nutrients; water, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. Our dogs’ dietary needs vary not only individually but also by breed and age. First, I would like to ask some general and important questions regarding feeding dogs. Should we feed our dog once or multiple times a day? And how much should the dog eat?
Dogs are predatory animals. A characteristic of a predatory lifestyle is that they do not eat as frequently as we omnivorous humans. Once-a-day feeding is suitable for dogs. We recommend this after their active period so they have the opportunity to rest after eating. Puppies can eat several times a day, 3-5 times. From six months of age, it is gradually possible to transition to twice-daily feeding, and from one year old, once-daily feeding is recommended.
The amount of food depends on the dog’s age, adult weight, growth intensity, and activity level. It is recommended to provide food of appropriate quantity and quality according to the dog’s age and weight.
The ultimate goal of feeding a puppy is a healthy, disease-free adult dog. How should we properly feed our puppy to ensure they receive all the important nutrients needed for their development starting from the baby stage?
It is advisable to know our puppy’s expected adult weight since today’s foods are categorized accordingly. In addition, it is recommended to know the dog’s current weight so as not to give too much or too little of a given food. Based on this, it is sensible to choose good quality, complete food suitable for our dog.
How should we feed working dogs, pregnant, and lactating dogs?
Working and pregnant dogs require foods with higher energy and protein content. Active dogs have greater energy needs due to increased physical activity, which must be met through feeding. The pregnant female dog’s food requirements are significantly higher due to the continuously growing fetuses. We need to pay attention to increasing food quantity during the second half of pregnancy, especially the last third, ensuring it is richer in energy, protein, and vitamins. We must not forget the lactating bitch, who still draws on her own reserves to provide the necessary nutrients for the puppies. Here, a higher energy and protein ratio is also important, and in addition to vitamins, calcium should be provided as well.
What are the most common mistakes made in feeding dogs?
One common mistake is offering different foods and giving choices to the dog. A healthy dog, if not accustomed to picky eating, will eat everything that is put in front of it. If it does not eat it, and we leave it in front of the dog or offer other types of food, it will learn that it is not necessary to eat immediately at the first choice, hoping that the next one will be tastier. Therefore, it is recommended to offer the usual food to dogs at a specified time, and if they do not eat it, take it away after 10-15 minutes and offer it again at the next feeding time.
Another mistake is giving food not suitable for dogs. It is necessary to avoid feeding raw, too fatty, oily, spicy foods, as well as bones and cartilage. Many dogs are sensitive to these, and digestive problems can arise at any time with such foods.
Often, sudden changes in dog food can also cause digestive problems. This is especially dangerous for puppies going to a new owner, as their already sensitive stomach and intestinal flora can be disturbed. Therefore, gradual mixing and replacement of the food over 4-5 days is recommended.
It is important to feed according to life stages, establish regular feeding times, and consider the amount of food!
It is important to decide whether to feed the dog with commercial dog food or homemade cooked meals. Perhaps the simplest solution, which causes the least trouble for owners, is feeding with dry dog food. High-quality dog foods are complete dog meals that provide balanced nutrition on their own, as they are made with the purpose of serving as the exclusive diet for dogs. Dry food can be given dry or soaked in water. In Hungary, there is now a wide range of complete dry dog foods available on pet store shelves, from the cheapest to the most expensive, from the colorful to the dark brown, everything can be found in the palette. How to navigate between them, what should we pay attention to when choosing food? What considerations should be taken into account when choosing dog food?
The criteria for choosing dog food are the dog's expected adult weight, its current weight, and the dog's age and physical activity. Feeding pregnant, nursing, active working dogs, growing young puppies, or sick animals differs from the average.
Where is it worth buying quality dog food?
It is worth choosing quality food from places where the dog's owner receives proper information from knowledgeable professionals to navigate the variety of different foods. It is recommended to feed our dogs with complete, good quality food appropriate to their weight and age.
Important and noteworthy advice!
- If we feed our dog with commercial dog food, we must also provide an adequate amount of water alongside it.
- If we look at the dog food label, we should look for the following ingredients: chicken meat, turkey meat, fish, rice, potato, lamb, sunflower oil, vegetables. The ingredients at the top of the list are those that the food contains the most of; those at the end are in smaller amounts.
- One must ensure that the primary ingredient of the dog food is meat and not other derivatives. For example, if only chicken is listed as the main ingredient on the label, it includes all parts of the chicken. This thus contains skin, feet, in other words, not fully valuable nutrients. However, if chicken meat is listed, then only the truly protein-rich, nutritious parts are included. This ensures that our dogs get an appropriate amount of protein, not by-products.
- Dogs are carnivores and not herbivores, hence they need animal-based proteins. Animal protein sources include chicken, beef, lamb, fish, etc. Always make sure that the first 4 ingredients in the dog food are not some kind of grain, but meat or protein. Vitamins and fatty acids are also good ingredients: vitamin E, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids as well.
- The following ingredients are not good: protein mainly derived from the following elements: corn, chicken by-products, soy, gluten. These are difficult for dogs to digest and feeding such foods long-term causes illness in dogs.
- Very cheap dog foods are not made from good quality ingredients, so price can be a kind of starting point; always keep this in mind when choosing food, because the saying applies here as well: you get what you pay for!
- Be careful with colored dog foods, it is not advisable to feed our dogs with such dog food. The colored dog food kibbles do not indicate carrots and other vegetables; the many colorants only try to make the food more marketable to us. Cheaper foods usually contain various flavor enhancers to make dogs eat them more eagerly. If we want to preserve our dog's health in the long term, avoid feeding colored dog foods in our dogs' diet!
- It should also be kept in mind that the ingredients must be in the correct proportion to each other. Premium quality dog foods provide a more reliable guide for us in this respect! It is also true here that more expensive means better quality!
- 85% – 90% of canned foods is water, essentially it is like feeding our dog with water. Consequently, buying canned food is a waste of money!
- A good quality food is also reflected in how digestible it is. Most premium food packages and labels also contain this information, but we can easily determine ourselves how much the dog's digestive system can absorb from the given food. We can easily find out by comparing the amount of food consumed and the amount of feces produced! The less feces our pet excretes, the better the food's absorption!
Let us also talk about homemade diets. If it is balanced, homemade foods can be good for dogs. Instead of dog food, homemade food— but how? If we make food for them at home, what must it contain to avoid deficiencies caused by one-sided feeding?
Perhaps it is simpler to list the foods that are not recommended. The foods described in the previous article, dangerous foods should be avoided for dogs. Giving snacks and sweets made for humans is also not recommended. Furthermore, bony, cartilaginous, too fatty, and overly spicy foods should be avoided. If our dog starts gaining weight on homemade food, it is advised to reduce the daily quantity. When feeding with homemade food, try to be varied and avoid one-sided nutrition.
It is important that properly prepared homemade food is not the same as kitchen leftovers!
Heavily spiced leftovers are also not good for feeding dogs; never give spicy food to our dogs!
Important and to keep in mind! The ideal diet for a dog is one in which proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fibers are present in a balanced and appropriate proportion. If one or the other predominates, it can cause obesity, weight loss, diseases, and other health problems.
If we follow the above advice, not only will our dog be healthier, but we will also have fewer problems.
We thank Dr. Hauberger very much for his expert help; surely, the descriptions and good advice here about dogs' healthy diet and proper feeding will be useful to many dog-loving families and owners!
Please share this post with your friends and other dog lovers, as it may also be useful for them! Thank you!
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