About feeding dogs. Types of food. Tips and recommendations

When it comes to choosing the right diet for your little four-legged friend, it is important to consider various aspects of the animal, such as its health, breed and age. At the same time, choosing the right food does not only depend on what the animal likes to eat, because we all know how greedy four-legged friends are and how they always run to look for food when they receive a signal.
First, no matter what type of food is right for you, you need to make sure that food is nutritionally tested and analyzed and meets all the necessary standards.

What are the ingredients that should not be missing from a dog’s diet?

While each dog breed has different nutritional needs and sensitivities, there are some common ingredients that must be present in pet food, regardless of age and breed. What makes a particular food suitable for a particular age group or race is the proportion in which each ingredient is found.

1. The meat – it is the most important ingredient, which must not be missing in the quadruped’s diet, because it is the main source of proteins. Whether it’s chicken, fish, beef, lamb or game, you need to be vigilant and make sure your little four-legged friend gets his dose of animal protein at every meal.
2. Animal by-products – although many pet owners run away from this phrase when they see it on the food label for their four-legged friend, know that they are also an important source of protein. These by-products consist of the meat that predominates in the food. For example, chicken meal is made from chicken meat that is dried according to controlled parameters and then ground.
3. Cereals and carbohydrates – if the small quadruped does not have allergies or sensitivities to cereals, these are indispensable ingredients in the dog’s diet. Both cereals and carbohydrates provide an important supply of energy and also aid digestion.
4. Legume – vegetables are extremely important for the proper functioning of the body. Being a complex of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they will bring more health to your four-legged friend and help reduce the risk of diseases.
5. fruit – Just like vegetables, fruits also provide numerous health benefits for your dog. Furthermore, apples and blueberries are an excellent source of fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C. At the same time, blueberries can relieve urinary tract infections and are a real help for dental hygiene.
6. Fats – even if we avoid them every time we have the opportunity, we must know that among quadrupeds, fats are necessary for the proper functioning of the body and for correct digestion. These, in addition to providing energy, help the absorption of vitamins into the body. At the same time, the healthy and shiny coat is given by the fat content present in the diet. Therefore high-quality fats such as fish oil, canola oil, olive oil or Omega-3 and Omega-6 should not be eliminated from your dog’s diet.
7. Vitamins – being a real aid in metabolic, digestive and immune system processes, they help maintain the health of cells and blood cells. Since they are indispensable in the diet of quadrupeds, they should appear at the top of the list of ingredients, under the names of biotin, thiamine, riboflavin, beta-carotene, etc.
8. The minerals – Iron, potassium, zinc, calcium and manganese are also essential for the proper functioning of the quadruped’s organism, just as they are necessary for us.
9. What – last but not least, water is one of the indispensable ingredients in the dog’s diet. Its diet must contain a high level of moisture. If the diet is based on dry food, you must ensure that the quadruped always has a bowl of fresh water available.

Feeding of quadrupeds based on age

Because juveniles have a rapid growth rate, they have higher calorie needs than adult or elderly quadrupeds. Junior food must be fed until maturity is reached, i.e. 12 months for small and medium-sized dogs and 18 months for large dogs.

When it comes to feed junior dogs For large breeds such as Labradors, Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers, it is advisable to administer foods dedicated to them, because their growth speed is even faster than that of small breeds. The diet dedicated to large-breed junior dogs is made up of the nutrients necessary to regulate calorie and calcium intake and to minimize the risk of developing problems to which these dogs are subject.

Feeding adult dogs (between approximately 1-7 years, depending on the breed) require more attention because they are divided into 3 categories: neutered adult dogs, very active adult dogs and small or large adult dogs.

Neutered adult dogs they require a type of food that contains as few calories as possible because castration changes their entire hormonal balance. If your dog’s diet continues to be similar to what it received before surgery, there is a risk of weight gain, obesity, or other health problems caused by weight gain.

As for the food very active dogs, food must contain a large amount of protein and calories, because through all the activity they carry out in a day, quadrupeds expend a huge amount of energy. In some cases, these dogs may also be given natural nutritional supplements to supplement their daily diet.

Small dogs they are generally extremely energetic, and for this reason meat must predominate in their diet. Instead the diet large dogs it must contain, in addition to meat, supplements such as chondroitin, glucosamine or MSM, necessary for good joint development.

Just in case elderly dogs their metabolism becomes increasingly slower, which means their energy levels also decrease. Therefore, the diet of elderly dogs must contain a lower caloric intake, but it is also important to contain preventive supplements for joint problems to which they are subject due to age, such as fish oil, chondroitin or glucosamine.

Dog Feeding Tips:

• It is recommended to feed dogs in small portions, 2-3 times a day, rather than feeding them only once, with a large quantity of food.
• if you want to change the type of food the small quadruped is used to, the change must be made gradually, initially mixing a small quantity of new food with the old one.
• Adult dogs can be fed junior food, but junior dogs cannot be fed adult food as they need the nutrients in their food for growth.
• To prevent the quadruped from suffering from gastric torsion, it is recommended to rest the quadruped 30 minutes before the meal and one hour after the meal.
• avoid sharing the dishes you enjoy with your four-legged friend because there are many ingredients that we consume but which can harm him.