Food for dogs of large and small breeds. Complete nutrition for dogs. Meat for dogs

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

In order for a fluffy little puppy brought into your home to grow into a beautiful he althy dog over time, you need to choose the right, well-balanced diet for him. After reading today's article, you will learn how to feed a shepherd dog and what to give a miniature lapdog.

General recommendations

Experts recommend feeding the animal at about the same time. This will help develop a specific schedule for walking your pet. Before deciding how many times a day your dog should eat, check with your veterinarian. He will tell you in detail about what and how many times to feed the dog at different periods of its life.

Those who plan to give their dog “drying” need to remember how important it is to have the same type of product from a trusted manufacturer. After all, unlike that of a person, the digestive system of a dog is not able to quickly adapt to replacing food. A sharp transition from one type of food to another can provoke diarrhea and other problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the diet of adult dogs and puppies should not be too varied. You need to gradually accustom your pet to a new food. As a rule, allthe process takes about a week. This must be done by mixing two types of feed.

What should be considered when compiling a diet?

First of all, you need to pay attention to the size of the pet. Even the inexperienced owner is clear that a large dog will need much more food than a small breed.

An important role in the preparation of the dog's menu is played by the temperament of the animal. Thus, active individuals consume a large amount of energy that needs to be replenished. Therefore, frisky dogs need food with a fairly high content of proteins and carbohydrates.

It is extremely important to consider the breed of a pet. Some dogs are predisposed to digestive diseases, so certain foods should not be given to them. Some breeds are prone to brittle bones and require a high calcium diet.

In order to properly balance the nutrition of a dog, it is necessary to take into account its age. At different stages of life, the needs of the dog for certain substances differ significantly. For example, puppies do not digest complex and rough foods well. Therefore, they need to be given sparing food. Animals in the active growth stage need protein, iron and calcium.

A little about dry food

Modern pet stores offer a wide range of similar products. High-quality dry food will be a real find for those who, due to certain circumstances, do not have the opportunity to cook on their own. It is believed that theycontains all vital substances. And some breeders are sure that the right “drying” is the best food. Dogs are recommended to feed such food by many of them. In this case, the pet gets all the vitamins and minerals along with the food.

When choosing such feeds, it is important to pay attention to their class. The economy is considered the cheapest and low-quality. For its production, low-grade products and some artificial substances are used. Therefore, for those who value the he alth of their four-legged friend, it is advisable to buy food of at least premium class. Also, when choosing, you should carefully study the composition of the products offered. It is important that it does not contain soy and other poorly digestible additives.

Some manufacturers produce lines designed specifically for representatives of a particular breed. This makes life very easy for those who do not know how and what to feed a shepherd or a Labrador. In addition, there is also a division by age groups. So, in pet stores you can buy food for adult animals, teenagers and puppies.

Natural nutrition

This is the best way to keep your pet in top physical condition. And the vast majority of dogs will prefer natural meat to the highest quality “drying”. Those who are determined to give their pet such food need to remember a few fairly simple rules.

Natural menu should be varied and well balanced. Important notoverfeed the animal, as this can be dangerous to his he alth. In addition, modern products do not always contain all the necessary substances. Therefore, in order to ensure proper nutrition of dogs with natural food, you should periodically give them multivitamin complexes.

A few words about meat, poultry and bones

Lean beef, lamb or turkey is best for a dog. Chicken often causes allergies, so it must be given with great care. Since meat is considered the main source of natural protein, it should prevail in your pet's diet. To protect your dog from possible infection with Toxoplasma or helminths, it should first be kept in the freezer.

Part of the meat can be replaced with offal. Natural nutrition for dogs involves the periodic use of the rumen, kidneys, lungs, heart and liver. Animals are happy to eat all of the above products. To increase the nutritional value of the dog's diet, bone, fish or meat meal is introduced into it.

As for the bones, it is desirable to completely exclude them from the pet menu. They not only do not bring benefits, but also harm the animal. Veterinarians often have to remove sharp fragments from the gastrointestinal tract of four-legged patients. The only thing you can give your dog to chew on is raw beef moss or cartilage.

Grains and vegetables in the dog's diet

Porridges are an excellent source of carbohydrates, so theyit is desirable to include the animal in the menu. Veterinarians recommend cooking herculean, buckwheat and rice groats for dogs. It is they who are better than others digested by the dog's body and saturate it with the necessary energy. Occasionally, the food of a furry friend can be diversified with barley, corn, wheat or barley porridge. However, their constant use often causes indigestion.

To diversify the food of dogs a little, it is recommended to add vegetables to cereals. They will allow you to supplement the animal's food with the necessary antioxidants and vitamins. When planning a menu, it is important to ensure that the amount of vegetables does not exceed fifteen percent of the total food. Before you put carrots, pumpkins or zucchini in your pet's bowl, they need to be cooked. In addition to the vegetables already mentioned, parsnips, bell peppers and beets are the best food for a dog.

Can I feed fish to pets?

This is one of those questions that almost all inexperienced owners ask. This product should be present in the dog's diet, as it contains many useful substances. It is advisable to introduce it into the dog menu after the puppy is five months old. For feeding a dog, it is best to use pre-boiled and deboned ocean or sea fish. It can be pike perch, pollock, navaga, trout, pelengas or halibut.

It is highly undesirable to give your pet rawriver fish. It can cause worm infestation. In addition, excessive consumption of fish can lead to a deficiency of B vitamins. Therefore, it is recommended to feed the dog with this product no more than twice a week. However, it is extremely important not to mix it in one serving with meat.

Seaweed is very useful for the dog's body. They are considered an excellent source of phosphorus, potassium, sodium and iron. Therefore, it is also recommended to periodically enter them into the menu of a four-legged friend.

Puppy Diet

Babies between the ages of two and six months are actively growing. Therefore, they are in dire need of high-calorie feed. However, you should not stuff the puppy at once with all the delicacies available in the house. Try at least during the first week of the animal's stay in a new environment to feed it with what the breeder gave. Otherwise, you risk spoiling the baby's stomach with a sharp change in food.

In the absence of clear recommendations, you can offer him raw meat. It is one of the few foods that does not cause stomach upset. It must be fed in finely chopped form, since minced meat is practically not absorbed by the dog's body. Very young puppies are usually given the so-called bracket. It is a heavily frozen meat cut into very thin slices.

In the diet of puppies under the age of three months, there must be milk. It is given just like that, added to cottage cheese or porridge. Later, this product is completely excluded from the dog menu. This is due to the fact that the body of a grown animalstops producing an enzyme that breaks down lactose. From the age of three months, yogurt, kefir and other fermented milk products are gradually introduced into the diet of puppies.

It is important that a dog's diet consists of quality products, since many stomach diseases in puppies develop not because they picked up something on a walk, but due to the fact that he was fed something that was not should be in the diet.

Teens Menu

As your puppy grows, he needs less and less energy for normal development. Therefore, his diet should no longer consist of high-calorie foods. During this period, the active development of the skeleton begins, so it is important not to overfeed the animal. Otherwise, the dog will quickly gain excess weight, as a result of which deformation of the bones may occur. A teenage puppy should not be fat, because this often provokes the occurrence of rickets and dysplasia.

From the age of six months, raw vegetables are introduced into the diet of the dog, no longer crushed to a state of puree. From this point on, they are simply rubbed on a grater, and the meat is cut into larger pieces. As for fermented milk products, they should still be on the menu. With age, the nutrition of dogs no longer changes, only the ratio of the main components is subjected to further adjustment.

The diet of an adult and aging animal

The standard menu for dogs past adolescence should consist of chopped beef, low-fat cottage cheese, vegetables and vegetable oil. It is also important to periodically introduce vitamin and mineral supplements into the diet of animals.top dressing.

As for cereals, it is desirable to completely exclude them from the dog's diet. However, in case of emergency, it can be given along with meat. It is better if the diet food for dogs is monotonous. Experts do not recommend changing the usual set of products too often. Animal food should not be too hot or too cold.

An aging pet is advised to limit their fat intake and increase their fiber intake. Therefore, grated vegetables and raw meat should prevail in his diet. For older dogs, it is cut into smaller pieces, since most of them have problems with their teeth. It is also advisable for the dog to periodically give low-fat cottage cheese and kefir.

Peculiarities of feeding miniature dogs

Small breeds like Yorkies, Dachshunds, Pomeranians and Chihuahuas need a well-balanced diet to replenish their energy. By analogy with larger brothers, these dogs belong to the wolf family. Therefore, they require protein found in eggs, fish, meat, offal and sour milk.

In addition, Toy Terriers, Yorkies and Dachshunds are prone to heart disease. Therefore, proper nutrition for small breed dogs should include vitamin and mineral complexes with a high content of calcium and fluorine. The diet of such animals must contain eggs, meat, fish, cereals, carrots, vegetable oil and cottage cheese. From cereals, they can be given oats, buckwheat, oatmeal and rice. Curd is recommended to be dilutedsome milk.

As for meat, it can be given both raw and boiled. Turkey, chicken, lamb and beef are best for feeding small breeds. It is important that it does not contain fat and bones.

Features of the diet of representatives of medium breeds

First of all, you should figure out which dogs can be attributed to this group. Medium breeds include animals whose weight ranges from twelve and a half to twenty-five kilograms. These are Labradors, Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Huskies, Collies and Huskies.

Most of these dogs have an agile temperament and need a lot of exercise. Therefore, proper dog nutrition should include lamb, beef, rice, oatmeal, carrots, cabbage and dairy products.

Porridge for such animals is boiled in water or low-fat broth. Millet, buckwheat, rice and hercules are considered excellent sources of carbohydrates. Therefore, such food will make it possible to replenish the energy costs of a four-legged pet. As for cottage cheese and fermented milk products, they are needed in order to establish the normal digestion of the animal.

Food for large dogs

This group includes Rottweilers, Great Danes, St. Bernards, Setters, Mastiffs, Alabai, German and Caucasian Shepherd Dogs. The weight of representatives of these breeds exceeds forty kilograms. Therefore, they need quality and properly balanced nutrition.

To provide the animal with all the necessary vitamins and minerals, it is not enough to give him meat alone. Important for dogsget cottage cheese, which contains a large amount of calcium. Also, representatives of large breeds must be given vegetables, lean fish, cereals, eggs and dairy products.

What can't you feed your dog?

Having figured out what should be included in the dog's diet, you need to say a few words about what absolutely should not be on its menu. If you do not want to harm your four-legged friend, then try to remember a fairly short list of prohibited foods. Unlike humans, pets have little to no absorption of certain ingredients, so it is not recommended to give them to furry pets.

Dogs should not be fed potatoes, legumes, sweets, tubular bones, pickles, mushrooms, cabbage and onions. Also, the ban is imposed on citrus fruits, marinades, sausages and flour products. Even if the above products do not harm the animal, they will not bring him much benefit. It is also strictly forbidden to give human food to four-legged pets, including soups, borscht and meatballs.