Balanced food is essential for your dog. How do important ingredients, food for young, old, large or small dogs, diet feeding and differences between dry and wet food, look like? In this article you will get tips and information on healthy dog nutrition.
The Right Food
Not all dogs are the same. Not only in appearance, but also in what is fed. For a dog, whether sensitive or robust, to live happily, it needs a diet that meets its needs.
In addition, diet can help with many illnesses, but sometimes a special diet is necessary. Performance & sporting dogs also need to be fed more food than an older dog.
Feeding Young Dogs (Puppies)
Ideally, you first take over the feeding habits and also the food previously used by the breeder, so that the four-legged family addition a change in his diet does not hit the stomach.
The new living environment with all the challenges that come with a change of both living environment and caregivers are already enough excitement for a puppy.
You can gradually adjust the food to your ideas and the dog’s needs. In the beginning, feed your puppy four easily digestible meals a day in the amount appropriate for the dog.
Here Is What You Should Look For When Choosing Puppy Food
High-quality puppy food has a high meat content and is characterized by an easily digestible and high-quality protein source. The proteins contained in the puppy food are important building blocks, because in the phase of rapid growth and the associated weight gain puppies need a lot of energy.
Fats or fatty acids ensure good digestibility of the menu and enable the absorption of vitamins, with which a good puppy food is specifically enriched.
Carbohydrates are further energy suppliers. Sugar, preservatives and flavor enhancers do not belong in a good puppy food.
Because of the appropriate puppy food you should therefore inform yourself sufficiently. Most of the time the breeders will also give you a lot of tips and recommend you a brand.
Usually you get a little puppy food from the breeder in the beginning. If you want to change permanently, make sure to do it step by step. Mix the new food with the previous puppy food for a few days to allow your puppy’s stomach to adjust gently.
What Is The Appropriate Amount Of Puppy Food?
A puppy’s stomach has a small capacity. Therefore, young dogs should be fed small portions several times a day. During the first two to three months, four to five meals should be served.
After the third month, dog food can be served less frequently. About three to four times a day, however, portions should be a little more substantial.
At six months, you can feed your puppy about two to three times a day. Since dogs are creatures of habit, feeding should be done at set times.
Grain-Free Dog Food
Grain-free food is especially suitable for food-sensitive dogs. If your dog has noticeable itching, diarrhea or reddened ears, grain-free dog food can be the solution. It is among the most tolerable dog foods with low allergy potential.
Basically, grain is a healthy product. It contains valuable proteins, vitamins and minerals. However, if an intolerance has been detected, grain-free or gluten-free dog food must be used for the dog’s well-being.
Advantages Of Grain-Free Dog Food
- low allergy potential
- by renouncement of grain usually high-quality
- also suitable for dogs without allergy
- Close to nature
Dog Food With High Meat Content
The dog needs a lot of meat in its diet. A dog food with a high meat content therefore corresponds to the original diet of the four-legged friend, in which high-quality muscle meat covers the need for important nutrients such as protein and fat. In addition, the allergy potential is significantly lower in a dog food with a high meat content.
However, the amount of meat content is not the only factor that determines the quality of the dog food. Only a look at the declaration of the food provides information about the quality of the raw materials used.
The decisive factor is therefore not the declared meat content, but the nutrient content.
Advantages Of Dog Food With A High Meat Content
- Species-appropriate, natural nutrition
- Less allergy potential
- Smaller feeding quantity with qualitative raw materials
- Prevents diseases
- Supports the development of bones and joints
- Reduces tartar formation
Premium Dog Food
In premium dog food are processed exclusively above-average good ingredients. You get for your four-legged friend dog food in the best quality.
In premium dog food only above-average good ingredients are processed. You get for your four-legged friend dog food in the best quality.
In addition, thanks to the excellent ingredients in premium dry or wet food, the feeding quantity is reduced, so that the digestive tract of the animal is less stressed.
A significantly lower allergen potential also speaks in favor of feeding premium dog food. To keep the risk of dietary intolerance as low as possible, many premium dog foods do not contain added gluten-containing grains, soy, colorants or preservatives.
When it comes to the composition of a premium dog food, it is important that it contains a high percentage of meat as the main source of protein, as well as a main source of carbohydrates from good carbohydrates, such as rice or potatoes.
High-quality proteins are used for cell and tissue regeneration, muscle building, and blood and hair formation, among other things.
What Should The Premium Dog Food Not Contain?
- Oils and fats without specification
- Poultry meal: beaks, claws, feathers
- large amounts of fillers: Cereals and corn
- artificial colors, flavors and preservatives
- vegetable by-products and dairy products
- Sugar – promotes obesity and is bad for teeth
Oven Baked Dry Food For Dogs
Dog owners can use oven-baked food, which is made from raw materials specially adapted to the dog, is conveniently portioned and can be kept for a long time.
Due to the gluten-free and grain-free recipes, it has a high tolerance.
Advantages Of Oven-Baked Dry Food
- it does not swell in the stomach
- by reaching high temperatures for a short time, a crust is formed which encloses the nutrients
- it is easily digestible and digestible
- the hardness of the pieces strengthens the dog’s chewing muscles
Frozen Food For Dogs
Frozen meat for dogs is a healthy alternative to fresh meat. It has a longer shelf life, is conveniently portioned and is available in many different varieties.
Frozen dog food should always be thawed slowly in the refrigerator. The juices that are produced during thawing contain many healthy minerals and can be added to the feed mix.
Horse meat is considered a specialty among frozen dog foods. Horse muscle meat is low in calories and suitable for sensitive dogs with allergies and intolerances.
Ostrich meat also convinces with its digestibility. The cholesterol-free and particularly low-fat protein source can also be served if your dog does not tolerate the meat of chicken, turkey and turkey.
Cold-Pressed Dog Food
Cold-pressed dog food is made using the cold-pressing process, which means no additional heat is used.
Advantages Of Cold Pressed Dog Food
- the lower the temperatures used, the more “original” are the processed raw materials in the food
- Dry food “close to nature
- rich in vitamins
- does not need to be added extra
Diet Food For Dogs
Diet food for dogs can help to control weight problems and thus prevent diseases resulting from obesity.
Diet food is a special food, primarily reduced in fat and calories. To put protein and protein in a “healthy” ratio, the protein content is often reduced.
At the same time, vitamins and minerals are retained as needed. Some diet foods have a higher proportion of raw fiber, this provides a longer lasting feeling of satiety without burdening the body.
A diet food must also meet the individual requirements of a dog. Important factors include the age, size and activity of the animal.
BARfen
BARfen in dogs promotes to go healthy and active through life. In addition, a healthy and balanced diet is essential. This principle applies to dogs just as it does to people.
Many dog owners decide after an intensive occupation with the topic feeding therefore for the BARFen, the biologically kind-fair raw feeding.
BARFing means more than simply replacing canned food with raw meat. A balanced dog meal also includes plant food components, even if their percentage is significantly lower than that of meat. Fiber and carbohydrates from vegetable ingredients are essential for a healthy metabolic process.
For this reason, it is extremely important to know and follow the basic guidelines of BARFing.
In some circumstances, switching to BARFing may also mean that you have to re-integrate feeding into your daily schedule. With organic raw feeding, you don’t just open a can and pour the contents into the food bowl.
Preparing the meal usually involves several activities that can take a small amount of time, about 10 minutes a day.
What Is Poisonous For The Dog?
Your four-legged friend should or must not eat everything. Chocolate, for example, is a serious health hazard for dogs. The culprit is the theobromine contained in the cocoa bean, a substance that is closely related to caffeine and can hardly be processed by the dog’s body. It lacks the necessary enzymes.
The chemical substance not only leads to an increase in blood pressure and pulse rate in the four-legged friend. In addition to nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, the symptoms of poisoning also include fever and cramps. In the very worst case, the four-legged friend could even pay for the forbidden pleasure with his life.
The first symptoms of theobromine poisoning can be restlessness, tremors, seizures, hyperthermia and cardiac arrhythmias. These can occur even with the ingestion of small amounts of chocolate, depending on the individual sensitivity of the quadruped and the amount of forbidden treats eaten. Other indicators may include vomiting, diarrhea and increased thirst.
How To Reward Your Dog Properly
Praise, petting and treats are balm for the dog’s soul. Used properly, rewards boost your four-legged friend’s motivation, lift their spirits and improve any human-dog relationship. Plus, it’s easier to learn with rewards.
Rewards show your dog, “You did everything right, keep it up!”. Recognition motivates the animal to repeat or permanently implement what it has learned.
Treats for your four-legged friend can be a very convincing argument to follow your master’s or mistress’ instructions. However, since each dog personality has its own preferences, there is no universal “perfect reward”.
Sources
https://www.fressnapf.de/ratgeber/hund/hundernaehrung
6 thoughts on “Dog Nutrition – Everything You Need To Know”