Dog Feeding

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Dog Feeding

The amount of food required by any dog has to be determined by trial and error and each dog is different. Exercise affects the amount of food required. Some breeds are hyperactive, others lead a more sedentary life. The more energy used while running about, the more food will be required. As a rule of thumb you should be able to feel your dog's ribs through a thin layer of fat lying just under the skin. Look at dogs of similar breed to see how your dog compares.

If a dog is overweight, it is usually because it is fed too much energygiving food. A two-pronged approach is necessary; reduce (or even eliminate) the energy part of the food, and try to introduce a ration that is less palatable, such as a dry food. Increased exercise for the dog will also help reduce weight. Only feed the dog once a day, and every now and again miss a day.

Weigh your dog regularly. If it gradually gains weight, then it is eating too much. As a rough guide, an adult dog requires about 14 grams of food per 450 grams of body-weight. About two-thirds of this ration should be protein and the balance should be cereal food such as biscuits or meal. Table scraps can also be included.

Any type of human food is suitable for your dog: cooked vegetables, fruit, apples, bananas, table scraps—in fact, anything that people eat is suitable for the dog. If the dog refuses to eat some particular food or begins to vomit or have diarrhoea, eliminate that particular substance.

A bitch that is feeding puppies requires extra attention to her diet. She must have more food, which should be given as an additional meal rather than by increasing the amount given at her normal feeding time. The pregnant bitch requires twice her normal amount of food during the last half of her pregnancy.The normal adult dog should be fed one main meal a day with possibly a small snack in the morning. Feed at a regular time, preferably in the eveening. Always use a clean food bowl, always provide clean water, and do not leave any food that is not eaten within a reasonable time. One good way of measuring the average dog's appetite is to place its ration in front of it and wait. When the dog walks away from the plate it has usually had sufficient food for that meal. This should be the limit of the food given at subsequent meal times.

Inadequate food intake is not uncommon, particularly among breeders trying to get their animals into show condition. The animals are thin but healthy, yet won't put on weight. This can be a complex and difficult problem, although more often it can be rectified easily.

If the animal is otherwise healthy there are two possibilities: lack of oportunity and lack of motivation. Lack of opportunity may simply be that nother dog is taking the larger share, or that the dog is unable to eat enough of the food with which it is fed to attain a satisfactory body weight. Where his occurs and the food is too bulky for the animal to accommodate its nergy requirements at one meal, it may be necessary to feed the dog three r four times per day instead of once a day. This situation is particularly elevant to a bitch losing weight with a large litter of puppies.

Boredom may be another cause of reduced food intake. While dogs and cats can subsist more or less indefinitely on one type of food (providing it is nutritionally complete), most animals will show some boredom with the same diet after a period of about a week. If increased palatability and food intake is desired, it is advisable to vary the type of food that is fed to the animal. This should be done slowly, avoiding abrupt and major changes to the diet. Food that is fed cold is also of low palatability.

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