Home / Dogs / Dogs feeding

Seven Precepts to Feed the Dog Right

Reader, don't you fell under the influence of magic of number "Seven"? Perhaps, other dog-breeder or animal-fancier would choose another number of principles, or precepts of correct feeding of dogs. Nevertheless knowledge of rules posed here will help organize tasty, nutritious and well-balanced feeding so as to let the dog grow and develop normally, if it is a puppy and stay healthy. According to veterinary statistics, almost all non-infectious diseases of dogs come from an incorrect feeding.

Precept 1. One should know about the requirements in energy, nutritive and biologically active substances, which are the basis of correct feeding.

The term of correct feeding means the feeding of dogs according to precise rations. Rationed feeding must be at the same time full, well balanced and rational (from Greek "rationalis")

Precept 2. When organizing dog feeding, one should take into account peculiarities of content, characteristics and food value of concrete foodstuffs.

For instance for dogs, uncooked liver is a source of vitamins, curds - source of full protein, semolina -iron, millet - nicotinic acid, buckwheat - lecithin and so on.

Precept 3. One must not feed a dog with only one kind of food, even if it is meat.

In addition to all other things, correct feeding proposes feeding according to ration, for if products are chosen in certain ratios the food obtains the new state, which fairly influences the assimilation of nutritive substances of the whole ration and the health of dog as well. One should make up the ration out of products that meet nature and tastes of his dog. One should accustom his dog to each new product, including canned food.

Precept 4. Strict observance of feeding order.

The term of order includes repetition, timeliness and regularity of feeding in one the same hours, as well as distribution of volume and weight of necessary ration through the day. One portion of food by the volume should correspond to volume of alimentary duct and the ability of dog organism to digest and assimilate nutritive substances of food. An insufficient fullness as well as overload of alimentary tract both adversely affects the motor and secretory activity of intestine and the health of dog as a whole. And remember that puppies from 1 to 2 months should be fed 5-6 times a day with the interval of 3-3.5 hours. Puppies 2-3 months old should be fed 4 times a day, and from 4 months to one year - three times a day. At six-months puppies enter the stage of intensive growth. According to this a demand for an animal protein increases. Therefore the ration of dog at 6-12 months on 60-80 per cent according to its breed should consist of beef or whale meat.

Precept 5. Don't overfeed a dog.

Overfeeding leads to obesity, which in its turn causes different disorders of metabolism, heart, kidneys, liver and other. When owner overfeed his dog with one kind of food, bones or fatty food, for example, this often causes allergic diseases. Moreover, systematic overfeeding may provoke disappearance of breed exterior characteristic as is often happens to English toy terriers, Arabian and Persian hounds and other breeds.

Precept 6. One should strictly keep the way of preparing of foodstuffs for feeding, considering peculiarities of digestive organs of dog.

From early age, one must accustom his dog to eating of thick soup and watery porridge.

Precept 7. In case of alimentary tract disorder owing to incorrect feeding a dog should be put on an invalid food. At this one should remember that a certain diet is for treating a certain disease.

From the "Guide: Feeding the Dog"
by S.N. Khokhrin - doctor of Agricultural Sciences, professor

Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).