Dr. Makarand Chavan
What should you feed your dog? Is the food you are providing meeting his nutritional needs? Are you feeding him according to his age?
As our knowledge of the relationship between diet and health continues to advance and the range of foods available to dogs continues to expand, it is important to base food choices based on their nutritional needs as they age. is more important than
Like humans, your dog’s dietary needs also change depending on the stage of life. The nutritional requirements of a growing puppy differ from those of an adult dog, a pregnant dog, and a mature dog. As a pet parent, it is important to take these changes into account and adapt a dog’s diet accordingly to ensure that your dog is leading a healthy life.
A healthy and happy dog needs proper nutrition, both regular meals and rewards. All dogs need six important nutrients, including adequate water, protein, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and carbohydrates. All of these elements directly contribute to increasing the life expectancy of your dog. Nutrients in adequate proportion and at the right age help keep dogs healthy so when choosing the right diet for a dog. So when choosing a diet for a dog, it is very important to consider age, activity level, breed, gender and the right mix of all these six nutrients.
From breast milk to full meal
Until the puppy is about four weeks old, it only needs mother’s milk. During this period, the puppies can be weaned for a period of one or two weeks. You might be surprised at the amount of food that puppies need to keep up with their rapidly growing bodies. A puppy needs about twice as many calories per pound of body weight as a typical adult dog. They also require more protein and fat than adult dogs.
The weaning process, which involves the transition from mother’s milk to other types of solid food, usually occurs by 7 weeks and, therefore, the weaned puppy needs more nutrition to support this change.
All nutrients are necessary to provide a dog with enough energy for his daily routine, keeping activities high and supporting growth. However, the proportion of nutrients required at different stages of life varies accordingly.
Additionally, the number of meals fed to a puppy is more than that of an adult. Animals require 4-5 meals a day between two and three months of age, while three meals should be given between three and six months of age. When the growth phase is over, the number of feedings should be reduced to two.
Breed wise nutritional requirements
Breed plays a big role when deciding how often to feed your dog. Common large breed dogs require more food and more calories per day than medium and small breed dogs. A healthy dog’s diet of an adult dog should contain between 2 and 4% fiber. Both soluble and insoluble fiber are essential for the smooth functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. An adult dog’s diet should consist of 18 to 25 percent of the daily dietary protein.
Dogs that have reached half their life expectancy by now are considered elderly or old. Small breed dogs usually live up to 15–20 years, while once larger dogs have a life expectancy of 12–15 years. So, at this stage, dogs need fewer calories in their diet to prevent obesity. Specifically, they require about 20 percent fewer calories than the average adult dog.
The nutritional needs of aging dogs differ significantly from those of adult dogs because their metabolism is slower that comes with age, Make sure you choose a diet that is complete, balanced and nutritious. The addition of meat (cooked or raw), vegetables or fish provides a change of taste in everyday repetitive meals for the dog. A high quality protein diet is more important for dogs at this stage of life because it is easily digestible. This Reducing the amount of phosphorus in foods is recommended to slow the progression of some diseases.
To ensure a dog’s sustainable and healthy journey, it is important for a pet parent to think about a dog’s health at every stage of its life, with appropriate foods best suited to its individual needs. And feed in a healthy way. , A well fed dog will be a strong, healthy and long lived companion.
Dr. Makrand Chavan (BVSc&AH, MVSc) is a Veterinary Physician and Surgeon, Veterinary Clinic of Dogs and Cats, Mumbai.
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