How to feed a dog dry food

If a dog appears in the house, you are responsible for her life and health. And this health is largely dependent on nutrition. Making the right diet for the animal is the key to its normal life, long life and the absence of problems with the body. After all, a dog should receive with food the whole complex of minerals and vitamins that it needs.

Dry food is a real find for the owners. With it, a person no longer needs to take care of the proper nutrition of the dog. Many dry feeds have the inscription "full ration". This means that such food can completely replace other types of food, without compromising the health of the dog. But how to feed the animal properly so that it feels good?

The benefits of dry food

Why do dry feeds tightly enter our lives and the lives of our pets? Why has dry food become so popular that today it is bought for almost every domestic dog?

Dry feed has many benefits. Firstly, it is a balanced diet, which can satisfy the dog’s need for all the necessary vitamins and minerals. The owner does not need to worry about what else the animal may need - everything is in one package. Secondly, dry food is convenient for the owner - poured into a bowl and no problems. No need to waste time cooking, warming, cooling. Dry food does not require special storage conditions. This convenience facilitates the process of keeping a dog in the family, which gives a definite plus.

If necessary, you can buy dry food for a dog that is at a certain moment in life. If the bitch is pregnant or feeds puppies with milk, she needs more nutrients, which takes into account a special series of dry food for pregnant and lactating. There is also a line of feeds for painful, agile and allergic or obese dogs. This allows you to adjust the nutrition of the animal at different periods of its life.

There is another advantage of dry food - the financial side of the issue. Yes, many do not bother and feed the dog from the general table - it does not spend a lot of money. However, on such a diet the dog will not last long. For normal life, he needs vitamins, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, meat, fish every day. Dry food is much more profitable than daily preparation of a natural high-grade dinner for a dog.

How to feed a dog dry food

Dry food is small pieces of food that differ in calorie content, quality and taste. When choosing a brand of dry food, pay attention to its class. Premium dry feeds usually contain absolutely all the minerals and vitamins that the animal needs. However, in order for the dog to assimilate them all, it is necessary to feed the animal with dry food according to the rules.

1. First you need to choose food. If you constantly feed the dog the same food, do not change its appearance. There is an erroneous opinion, which suggests that you need to add variety to the diet and change the brand of feed. This is not true. If your pet’s food suits him completely, his coat is silky and he feels good, do not change the appearance of the food.
2. You can buy food “by weight” only in large veterinary stores, in which there is a large turnover. If a large bag of food was opened longer than a week ago, you should not take such a treat.
3. Do not buy too cheap pet foods. Often, they do not contain the declared vitamins and minerals. In addition, they need to be supplemented with complementary foods - other necessary minerals.Cheap feeds often do more harm than good.
4. If the dog eats only dry food, there should always be a bowl of fresh water in its line of sight. Since the food swells in the animal’s stomach, this can cause thirst; in this case, the dog drinks excess water.
5. Dry-fed dog must be strictly on schedule. Let's feed the pet at the same time, preferably twice a day. Serving size should also be the same.
6. Some dogs are happy to crunch dry food, and then drink it with water. This is correct, since solid feed eliminates tartar from the animal. If your dog does not like to gnaw crackers, the food can be soaked - it swells very well, it becomes soft and mouth-watering. Some foodies prefer to eat food only when wet. For soaking, you can use not only water, but also kefir, yogurt, etc.
7. Dry food should be stored in the kitchen drawer, in a well-closed bag. Be careful and close the packaging tightly so that cockroaches and other animals do not get inside. In addition, if the package is left open, the content quickly deteriorates, becomes rancid and loses its useful properties. Often the owner does not even suspect that the pet continues to eat a spoiled product.

These are the basic rules that must be observed when feeding an animal with dry food.

Is it possible to feed a dog exclusively dry food

Not only possible, but necessary! Developing the composition for the future dry food, manufacturers rely on the fact that this product will feed the dog constantly. But many owners do this - feed the dog normal food, and give food only as a treat or reward. This is fundamentally wrong. If you are going to feed your pet with dry food - everything else from his diet should be removed.

If you feed the dog with food and feed meat - an excess of protein can occur in the body, which leads to various problems in the functioning of the kidneys. If you give the dog dry food and supplement it with fish, this leads to an excess of phosphorus. If there is a lot of phosphorus in the body, the dog will suffer from urolithiasis, the bones will become loose and brittle, anemia appears. When feeding porridge there will be an excess of carbohydrates, which leads to excess weight and related problems.

In addition, the dog’s stomach with mixed nutrition has to constantly restructure to dry food, then to normal human food. Frequent adjustments can lead to gastritis.

An exception to the rule are small pieces of goodies that can be used as a reward during training. You can pamper the dog with pieces of cheese, dried fruit, crackers or boiled meat.

All these arguments suggest that it is possible to feed a dog only with dry food, and it will not need additional nutrition. But how much food is needed for the dog so that it does not overeat and feel good?

How much dry food to give a dog

Puppies, as a rule, eat more often, but in small portions. If you are giving a small puppy dry food for the first time, you need to introduce it gradually, starting with a teaspoon per day. If the dog does not have an allergy (which can be manifested by redness of the skin, itching, anxiety), you can increase the dose of dry food gradually to the age norm. Give the dog only the food that matches its age. After all, babies need other vitamins and minerals than adult dogs.

In general, the amount of dry food a dog needs per day is indicated on each package. Puppies eat up to 2-6 months of life 5-6 times a day. In three months, the number of feedings is reduced to 4 times. At six months, the dog eats 3 times a day, and after a year it is transferred to two meals a day. It is necessary to feed the dog at the same time, it is better at regular intervals, that is, at 8 am and 8 pm.The amount of dry food per day is calculated by the weight of the pet. If the dog weighs less than 2 kilograms, the amount of her food should not exceed 60 grams of feed per day. A 5-kilogram dog is put 90 grams of feed, a 10-kilogram dog - 160 grams. If a dog weighs 20 kg, she needs 300 grams of dry food per day, and if a giant weighs 40 kg - almost half a kilo of food.

This is the norm for active dogs that play, jump and run for more than an hour in a day. For couch couch potatoes, the amount of feed must be reduced by 20-30%, otherwise they will begin to gain excess weight. Also, the dog's diet should be reduced by a third, if she is elderly. But if the dog works, feeds with milk or is pregnant, its diet, on the contrary, increases by a third.

Types of feed

Like food for a person can be of high quality or not, dog food is also divided into classes.

1. Economy class. Such foods are not very high in calories, require more volume so that the dog receives enough food. Economy-class feeds are made from low quality products, in fact - waste. If you give the dog this kind of food, take care of additional vitamin and mineral complexes, since economy-class food does not make up for the dog's daily nutritional needs.
2. Premium class. The calorie content of such a product is 300-350 calories per 100 grams of product. Such a feed of their offal is made, contains a sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins, and does not need additional enrichment.
3. Super premium. This is a high quality product that contains in its composition all the vitamins necessary for the canine organism. This is a balanced diet that can become a complete diet for constant feeding.
4. Class holistic. This dog food is made from high-class products, the food is of great nutritional value. Designed for show dogs, pets that are in the rehabilitation period after illness, as well as for pregnant and lactating bitches.

If you want to feed your dog only dry food, choose a brand no lower than premium. Otherwise, the dog may have health problems over time.

I would also like to say about fresh feed, which are also on sale. Most manufacturers have in their product line moist food in the form of canned food with pieces of natural meat. It can be given to a dog as an additional source of protein, as a treat. Contrary to popular belief, wet food is not a substitute for dry food, it does not contain the entire palette of healthy ingredients. However, this food is great for older dogs with bad teeth or problems with the digestive tract.

Dry dog ​​food is a real breakthrough in veterinary medicine. The presence of dry food greatly facilitates the life of both the dog and its owner. If you feed the dog constantly dry food, it is less sick, its teeth remain strong for many years, and the coat shines. If you decide to have a pet in the house, take care of his diet and do not rely on your strength. It is quite difficult to choose a balanced diet from natural products - this can only be done with the help of a doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the dog. Take care of the health of your pet, feed him with dry food!

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