How to feed your dog natural food. How and what to feed your dog - your pet's health

It is impossible to avoid health problems: - Pork. Firstly, this meat is fatty, which will not have the best effect on the condition of the liver and pancreas of the dog. Secondly, the use of raw pork threatens with infection with helminths;
- Potatoes and beans. The dog, in its own way, does not digest them well;
- Fried foods. They are not very useful to people either, but dog can lead to chronic diseases of the pancreas;
-Sausage. For the same, or even for money, you can buy offal for your pet. The benefits from them are much greater than from fatty sausages.
- Sweets. They are absolutely unnecessary for the dog and are harmful to the teeth. Of course, you can give a cookie, but there should not be any sweets and chocolate in the animal's diet. We don't brush our dogs' teeth twice a day! The best treat for a dog is a piece of meat. Yes, and there are now enough special goodies for four-legged animals in pet stores.
- There is an opinion that a dog's favorite treat is a bone! Yes, if it's a sugar bone. But in no case do not give the animal tubular chicken bones, which easily injure the esophagus and stomach. Boiled bones also do not need to be given to the animal to gnaw - they easily exfoliate and clog the stomach.

While the puppy is still small, he, like a child, needs to eat a little, but often and varied. In the diet of the animal must be dairy products - cottage cheese, kefir. Milk, of course, too, but an adult dog absorbs calcium better from fermented milk products. Give the baby semolina porridge - it is nutritious and promotes good weight gain,. It is better to give meat to a puppy at night - so he will eat up and will not wake up from hunger in the middle of the night. A two-month-old baby needs to be fed 5 times a day. But the portion should be small. Over time, the amount of food in one increases, and the number of feedings decreases. By the age of one year, two times is enough - in the morning and in the evening, although many owners and breeders feed their pets once in the middle of the day.

You can cook various porridges, but it is better - easily boiled: rice, buckwheat, wheat groats. But dogs do not digest corn porridge very well. In principle, a dog can eat one type of porridge all his life. But you can diversify the diet and alternate cereals. The meat does not have to be a tenderloin, but cooking the broth on the bones alone is not too satisfying. A variety of offal is best for dogs. Beef kidneys, (aka tripe), head meat. Of course, cooking offal and kidneys is not very pleasant - they are terrible. Tripe, moreover, often has to be washed in advance and cut into pieces of the right size - it is not always possible to find it clean and cut in the market. But these products contain a huge amount of useful trace elements. There were cases when, with the introduction of kidneys into the diet, the dog stopped chewing on shoes and picking up everything on the street.

You can boil meat products and add the broth to the porridge, bringing it to the consistency of a thick soup. Or you can give them raw. It's even better. True, boiled foods are preferable in summer, because meat quickly deteriorates in hot weather. If your dog is medium-sized, then it is not necessary to cook her food separately. Many products from your table will do. Porridge, soups, borscht. Just take it out of soups. But if the dog is large, then you will have to cook separate and rather rather big portions. Be prepared for the fact that 5 liter pots of dog food will boil in your kitchen every day.

Nutrition is considered to be the most important factor in determining the health of a pet. Below we will tell you what to feed the dog, how much food to give, what foods you can and cannot give your pet, and what regimen should be followed.

Dog feeding schedule

To begin with, consider the norms of feeding dogs at home, in particular, the regimen of how often to feed. The way out is to follow one regimen and feed the dog infrequently so that he does not experience starvation and does not overeat. So how often and how much should a pet eat?

According to the general rules, the regime should be as follows:

• one puppy under eight weeks of age should eat frequently - six times a day;
• at the age of two to four months, it is better to feed the animal five times a day;
• a dog 4-5 months old should be fed frequently, but not more than four times a day;
• puppies aged 5 to 6 months should be fed about 3-4 times a day;
• when the pet is six months old, he is transferred to the adult diet and feeds infrequently, that is, twice in one day.

As for sedentary individuals, who rest most of the time, for them the regimen can be reduced to once a day. But it is advisable to divide the dog's daily menu into two parts and give it twice a day.

Menu from A to Z

With how often a day you need to feed a pet, we figured out, now let's move on to the issue of menu and volume.

What is the best porridge?

An adult pet should eat cereals, which are preferably cooked not in broth, as many breeders believe, but in water. The best option would be to add a small part of the meat already at the end of the cooking of the cereal, and give the large part raw. Bones, of course, should be thrown away after cooking, they should not be given even if the dog loves them.

Large dogs do not change their teeth for new ones, so they should not be allowed to grind them down. In the event that the dog wants to chew on something, you can purchase a special bone at the pet store. As for the side dish, the pet is usually fed rice or buckwheat porridge, but not barley. From time to time you can give oatmeal, barley groats. Peas are not allowed at all.

Dog nutrition should be balanced, so it is preferable to make sure that the diet consists of one type of cereal. It is necessary that the varieties are the same or change periodically, and the volume remains the same.

As for the actual preparation:

1. First you need to cook porridge.
2. Five minutes before the side dish is ready at home, about a third of the meat ration per day is laid down.
3. Periodically, porridge can be crushed with a raw egg (the author of the video is NaturalFood ForDogs).

What you need to know about meat and bones?

Natural diet, of course, should include meat. It is given raw when the meat is defrosted. That is, raw meat can and should be put in the freezer for several days, and then thawed. If you are freezing a raw product, then its volume can simply be treated with boiling water or thrown into boiling water for a few minutes so that it is half raw. In the event that you buy raw meat from a trusted seller or grow livestock yourself, then you can not freeze or process it (if you are sure of the quality).

How much to give? As for the volume itself, the diet is calculated at the rate of 20-25 g of meat per kg of dog weight. The volume, as you understand, depends solely on the pet's weight, age, and activity. So, the amount of meat for an adult shepherd dog should be from 600 to 800 g per day, while pugs should eat several times less. That is, how much meat can be given - you should be guided by age.

What specific meat is desirable to give the dog at home? thinking what kind of meat to feed the dog, remember, l The best option for natural food is considered to be beef meat, and lean meat, usually raw. Minced meat, be it beef or chicken, is undesirable, but it is better to refrain from pork in any, even the smallest volumes. Lamb, horse or rabbit meat can be given raw (treated with boiling water or after freezing), from time to time you can feed your pet and offal (the author of the video is the channel I and my tail).

As for chicken and other birds, the diet in this case is prepared based on the reaction of the pet. Sometimes it happens that the dog perceives such food well, and in some cases it causes digestive problems. And no matter how much you give the dog - even a meager portion, if the stomach does not accept such meat, then this can cause an upset.

How to properly feed a dog at home - part of the meat is put in porridge when it is almost ready. The rest of the volume is given raw, it all depends on the preferences of the pet. Fish should also be included in such a diet, but not often, not every day, but a maximum of twice a week, and it should also be frozen. This applies to marine fish.

If you use river fish, then it must be boiled, and all bones must be removed from it in advance, as they can harm the dog. In this case, it is quite possible to use gobies - this option is the cheapest and usually animals love them. But it also all depends on preferences - some dogs love gobies, and some do not touch them at all.

Food from the table

If you are interested in the question of what to feed a dog, then you will probably be wondering if it is possible to feed natural products from the table? It often happens that the dog, sitting next to the owner, literally begs for food with his eyes. The man, unable to resist, begins to feed the animal with potatoes, pasta, referring to the fact that the food is natural.

But we want to say right away that feeding dogs with food from the human table is not allowed. Naturally, you can give an animal the same meat and potatoes, but how can you be sure that the food will digest? After all, meat, as mentioned above, should be boiled or raw, so fried or stewed food that a person consumes should be excluded from the diet.

Dog nutrition should be composed correctly, taking into account all the nuances described above. Moreover, it all depends on the breed. If a pet eats a natural woman from the table, while going to the toilet normally, this does not mean that he needs to be fed "human" food. Usually the owner understands this when he encounters indigestion in his dog. So the diet in any case should be properly composed, but sometimes, maybe in the rarest cases, a pet can be given meat or vegetables from the table as a reward.

During lactation, the body spends a lot of energy on milk production, in addition, now it needs to share all the nutrients with the offspring, which means that the diet needs a special one. Proper feeding of the dog after childbirth is the key to the health of the mother and offspring.

The quality of milk directly depends on how complete the feeding of a whelping dog will be. Normally, it contains about 7% protein, 4% lactose and 8% fat, vitamins and minerals that come from food. The lack of any elements in the diet is reflected in the qualitative composition, which in turn adversely affects the development of puppies and the condition of the mother.

The lactation period on average lasts 4-6 weeks. Until 20-25 days after birth, the secretory activity of the mammary gland increases, and then gradually decreases. Over the past decades, many studies have been conducted that have helped determine what nutrition a dog needs after giving birth at different stages of lactation.

Most minerals and vitamins do not accumulate in the body, if they are not supplied with food, they will not be at all, neither in the body, nor even in milk.

The diet should include the following products:

• Lean meat, offal (hearts, liver, stomachs), fish (sea lean);
• Kashi (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal). You can cook cereals in water or milk.
• Dairy products (cottage cheese, milk, kefir);
• Vegetables and greens.

Dog's first meal after giving birth

Many are interested in when it is possible to feed a dog after childbirth. If the dog has eaten afterbirth, it should be fed no earlier than 5-6 hours after the end of childbirth. Only offer water to drink.

Some owners find eating the placenta disgusting or unhygienic. They do not allow the newly-made mother to feast on a shapeless clot and act fundamentally wrong. Forget about prejudices, everything is thought out by nature. First of all, the placenta is an easily digestible protein, saturated with trace elements and vitamins that a dog needs to produce full-fledged colostrum. In addition, the placenta contains hormones that stimulate milk production. The only negative point is that in case of a multiple pregnancy of a dog, eating all the afterbirths can provoke a disorder; for prevention, you can give activated charcoal by weight (1-2 tablets / 10 kg).

Drinking plenty of water is a must

Drinking plenty of water does not mean that the dog will need to be forcibly poured with water after childbirth. The task of the owner is to provide the pet with liquid, wholesome food and ensure that clean drinking water is always freely available. You can offer your dog tea with milk sweetened with honey.

Feeding a dog after childbirth by weeks of lactation

First week after childbirth

During the first three days after giving birth, the dog may not have an appetite. Despite this, you need to offer food every 6-8 hours and make sure that at least a little is eaten. What is better to feed the dog after childbirth depends on the preferences of the pet, usually it is milk porridge or meat puree with vegetables.

As appetite is restored, the usual daily food intake is increased by half and divided into 5-6 doses. You need to feed the dog mainly liquid food: cereals with water or milk, give sour milk, kefir or yogurt, provided that lactose is well tolerated. Vitamin and mineral supplements are introduced, which are given until the end of lactation. In some cases, natural tonics are shown, for example, royal jelly.

In the first 5-7 days after giving birth in a dog, it is better to replace meat with more easily digestible types of protein - low-fat sea fish, cottage cheese. Also in the first week do not give fresh vegetables and fruits. Boiled meat products are recommended to be introduced only from 4-5 days, it should be lean meat (chicken, turkey, rabbit, beef) or offal (heart, liver, stomach). Everything that the mother eats is also received by the babies, so it is important to ensure that the puppies do not have a disorder, it is easy to notice by the dirty "priests" and tails.

2 and 3 weeks of lactation

The first week flew by unnoticed, what to feed a dog that has given birth next? Starting from the second week, the diet is made more diverse. Introduce vegetables (cauliflower, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, beets), try to give fruit. If the dog feeds 3-4 puppies, the amount of food is increased by 2 times. When feeding 8 or more babies, they give at least three times more food than usual. There should be 4-5 feedings per day.

4-6 weeks of feeding

Starting from the 4th week, puppies begin to be fed and the amount of milk decreases. The amount of food for the mother should also be reduced, as well as transferring her to three meals a day. Gradually reduce the amount of liquid.

When the last puppy is taken away, the mother is given a fasting day, the day is kept almost on a starvation diet, water is limited and only 1/4 of the portion is offered. The next day, a third of the usual diet, then half, and so for 5 days they are transferred to normal feeding.

If the dog eats ready-made food

By ready-made food, they usually mean feeding the dog after giving birth by “drying”. If owners plan to feed their pet dry food throughout lactation, there are a few things to consider:

• Premium and super-premium foods are distinguished by a wide range, which should include diets for pregnant and lactating bitches. To a greater or lesser extent, they are acceptable and meet almost all the needs of the body during this period;
• It is necessary to pay attention that the percentage of protein is in the range of 24-28%;
• If the manufacturer does not produce special diets for nursing, use puppy food;
• Dry food requires a lot of moisture for digestion and even if the dog drinks plenty of water, there may not be enough water to produce the required amount of milk. Therefore, “drying”, especially in the first 2-3 weeks of lactation, is recommended to be soaked before feeding or replaced with liquid feed of the same company.
• Fermented milk products, cottage cheese, vitamin and mineral supplements are additionally introduced into the diet.

What threatens malnutrition?

One of the most dangerous postpartum complications is eclampsia, a condition that occurs against the background of calcium deficiency in the body. The disease can appear both from the first days of lactation, and at 3-4 weeks.

It is not uncommon for dog owners to experience indigestion caused by feeding their dog postpartum dairy products. In this case, rice porridge is given, the doctor may recommend sorbents or probiotics. With constipation, milk or vaseline oil most often helps to cope.

Against the background of malnutrition in mothers and puppies, immunity may decrease, which is fraught with a wide variety of diseases. Skin diseases will become a very unpleasant problem, and various infectious diseases can lead to the death of the entire litter and are dangerous to the health of the wet nurse.

At the slightest health problem, you should consult your doctor.

A nursing dog behaves calmly, does not worry, appetite and stool are normal, the owners do not notice severe exhaustion. Puppies after a delicious dinner do not squeak and do not fuss, but calmly fall asleep until the next feeding, gain weight and develop. These are all indicators that the diet meets all the needs of nursing mothers and babies.

Foreword

Proper natural nutrition for a dog is mostly a monotonous, species-specific diet that does not require heat treatment, mainly consisting of medium-fat fermented milk products, raw meat or raw offal (heart, tripe, kidneys, etc.) and plant foods (vegetables and some unsweetened fruits) in their raw form, as well as in the form of cereal bran as an additive to the main diet.

Actually cereals (cereals and other flour products) should not be present in the dog's diet. Cereals and products made from flour or with its addition contain easily digestible carbohydrates, which can cause in all dogs and cats, which are known to be carnivores, a violation of the intestinal microflora, as well as a decrease in resistance. The state of the intestine, which is a key organ not only in digestion, but also in providing a defense system (resistance and immunity of the body), directly affects the health of the animal. Thus, the presence of dysbacteriosis in the intestines, which is facilitated by dietary disturbances, can lead to the development of a host of pathological processes, including an increased tendency to allergies, disruption of the internal organs, the occurrence of a number of chronic inflammatory diseases and obesity, often associated with each other.

The health and resistance of animals is highly dependent on nutrition, in which the state of the gastrointestinal tract and a healthy intestinal microflora play a very important role. If the dog's diet includes cereals or commercial dry food that contains 40 to 55% cereals, corn, or sweet potato (sweet potatoes), then normal, healthy intestinal microflora cannot be expected. However, even with a natural diet, digestive disorders are possible, indicating a painful condition of the dog.

Meat in a dog's diet

The main meat in the dog's diet is lean beef, not the first grade. It is not necessary or even desirable to give your dog tenderloin and other high quality meats. It is allowed to feed lamb, horse meat, rabbit meat to dogs of all ages, given the high calorie content of lamb and rabbit meat. Pork is not recommended.

Chicken, turkey and their offal can also be given, but individually, paying attention to the reaction from the digestive system and skin. It is undesirable to feed chicken skin to dogs.

Meat, both beef and chicken, is always given raw, pre-frozen; there is no need to pour boiling water over or otherwise heat treat the meat. Meat should not be minced.

Offal and beef tripe

The composition of meat feeding a dog can include not only meat, but also offal (kidneys, heart, udder, offal of chickens, turkeys, etc.), which can completely replace meat. Offal must be raw. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that offal is a less nutritious component of the meat diet, in comparison with meat, but at the same time, the udder is significantly more caloric than meat.

The exception is the liver and the lung, these by-products are not recommended to be given to the dog often, since not everyone tolerates raw liver equally well, and it makes no sense to process it thermally. However, many successfully use these components in the diet of dogs and cats. Untreated, unpeeled beef tripe deserves special attention; it is often given to dogs. You can start introducing meat into the diet with a scar, then gradually adding beef. A peeled tripe is simply a lighter organ meat. However, not all dogs tolerate one or another meat component equally well, therefore, if an ingredient is intolerant, which is manifested by diarrhea or vomiting, it must be removed from the diet, as well as if other components of the dog’s natural diet are not perceived.

Of course, from this or that product you can become infected with one or another disease, but rare cases of infection from raw, untested and not frozen meat do not allow you to be afraid of feeding a dog with a raw product. It is unlikely that any veterinarian will be able to recall a case of infection with something from meat. In addition, the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the stomach of carnivores is greater than that of humans and is sufficient to perform its disinfecting functions in relation to raw meat and fish. Also, we do not recommend purchasing meat "from hands" at the Poultry Market, where you can buy products obtained from a known sick animal, and even freezing it will not help, and heat treatment of meat reduces the nutritional value of the product for the dog.

Fish in the diet of dogs

Raw fillets of sea and ocean frozen fish, non-bony, low-fat varieties can be given to dogs, replacing meat in meat feeding with seafood 2-3 times a week. At the same time, it is not recommended to constantly feed the fish.

In regards to feeding fish, there are several questions that are often asked:

1. Feeding fish leads to thiamine deficiency due to the thiaminase it contains;

The problem with thiaminase is relevant for animal farms, where there is mainly a mono-diet and, if fed with one raw fish, there will be hypovitaminosis B 1, in connection with this, this is almost not relevant for a home mixed diet.

Dairy products

Dogs can be given fermented milk products with a fat content of up to 9%, not everyone tolerates such fat content well. In many dogs, the fat content of cottage cheese more than 2% can already cause loosening of the stool. But fat-free dairy products should not be given either.

Also, loosening of the stool may be associated with the brand of kefir, which should be selected more individually for sensitive dogs. Ryazhenka should not be given to dogs, as well as yoghurts with fruit or sugar.

The most optimal fermented milk products are cottage cheese with a fat content of up to 5-9%, kefir with a fat content of 3.5%, yogurt, with a short shelf life, up to 7 days.

It is possible, using the starter culture of Evitalia and Narine, based on pasteurized milk, to make a healthy fermented milk product that is useful not only for dogs and cats, but also for humans, and feed it both separately and together with cottage cheese.

Separation of dog food into sour-milk and meat

The main components of the diet are fermented milk products in one feeding and raw vegetables and raw meat with a little oil in another. As mentioned above, vegetables, if possible, can be fed to the dog separately.

This means that the composition of fermented milk feeding can include either one kefir, only cottage cheese, or kefir with cottage cheese, curdled milk, yogurt, etc. It is desirable to give fermented milk products with a short shelf life, up to 7 days. Only bran and a raw egg can be added to dairy products no more than 2-3 times a week.

The composition of meat feeding may include raw meat, offal or fish. It is impossible to mix the components of meat and sour-milk feeding with each other.

Vegetables in the dog's diet

Most vegetables can be fed to dogs: carrots, white cabbage, bell peppers, pumpkin, zucchini, beets, cucumbers. It is useful to give greens: parsley, dill, lettuce.

Vegetables can be present in feeding as a mono variant, and maybe several types of vegetables, but one type of vegetables is quite enough, cabbage and cucumbers are exceptions.

Once a week, it is advisable to give the dog a raw clove of garlic, 2-3 times a week a few tablespoons of sauerkraut, which is very rich in ascorbic acid.

Greens and vegetables should always be given raw, finely chopped or rubbed on a regular coarse grater. In the summer, when keeping a dog at the cottage, you can feed any edible greens, including young shoots of steamed nettles growing in the garden. If the animal eats plants and fruits on its own, then you can not add extra.

Vegetables and greens should always be given only with meat feeding or separately. It is not necessary to mix raw plant foods with the components of a fermented milk diet, with the exception of bran, which goes well with meat and dairy foods.

As a treat and as a source of crude fiber, dogs can be given vegetables or unsweetened fruits to nibble on.

Bran (see below for bran) in a dog's diet can supplement or even replace raw vegetables, especially in cases where the addition of vegetables leads to indigestion in various forms (flatulence, vomiting, diarrhea).

Consistency of dog food

Dogs should not be given minced or mashed food. The meat should be cut into pieces, hard vegetables grated on a large regular grater, greens, lettuce finely chopped. Dogs like to gnaw apples on their own, bran can be added to wet food, both dairy and meat. Dogs and cats do not chew food, but swallow it, if the piece corresponds to the size of the animal or bite off a piece available for swallowing - this is physiological for them and does no harm. In addition, ready-made minced meat contains too much fat. Even if the dog has few or no teeth, food can be given in lump form.

Eggs in the dog's diet

Eggs can be given raw, both chicken and quail, adding to milk feeding 2-3 times a week. Both puppies and adult dogs can and should be given both the yolk and the protein, without dividing.

Bran

Bran in the dog's diet, as well as vegetables, is a source of fiber and therefore it is recommended to add them to the dog's diet along with vegetables or replace them.

The main advantage of bran is the high content of dietary fiber (fiber), which enhance peristalsis, regulate and improve the condition of the intestinal microflora.

Bran can be purchased at health stores, pharmacies or grocery stores in bulk and added as such to both fermented milk and meat feeding.

But in fermented milk it is preferable, since bran manifests itself to the maximum when it absorbs liquid and swells. Then, once in the stomach, the bran does not undergo any changes and, holding water, enters the intestines, accelerating intestinal motility.

And you can buy bran in the form of crispy sticks or bran plates and pre-soak. You should not buy bran products, including crispy sticks with salt added. But at the same time, you can give bran combined with fiber from carrots and other vegetables. The amount of bran (in dry form) for a dog weighing 20-25 kg is 1 tsp. no slides added to each feeding. The dose can be varied for greater efficacy or high sensitivity.

Oil in the diet of dogs

Dogs can add different types of oils to meat nutrition - olive, unrefined sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, etc., while exotic ones should be avoided. At the same time, the main oils are unrefined sunflower and olive. Vegetable oils are added to the bowl where there are vegetable food components (vegetables) in a dose from a few drops for a small dog to a tablespoon for a large dog.

Fruits and dried fruits

Sweet fruits in the diet of a dog should not be, dogs simply cannot be given sweets. Almost all fruits are sweet, the only fruit allowed is a green, not too sweet apple, although there is no need to forbid a dog to eat berries in a summer cottage.

Bones in the diet of dogs

Raw bone, an important source of calcium and phosphorus, is part of the canine diet and, of course, bones can be fed to dogs that have a full-fledged dental apparatus and do not have chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Large dogs are fed the ends (epiphyses) of bones, smaller dogs can be given spongy raw chicken bones: brisket, neck. It is not recommended to give boiled bones to dogs, they are poorly digested, as they can cause intestinal obstruction.

Prebiotic and probiotic environment in the gut. Carbohydrates in the diet

Probiotics are preparations based on live "good" microorganisms: lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which remain viable when passing through the gastrointestinal tract, multiply in it and inhibit the development of pathogenic bacteria.

Prebiotics are completely indigestible food ingredients that are a substrate, a nutrient medium for the growth and life of beneficial microorganisms in the intestine, and also stimulate its work.

In the absence of a prebiotic environment (indigestible fiber), the number of beneficial bacteria is sharply reduced, since they lack the prebiotic environment they need for nutrition and their share in the intestinal microenvironment will be occupied by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, yeast fungi, etc., which, in fact, is dysbacteriosis.

Cereals, bread, pasta are easily digestible carbohydrates (starch), dogs need complex carbohydrates of a different type, which are found in raw vegetables or bran and which dogs and cats cannot digest. From complex carbohydrates, crude fiber, carnivores cannot extract energy; ruminants, herbivores "specialize" in this. It is raw vegetables and bran, or rather the indigestible fiber they contain, that create a prebiotic environment in the dog’s intestines, which is the basis and substrate for creating a probiotic environment and forming a healthy intestinal microflora.

At the same time, if the dog has proper natural nutrition, then even without the use of probiotics, the dog develops the correct probiotic environment and intestinal microflora over time, but only if the animal is healthy and free from congenital and acquired diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that require treatment and not dependent on proper diet. It is for this reason that the introduction of probiotics into the diet of a dog that receives cereals or dry food does not bring the desired long-term result.

The role of the prebiotic environment in the dog's diet is performed by raw vegetables, which are best (but not necessary) given to animals in the form of separate feeding, and also, adding to the dairy or meat diet, these components are combined.

It is better to give dogs veterinary probiotics, only if they are not available, then try human ones. It is possible to take probiotics prophylactically once every 3-4 months, but prebiotics must be constantly supplied to the digestive system, especially since this is not a medicine, but a regular component of the diet.

At the same time, you need to understand that if the dog has proper nutrition and the dog is healthy, then without the use of probiotics, healthy intestinal microflora forms independently in the intestine over time.

Can I mix dry food and wet natural or canned food?

Mixing different types of food has no advantage over the strict principles of feeding a dog, moreover, dry food is designed to be fed exclusively to him. If you add other components during the day, then the imbalance is guaranteed. In addition, combining diets does not make any sense: either convenience or a natural diet.

Vitamins and mineral supplements

An adult dog that receives proper natural nutrition does not need to be supplemented with any vitamin and mineral preparations all the time. In spring and early summer, dry yeast can be added to food, which is a natural complex of vitamins. Also, as a natural source of vitamins, you can give seaweed (kelp) once a year, but you must take into account the possibility of an individual allergic reaction.

At the same time, puppies and adult dogs need vitamins and minerals during pregnancy and lactation. You can read more details in this post.

The total amount of food of all feedings per day is calculated by the formula: up to 6 months. 6-7% and over 6 months. 3-3.5% of body weight (body weight is calculated without taking into account body fat, of course, approximately).

The resulting daily amount of food is divided in half between 50% sour-milk products, 50% raw meat and everything related to meat (beef offal, poultry, fish), raw plant foods are given ad libitum, but approximately 15-20% from the volume of the meat portion. For example, for an average dog weighing 20 kg, you can eat a medium carrot, cabbage leaf, two teaspoons of bran, a medium apple, etc. per day. Please note that vegetables and bran are an additive to the protein diet and are not included in the calculated percentages (6-8% and 3-4%).

An example of calculating the amount of food for a dog weighing 15 kg, age 6 months and older:

15x0.04*=0.6 kg. or 600 gr. Of these, 300 gr. this is cottage cheese and kefir, which will make up sour-milk feeding and meat will consist of 300 gr. raw meat, to which add about 100 gr. raw grated vegetables and 1-2 tsp. unrefined vegetable oil.

An example of calculating the amount of food for a dog weighing 15 kg, less than 6 months old:

15x0.07*=1 kg. or 1000 gr. Of these, 500 gr. this is cottage cheese and kefir, which will make up sour-milk feeding and meat will consist of 500 gr. raw meat, to which add about 100-150 gr. raw grated vegetables and 1-2 tsp. unrefined vegetable oil.

* - Coefficient obtained by dividing 4 and 7% by 100

This formula is not absolute and mandatory, the dog's feeding regime, also the amount of food may vary depending on the physiological state (pregnancy, breed tendency to be overweight, the presence of hormonal disorders, etc.); age: old and aging animals reduce the amount of food to 2.5-3% by weight; from physical activity (duration of a walk, office work, swimming); habitats of the animal (apartment, open enclosure); time of year (more in winter, less in summer); other individual characteristics, etc. Fasting days without meat at all are also welcome, but without increasing the dose of dairy food.

Are there breed characteristics of the dog's diet?

There are no fundamental features for a healthy dog ​​of any breed, regardless of size and anatomical inconsistencies with the progenitor of canines - the wolf. An ill animal is possible and will need correction, but this requires individual work with the pet.

Afterword

As you can see, among these food components there are no dry and wet commercial foods, cereals in the form of cereals, bread, and other carbohydrate foods. They are not recommended for the dog, just as feeding sweet sugary fruits and everything else is not recommended.

The biggest mistake owners make when it comes to dog food is overfeeding. Even if the recommended components are maintained, but their volume is greater than the norm, then this is as harmful as feeding unacceptable foods to a dog.

You should follow a simple rule that works in most cases - if after eating food a dog or cat left any amount of it in the bowl, then this means that the animal is already overfed. The bowl does not have to be constantly filled, as is often the case. Only an animal with a moderate food instinct will not overeat in the face of unlimited access to food.

An animal that experiences health problems with natural nutrition (diarrhea, regular vomiting) is sick and requires treatment. Switching to dry food will only adapt the animal to the disease, and will not get rid of it. This is like a diet that makes life easier, which has the right to be used in the practice of a veterinarian, especially in cases where the animal's health condition is irreparable or the doctor is not able to cope with the pathology with a natural diet. Owners need to understand this.

Therefore, the question - How to feed a dog, can be answered as follows: only natural food, which contains everything necessary for the body of a carnivore. And all the talk about the domestication of the dog is nothing more than talk about the dog, just like the wolf, was and will remain a dog and a wolf. It is also necessary to know that the recommendations of breeders or felinologists, as well as the popular literature written by them on keeping and feeding cats, has nothing to do with objectively correct ways of feeding, because the reason for such recommendations is partly from ignorance and misunderstanding of the biological nature of the dog and cat, and, partly, to reduce the cost or simplify the maintenance of the animal.

If you follow all the above feeding rules, your pet will live a long and healthy life.

Health to you and your smaller brothers.