While all dogs need the important nutrients in their diet, how much they need depends on their age, health and level of activity. Adhering to a special diet may be as easy as picking pet food designed for puppies off the grocery shelf or carefully regulating when and how much you feed your diabetic dog. If you ever have a question as the whether your dog should be on a special diet, talk it over with your vet.
Puppies:
Anyone who has watched a puppy grow into adulthood knows how quickly pudgy little faces mature into decidedly grown up looking mugs. And how quickly that ball of waddling fur becomes a gangly, all – legs adolescent tearing through your home.
It’s not surprising then that, pound – for – pound; puppies need more calories than adult dogs. After all, it’s during that first year that a dog will experience the greatest amount of her whole life.
“Young puppies need energy and balanced nutrients at levels up to three times what they will need as adults,” explains Dorothy Laflamme, D.V.M., a veterinary nutritionist in the St. Louis area, and vice – president of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. “This decreases after about four months, but remains greater than adult needs until the puppy is fully grown at ten months to two years, depending on when the breed reaches maturity.”
Puppies also require more high – quality protein, which they can get from eggs, milk or cottage cheese. These are both tasty and easily digested. Or you can opt for commercially prepared puppy food, which is formulated with the special requirements for puppies in mind.
Don’t Overdo It:
Most pups are weaned between six to eight weeks, so your pup will already be eating solid food by the time you bring her home. Even though it seems as is she wants to eat you out of house and home, don’t let her. She will have growth spurts, but you should feed her only the amount she needs to maintain a steady, average rate of growth. “There’s this general American picture of the perfect healthy puppy being roly – poly, which is absolutely wrong,” says Julie. Churchill, D.V.M., an assistant clinical specialist in small animal nutrition at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine in St. Paul. “Erring on the side of lean is better than overfeeding, especially with large breeds.”
If your dog eats too much, she’ll grow too fast, which could spell trouble later. Rapid, disproportionate growth of bones and muscles could lead to hip dysplasia and other joint problems.
Puppies that will eventually grow up into big dogs are especially susceptible grow up into big dogs are especially susceptible to musculoskeletal problems is going to grow to an adult size of more than 75 pounds is on a different, rapid growth curve that extends over a longer period of time and must be fed accordingly,” explains Dr. Churchill. “We’ve seen a significant impact in the reduction of orthopedic problems in dogs that have been kept lean from puppyhood.”
It is also important to keep down the calcium levels in food your large puppy eats. Too much calcium can actually interfere with her normal bone and cartilage development. “For large breeds, calcium should make up no more than 1.1 percent of the dry matter,” says Dr. Churchill. While you won’t find this information on any pet food labels, you can call the manufacturer’s toll-free line for a more detailed nutritional analysis. The call will be well worth your while, given that you could help prevent your dog from developing a painful condition.
“These very small puppies should be fed small amounts at least four times a day when they are very young to make sure they receive adequate nutrition,” she says. “Once the are 10 to 12 weeks old, three times a day is adequate, and then twice a day after about four months.”
Puppy Food until When?
Growing puppies require proportionately more calories and nutrients than their adult counterparts. But when a pup’s rate of growth slows noticeably, that’s a good time to switch her to an adult maintenance diet. “As a general rule, when a dog has reached 75 to 80 percent of her adult size, it is a good time to switch from puppy food to an adult diet,” says Dr. Remillard.
“When that actually occurs for each dog is quite variable. We’re talking about the most diverse species on the planet, with some adult dogs weighing 2 pounds and others 200 pounds.” Generally, the smaller the dog, the earlier she will reach what is considered maturity.
Hard – and – fast rules are difficult when you’re dealing with this level of diversity. Your vet will be able to advise you. Watch for changes in her eating patterns and be aware of the average adult weight for her breed. With puppies of mixed breed, use the four month rule of thumb: at four months, a puppy is roughly half her adult size. While hardly scientific, it’s still a fairly useful benchmark if you’re uncertain just what exotic mix of breeds you’re working with.
Frequent Feeding:
Puppy tummies are small so they can’t hold enough food at one time to see them through an entire day. Until your puppy is about four or five months of age, feed her three meals a day. Be sure to moisten her chow with warm water if you feed her dry puppy food. Not only does this make it tastier, but it’s also easier for her to eat with her puppy teeth until they fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth.
From four or five months until about nine months of age, feed your puppy twice a day. If she still enjoys her food moistened, indulge her for a while. But remember that crunching on dry food will be better for her teeth in the long run, since the chewing action cleans them.
By 10 or 11 months, you can probably start feeding your puppy an adult diet once a day. When you switch your puppy to a maintenance diet, reduce the number of feeds. If you choose to feed her a different food, make the changeover gradually. This will be easier on her digestive system and her taste buds. Over seven to ten days, substitute ever – increasing amounts of the new food for her customary fare.
Pregnant or Lactating dogs:
Pregnancy is a good time to pamper your dog – just be sure not to confuse pampering with pigging out. There’s no need to increase her daily rations until around about the third trimester, when she’s seven weeks pregnant, and then only by about 10 to 20 percent. The real eating starts after the pups are born. “Don’t overfeed your dog during pregnancy underfeed during lactation,” says Dr. Remillard. “If she gains too much weight during gestation, she can have trouble whelping the puppies.”
After a dog delivers her puppies, you should increase her daily ration by another 10 percent for the first day after she gives birth. Then let her eat to her heart’s content (no boxes of chocolates, of course). Feed by “free choice” rather than on a schedule during the first five weeks of lactation, recommends Dr. Remillard.
The puppies’ demand for milk will increase daily for the first 20 to 30 days, so the mother must be allowed to eat what she needs to keep up with her family’s demands. There’s another plus to having food readily available during this time. “At about three weeks, the puppies start nosing around in their mother’s food and very shortly will be getting a good part of their nutritional requirements this way,” says Dr. Remillard.
“Lactating dogs have very high nutrient needs, as much as three to four times what’s normal,” says Dr. Laflamme. “They should be fed diets intended either for growth and reproduction or all life stages. Adult foods may be too low in calories or nutrients. Yet it’s important to return her to pre-pregnancy levels of intake after the puppies are weaned so that she avoids any weight gain.” And make all dietary changes gradually.
Older Dogs:
Feeding an older dog is often similar to feeding a less active dog. It’s not your dog’s age that matters so much as her retired way of life. But while she may need only three quarters of the calories of her former diet = because she prefers daily strolls to daily jogs now – her need for the essential nutrients may be proportionately higher.
“Older dogs require very good quality protein,” explains Dr. Dorosz. “By products, such as hair and hooves, are protein, but of low quality. By comparison, eggs provide the highest quality of protein.” Buy a premium food or ask your vet to recommend a food for your aging pet.
Be careful not to overfeed an older dog .too much food combined with a low activity level could easily cause her to pack on the pounds, and that could lead to health problems. “Obesity is the number – one nutritional disease among all dogs,” says Dr. Churchill. “And some older dogs may become prone to it if their appetite continues and their exercise decreases, which are why reducing the calories in the diet can be helpful.”
Some food formulated for older dogs restrict protein to prevent kidney problems. However, such a cutback may not be necessary, says Dr. Churchill, since renal disease is not common in older dogs. And if your dog doesn’t actually have a problem, there is really no need to restrict the amount of protein she eats. “If she’s getting regular veterinary care and has a diet tailored to meet her individual condition, that should be fine,” Dr. Churchill advises.
Working Dogs:
While you might consider a hard game of fetch in the backyard with your dog a real workout, it’s probably more taxing for you than your dog. True working dogs are the breeds that herd sheep or cattle, that run arduous sled races or spend hours in a cold, wet marsh with their duck-hunting owners. And they need a diet rich in high-quality protein and fat to maintain peak stamina and good body condition.
“Dogs differ from us in several respects,” says Dr. Dorosz. “They have more heart and muscle in comparison to their total body weight, and their cardio – respiratory system is superior to ours.” Also, dogs do not sweat in the same way people dog. Depending on the breed, the dog has greater stamina and oxygen capacity than us, too.
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