How to feed a dog dry food

If a dog appears in the house, you are responsible for its life and health. And this health is largely dependent on nutrition. Drawing up a proper diet for an animal is the key to its normal functioning, long life and the absence of problems with the body. After all, the 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 worry about 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 prejudice to the health of the dog. But how to feed the animal properly, so that it feels good?

The advantages of dry food

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

Dry food has many advantages. First, it is a balanced diet, which is able to satisfy the dog’s need for all the necessary vitamins and trace elements. 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, which is in a certain moment of life. If a 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 food for painful, mobile and allergic or obese dogs. This allows you to adjust the nutrition of the animal in different periods of his 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 table - it does not spend a lot of money. However, on such a diet dog will not last long. For normal life it needs vitamins, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, meat, fish every day. Dry food is much more profitable than daily preparation of a natural full meal for a dog.

How to feed a dog dry food

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

1. First you need to choose the feed. If you constantly feed the dog with the same food, do not change its appearance. There is an erroneous opinion, which suggests that you need to make a variety in 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 type of feed.
2. You can buy feed "by weight" only in large veterinary stores where there is a large turnover. If a large package of food was open longer than a week ago, you should not take such a treat.
3. Do not buy too cheap pet food. Often they do not contain the declared vitamins and trace elements. In addition, they must be supplemented with lure - other necessary minerals. Cheap food is often more harm than good.
4. If the dog eats only dry food, there should always be a bowl of fresh water in its visibility area. Since the food swells in the stomach of the animal, it can cause thirst, in which case the dog drinks water in excess.
5. To feed the dog with dry food you need to be strictly according to the schedule. Give food to a pet at the same time, preferably twice a day. The serving volume should also be the same.
6. Some dogs with pleasure crunch dry food, and then wash it down with water. This is correct, since solid feeds rid the animal of tartar. If your dog does not like to gnaw crackers, food can be soaked - it swells up perfectly, it becomes soft and appetizing. Some gourmets prefer to eat food only when wet.For soaking, you can use not only water, but kefir, yogurt, etc.
7. Dry food should be stored in the kitchen box, in a well-closed package. Be careful and close the packaging tightly so that cockroaches and other animals do not get inside. Also, 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 the spoiled product.

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

Is it possible to feed the dog exclusively dry food

Not only possible, but necessary! Developing the composition for the future of dry food, manufacturers expect that the dog will eat this product all the time. But many owners do this - they feed the dog with ordinary food, and feed is given only as a treat or encouragement. This is fundamentally wrong. If you are going to feed your pet dry food - everything else from his diet should be removed.

If you feed the dog with food and feed it with meat, there may be an excess of protein 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, and anemia will appear. When feeding the porridge there will be a surplus of carbohydrates, which leads to excess weight and related problems.

In addition, the stomach of a dog with mixed food has to constantly be rebuilt either for dry food, or for ordinary human food. Frequent adjustment can lead to gastritis.

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

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

How much dry food to give the dog

Puppies are usually eaten more often, but in small portions.If for the first time you give a small puppy dry food, 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 reddening 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 his age. After all, babies need other vitamins and minerals than adult dogs.

In general, each package indicates the amount of dry food that the dog needs per day. Puppies up to two months of life eat 5-6 times a day. In three months the number of feedings is reduced to 4 times. In six months, the dog eats 3 times a day, and after a year it is transferred to two meals. 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 a dog weighs less than 2 kilograms, the amount of its food should not exceed 60 grams of feed per day. 5 kilogram dog put 90 grams of feed, 10 kilogram - 160 grams. If a dog weighs 20 kg, it needs 300 grams of dry food per day, and if the giant weighs 40 kg, it is almost a pound 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 should be reduced by 20-30%, otherwise they will start to gain weight. Also, the dog's diet should be reduced by one third, if it is elderly. But if the dog is working, feeding with milk or is pregnant, its diet, on the contrary, increases by one third.

Feed Types

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

1. Economy class. Such feeds are not very high in calories, they require a larger volume in order for the dog to get enough nutrition. Economy class feeds are made of low quality products, in fact - waste. If you give your dog similar food, take care of additional vitamin and mineral complexes, as the economy-class food does not fill the dog's daily nutritional need.
2. Premium class. The caloric content of such a product is 300-350 calories per 100 grams of product. Made such a feed of their offal, contains a sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins, and does not need additional enrichment.
3. Super premium. This is a high quality product, which contains in its composition all that is necessary for a dog.organism vitamins. This is a balanced diet, which can be a complete diet for constant feeding.
4. Holistic class. This dog food is made from high-class products, the food has a great nutritional value. Designed for exhibition dogs, pets that are in the rehabilitation period after an illness, as well as for pregnant and lactating bitches.

If you want to feed your dog only dry food, choose a brand of not lower than premium. Otherwise, the dog may eventually develop health problems.

Separately, I want to say about fresh feed, which is also on sale. Most manufacturers have in their line of products wet 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, in the form of a treat. Contrary to popular belief, wet food is not a substitute for dry food, it does not contain the whole palette of useful ingredients. However, this food is great for older dogs with bad teeth or problems in the gastrointestinal 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 a dog with constantly dry food, it is less sick, its teeth remain strong for many years, and the hair shines. If you decide to start a pet in the house, take care of its diet and do not count on your strength. To find a balanced diet from natural products is quite difficult - this can be done only with the help of a doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the dog. Take care of your pet's health, feed it with dry food!

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