General Feeding Advice in the Canine

General Feeding Advice

As the owner of a pet you have the responsibility to decide what your pet eats - you must not let your pet dictate the menu. dogs do not know what is good for them. They are essentially "programmed" to seek out the "richest" sources of food. In the dog "natural" environment rich foods are rare and are usually a source of extra protein, vitamins & minerals. In their natural environment dogs would eat t vegetation, small rodents and birds, carrion and whatever large prey the pack could bring down. Both dogs and cats would only drink water in their natural environment. Today for most of us the simplest way for us to mimic the dog's natural diet is to feed commercially prepared diets especially the dry varieties.

We encourage pet owners to feed a single diet suitable for their dogs nutritional requirements which then allows your dog's digestive tract to settle on one food. Chopping and changing diets to provide a variety is very much a human need that we impose on our dogs and may actively encourage tummy upsets, fussiness and food intolerances. If you have selected the correct diet for your dog's individual requirements then it is not necessary to change it. However we do recognize that a small minority of animals do have a higher than normal requirement for certain vitamins and minerals in their diet such as zinc or biotin.

The number of times a day you feed your dog should be tailored to suit the individual. Generally we do not recommend feeding any dog less than twice daily. Too infrequent feeding can lead to a very slow metabolic rate that encourages food to be laid down as fat rather than being used for energy immediately. Infrequent feeds can also encourage the vomiting of bile as the stomach "craves" something to digest. Feeding within two hours before strenuous exercise or late at night is not a good idea particularly in medium to large sized dogs.

Any changes that have to be made to a diet for whatever reason should be made gradually by mixing the old and new diets together for a week, and then slowly decreasing the proportion of the old diet and increasing the proportion of the new diet. Before making an assessment of whether a new diet suits a pet it should be on that diet solely for a week, unless the dogs health is at risk in which case a decision will have to be made sooner. When tempting finicky eaters onto a new diet, or dogs which have been "spoilt", it is acceptable to moisten, warm or even dry fry foods to make them more aromatic and palatable. You may have to hand-feed such dogs initially. If the dog is a healthy adult that has no unusual requirements it is acceptable for them not to eat for up to 4 days. Care must be taken with small dogs some of whom would rather starve than have a food that is good for them. Dogs should only drink water. Most adult dogs have lost the ability to digest dairy products which are probably the biggest single cause of upset tummies.