For a healthy life we need a healthy Balanced diet. That is, a diet that can supply all the essential components required for maintaining and meeting the requirements of the body. A balanced diet is one that helps maintain or improve general health. So is the case with our pets. A balanced diet is absolutely necessary to maintain a healthy disease free life.
For providing your pet with a balanced diet, you need to understand your dog’s nutritional needs. And that is what this article will try and do.
Nutrition means:
1. The process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth.
2. Food; nourishment.
The basic requirements of a dog’s diet are
1. Energy
2. Proteins
3. Fats
4. Minerals and vitamins
5. Fibre / Roughage
6. Water
“Hey. Wait a minute. This is what I read as our requirement”. Yes, I bet you did. And this exactly is what your dog needs as well. The quantity is what varies. This is important because, before you make a decision on what to feed your dog, you NEED to know what his requirements are.
1. Energy:
Energy is what keeps the “Machine” running. Energy is needed for running, walking, getting up or even breathing. Energy is required for each and every cell to function. The primary source of energy of course is the Carbohydrates. They supply immediate energy and are also stored for later use as fats. When your dog is kept on a diet, the stored up fats get used.
2. Proteins:
Like we used to say back in fifth grade “Proteins are the Basic Building Blocks of Life”. And amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Animals require proteins as proteins are necessary for the structure and functioning of the cells and all amino acids cannot be synthesised by the body. Increased requirement occurs during pregnancy, lactation and growth period.
3. Fats:
Fats are also a source of energy but are considered to be secondary to carbs. They are stored sources kept aside for tougher times. Fats are also needed for providing a better texture to the food.
4. Vitamins and Minerals:
Vitamins and minerals are an indispensible part of the diet and directly act in many of the body functions and metabolic pathways. They help to regulate body metabolism. Some are required in large amounts while others in traces.
5. Fibre / Roughage:
They do not specifically play a role in nutrition per say. But they act in helping the movement of food through the digestive tract. They help in managing constipation and diarrhea. It’s usually of plant origin and composed of indigestible materials.
6. Water
Water is the absolute essentiality of life. Your dog cannot go more than a few days without water. Water is continually lost through skin, breathing and excretion. It must be replenished through intake of fluid or by break down of ingested foodstuffs.
The above-mentioned components are the basic requirements of your dog’s diet. The quantity in which they are required varies depending on the age of the animal, its sex, its level of activity and the ambient climatic conditions.
The dietary requirements of a puppy and an adult are very different and are given in detail in the following chart.
Based on age:
For Puppy
Puppies need more quantity of some of the amino acids and proteins that are very much necessary for proper growth and development of each part of the body.Inadequate nutrition can cause stunted growth as well as infections. Its an additional concern if you are having a large breed puppy. This is because an abnormally fast growth rate may result in hip dysplasia and other orthopaedic problems.
For Adult:
Larger breed puppies should have lesser fats and lesser caloric density than those designed for small and medium breed puppies. An abnormal calcium and phosphorous relation can result in dangerous consequences.
When feeding your dog, make sure you don't over feed him. also make sure he is not underfed either. The following chart will help you to easily look and your dog and say whether he is under weight, over weight or in ideal condition.
When you look from above, an under weight dogs Ribs are clearly visible and there is a marked concavity posterior to the ribs. For the ideal dog, the ribs are not visible but are easily felt while touching. A concavity is present just so you can differentiate the abdominal region. For an over weight dog when you look from above, neither the ribs neither are visible nor is they’re a concavity. The abdominal region may even be convex due to fat deposition. From profile also, the abdominal tuck will be missing.
Breed Specific Diets
The nutritional requirement for a Rottweiler is definitely not the same as that of a Chihuahua. But the thing is, the contents are all the same and what’s differing is the quantity required. I feel that pet food companies should rather concentrate on developing a food that is more suited to the species than going for breed specific dog foods.
Of course there is justice in foods designed based on the size of the dog breed. A dog classed under Giant does not have the requirements of one that is under the Toy breed class. So, while I do believe it’s only right that the companies are coming up with foods designed for dogs of various size classes, I think it’s not right that they are developing BREED specific ones. Also the needs vary based on the age of the dog as was mentioned higher up on this article.
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