What Should I Feed My Dog? And 5 Other Questions You Should Be Asking Instead
Answers To Common Nutritional Queries That Will Help You Choose The Best Food For Your Dog
“What should I feed my dog?!?!”
As a vet, I can’t stand this question.
And let me tell you why. Because it’s never my clients who ask me this. Nooooo, those folks seem to have it all figured out.
Instead, the people who ask me this question most frequently are:
Friends
Neighbors
A stranger I just met on the street
Someone I went to high school with that I haven’t spoken to in 10 years but somehow tracked down my dormant Facebook account and sent me a five page message………..
I don’t blame people for seeking out advice from a trustworthy source or for trying to save a buck at the vet.
But the truth is, unless your dog is a patient of mine, it’s very difficult for me to answer that question. I don’t know anything about your dog, their health, medical history, or their lifestyle. Each dog is different with their own individual needs, and will tolerate and respond to different diets differently (just like you and I). There’s no cookie-cutter answer I can offer you.
What I can do though, is give you the information you need to empower you in making that decision yourself.
To do that, I’m going to share 5 other questions I commonly get asked about pet food and canine nutrition:
1. What are some ingredients a pet parent should look for in puppy food vs. food for senior dogs?
Puppies have a higher metabolic rate and should be fed a puppy food which is more calorically dense than adult food.
Large and giant breed puppies in particular have specific nutrient and calorie requirements to reduce their risk of developmental orthopedic diseases. Diets for large and giant breed puppies should be slightly less calorically dense, contain lower levels of calcium and phosphorous, and have a carefully balanced calcium-to-phosphorous ratio. Commercial diets that are specifically formulated for large breed puppies should take these three things into consideration.
Senior dogs have a slower metabolic rate than puppies or middle-age adults and require a food that is less energy dense to maintain a healthy bodyweight and prevent excessive weight gain.
Given the relatively long lifespan of small breed dogs, diets containing omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) may support heart, brain, and renal health, as well as provide antioxidants preventing free radical damage and inflammation, and supporting overall health long-term. Given the prevalence of arthritis in middle aged to older large breed dogs, ingredients that support joint health like omega 3 fatty acids, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are important.
2. Is price an important factor to consider when selecting food for your puppy? Does more expensive mean it's better?
Generally speaking, price is not an important factor to consider when selecting a food for your puppy, although very cheap foods such as those from the human grocery store or gas station are typically not the best.
Cesars, I’m looking at you. 👀
The most important factors to consider are that the diet is appropriate for the life stage of your pet (puppy vs. adult vs. pregnant vs. lactating vs. senior) and that the diet is Complete and Balanced to meet the nutrient requirements of the animal.
Pets with certain health conditions may require veterinary prescription diets, which are specially formulated to aid in the treatment of a given disease process and are generally more expensive. Fad diets such as grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, raw meat, etc. are typically not recommended for the average pet and should generally be avoided, regardless of price or popularity.
3. How can you tell if pet food is nutritious from the label alone? Are there important factors to consider when reading a label in the pet store?
The ONLY component of the food label that guarantees the nutritive value of the product is the Nutritional Adequacy Statement.
This is typically located on the back or sides of the package and is usually in very small print. When purchasing a food product, you should always select a diet that is “Complete and Balanced” in accordance with the AAFCO requirements. “Complete” means the product contains all the nutrients that your dog’s body requires. “Balanced” means that those nutrients are present in the correct ratios. Different quantities and ratios of nutrients are necessary for different life stages, so it is important to select a diet that is appropriate for the life stage of your pet (puppies should eat puppy food, adults should eat adult food, etc.).
Any other claims about the health or nutritive value of the product (particularly on the front of the bag) are strictly marketing statements and are not regulated by AAFCO or the FDA.
By law, the first two ingredients listed on the food label must be the ingredients present in the highest quantity. If the first ingredient listed is chicken, the quantity of chicken in the food is higher than any other ingredient. If the second ingredient listed is barley, then barley is the second-highest ingredient (behind chicken). So, if corn is the first ingredient listed on the bag, better skip it.
4. How often do puppies eat?
Newborn puppies should nurse every 1-2 hours.
Puppies that have been weaned onto a commercial puppy diet (wet food or kibble) need to eat less frequently. The feeding schedule depends on the breed/size and individual needs of the animal. Small breed puppies have a much higher metabolic rate and burn through calories much quicker than large breed puppies.
Generally speaking, toy breed puppies (Teacup Yorkies, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, etc.) should be fed a calorically-dense puppy food at least 4 times per day, whereas large breed puppies can be fed 3 times per day. As the puppy grows older and stronger, the feeding frequency can be reduced.
The appropriate quantity of food and feeding schedule should always be determined in partnership with your veterinarian.
5. How much should I feed my dog? Do large breeds need more calories per day than smaller breeds? Why?
Large breed dogs generally require more calories in total per day than smaller breeds to maintain a healthy bodyweight.
However, small breed dogs have a higher metabolic rate, requiring a higher number of calories per pound (or kg) of bodyweight when compared to large breed dogs. Nutrition is not an entirely precise science given that an individual animal’s activity level, genetics, and environment varies. Feeding directions located on the label for a complete and balanced food must specify how much of the food to give per weight of the animal.
However, these feeding directions are only guidelines and may need modification to meet a particular pet’s needs. Your veterinarian can calculate the amount of food/calories that are appropriate for your individual pet.
If you found this series helpful, please let me know!
What other food, diet, or nutrition questions should you be asking your vet?
Buon appetito,
Dr. Sami
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