Dog Food Portion Control
Narrated from: Dog NutritionMost owners feed their dogs too much food or they feed commercial dog food and add table scraps. It is much easier to keep your pet trim than it is to help him lose weight once the damage is done. Over weight dogs suffer in their joints and the extra weight puts a strain on the heart. If you truly love your dog do not put his health at risk by over feeding him. As always your veterinarian can assist you on the correct portion size for your dog. There are many factors to consider when this decision is made. Some of the most important factors are that extremely active dogs or dogs that participate in agility trials, fly ball, pulling sleds and dogs that are pregnant or lactating will need additional foods to keep them healthy.
Dogs that have thyroid problems will not require as much food per day and the same is true for dogs that are basically couch potatoes or dogs that are older. Often the veterinarian will suggest less food but with higher protein levels. If you have one of the giant breeds you will want to feed more times each day, but still less food per meal. If a giant breed such as a Great Dane or Mastiff has to lean way down to get their food or if they eat too much at one time it can cause a condition called bloat and it can be fatal. Raise their bowls up high enough to allow the dog to stand up and eat and feed smaller amounts two or three times each day to keep them in optimal health.
Whether you make his food for him from scratch or you feed scraps from time to time there are some foods that can be extremely bad for your dog. Among the most common things you need to avoid are onions, chocolate, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, mushrooms, citrus oil, and things that contain caffeine. Something most people think you shouldn’t feed their dogs is eggshells, but they are a very good source of calcium! For the average sized dog you can use a half of an eggshell per meal to provide a good, healthy calcium boost. They should be broken up for an average sized dog, finer for a small dog and a little coarser for larger dogs.
As always please consult your veterinarian before changing your dog’s diet and if you choose to make changes do them slowly. While you are there be sure to talk to him or her about portion control. Your veterinarian is your best resource for how much food your dog should be given each day. He or she should revisit the amount of food your dog is eating to be sure it is just right for the size, dominant breed and the current weight of your dog. Additionally dogs can have allergies to foods just like we do. Your dog is as individual as we are and there is no blanket statement that suits us all!
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