What kind of diet should you give your dog?
When it comes to dog feeding, dog owners have the choice of 3 options:
Commercial dog food
This type of diet consists of so-called wet foods such as canned or tray meals and dry foods like kibble. Currently, this type of diet is popular among 80% of pet owners. If you know how to choose your products, this type of diet is very convenient, offers good guarantees in terms of composition, and perfectly meets the nutritional needs of companion dogs.
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The “home-cooked” diet
The “home-cooked” diet is also known as “home ration.” As the name suggests, it involves preparing your dog’s meals. But be careful: the “home-cooked” diet does not mean giving table scraps to your dog or having it eat the same meals as human family members. The home ration must be balanced (with the help of a veterinarian) and tailored to the specific needs of the non-strict carnivore that is the dog. When well-balanced, the home-cooked diet is very high quality. It is also the best for the dog, nutritionally and digestively.
There are variations of the “classic” home ration: the “BARF” diet for “biologically appropriate raw food” and the “RAW” diet.
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The “mixed” diet
The mixed diet is a combination of the two feeding methods mentioned above. In this feeding mode, the dog can, for example, receive kibble for its first meal of the day in the morning, and then a home ration for its second meal in the evening.
To make your choice between one of these 3 feeding methods, we advise you to carefully study the advantages and disadvantages of each in our dedicated articles and, in case of doubt, contact your veterinarian.
How many meals per day?
In general, it is not recommended to give the dog free access to its food to control its intake.
Food, regardless of the chosen diet, should therefore be preferably distributed in the form of meals.
The highly expandable stomach of an adult dog without particular health issues allows it to only have one meal per day.
However, in many cases, it is advisable to divide the daily ration into 2-3 meals per day.:
- for animals with high energy needs, such as puppies during their growth period, pregnant and nursing dogs, and sporting dogs such as hunting dogs;
- usually when the food ration is wet (canned food, home-cooked ration…) and thus bulkier, especially in large breed dogs to limit the risk of stomach torsion to which they are more prone;
- for animals suffering from gastrointestinal disorders. Meal splitting will ensure easier and more digestible digestion;
- for dogs that are particularly greedy by nature (Labrador, Beagle…) or that have a reduced caloric intake as part of a diet to prevent them from feeling too hungry.
Answers to your questions about dog feeding:
- Commercial dog food:
- Commercial dog food: wet or dry?
- Decoding commercial dog food labels
- Choosing your dog’s kibble: the guide
- Dog food under the magnifying glass
- “Home-cooked” dog food:
- Preparing a home ration
- The BARF diet
- Raw feeding
- Toxic food for dogs
- Specific nutritional needs:
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- Feeding the pregnant dog
- Feeding puppies with a bottle
- Weaned puppy
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Tag: westie feeding