If you have ever had a dog as a pet, surely you know what its basic needs are, including its food. Dogs need to include proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, water and vitamins in different proportions in their diet for proper growth and maintenance of their metabolism. An excess or deficiency of these nutrients can cause he alth problems for the animal, therefore, we must know very well everything that we feed it.
If you've never had a dog at home before and want to know what a dog's diet is based on, don't hesitate to read this article on our site. Next, we explain you in all the details what dogs eat.
Nutritional needs of dogs
A dog's diet should include different ingredients such as protein, grains, fruits, vegetables and fatty acids. In addition, the use of preservatives or colorants should be avoided as much as possible, as these additives can cause he alth problems. The percentage of each nutrient needed is different, as we will see below:
- Proteins: is the main ingredient in the diet of a dog, so we will always find it in greater proportion. It can be protein from chicken, beef, salmon, etc. However, it is not always correct to administer very high amounts of protein to the animal, since in the long term it can cause kidney problems. In homemade diets, it should not be less than 70% of the total. In feed, the percentage of protein should be around 50%.
- Cereals: the main cereal that is usually included in dog feed or homemade diets is rice, since it is easy to digest and causes fewer allergies or intolerances than other ingredients. It must be found in less quantity than proteins. It should not exceed 10% of the total.
- Fruits and vegetables: they provide a large amount of carbohydrates and favor the function of the intestinal tract, since they provide the necessary fiber. In this way, the dog's diet can include apples, pears, carrots, spinach, etc., always in the right measure (around 10-15% of the total daily diet). Check the Fruits and vegetables recommended for dogs in this other article.
- Fatty acids: they are provided by oils and fats, which offer the animal a better functioning of the immune system, a correct regulation of inflammatory processes and good repair of blood vessels, among others.
- Vitamins: within this group we can find vitamin C, D, B3, B6 or B12, all of them necessary for numerous functions such as the formation and development of animal tissues. Its requirements are low but essential, with minimum levels found at 0.3% of the daily diet. Vitamins are essential nutrients, since the dog's body cannot synthesize them by itself and must obtain them from food. However, the administration of large quantities of vitamins can cause hypervitaminosis, resulting in being very toxic for the animal.
- Minerals: their requirements are not very high either (3% of the diet), but they are very important for the body because their main functions are to be part of the cell structure and help regulate acid-base balance. They are also very important to build bone structures, in the case of phosphorus and calcium. Unlike the consumption of vitamins, an excess of minerals does not usually cause toxicity since the body eliminates them in most cases.
What do dogs eat?
Currently, dog food is very varied and there are several diets that we can follow. In general, we find three ways to feed our dogs: with feed, through a homemade diet or a mixed diet.
Food
A dog can be fed correctly with commercial feedthat is good and suitable for its needs. In this way, in the market we can find feed for puppies, pregnant bitches, neutered dogs, geriatric dogs or dogs with some pathology. All of them will vary in terms of their composition, since the needs are not the same as those of a young and he althy dog. Thus, a feed for puppies will include a higher percentage of proteins because these are necessary for their correct growth. Similarly, a feed for nursing homes will provide fewer calories because the energy needs of older dogs decrease considerably. If you've just adopted a puppy, check out this other article for more details: "What do puppies eat?"
However, we should always look at the composition of the feed on its label to ensure that we are offering our furry the best. In the market we can find low-end, mid-range or high-end feed The low-end ones differ from the high-end ones in that the latter, in addition to having a higher price on the market, they always have a fixed composition, that is, their ingredients do not vary depending on their cost and are of higher quality, which is beneficial for the animal because a constant change of ingredients or a sudden change of brand name could cause intestinal problems. This does not preclude the possibility of changing from time to time the products we offer you as long as it is progressivelyso that the animal gradually gets used to new ingredients and enjoys a more varied diet. The advantage of feeding your dog with dry food is the convenience of the process, since giving it the right amount is enough to meet all the nutritional needs of the animal.
Now, if you are wondering which is the most suitable feed, the answer is one that is made with natural ingredients, suitable for human consumption and whose composition meets the aforementioned percentages. Discover The best natural feed for dogs in this complete list.
Homemade food
Another option is to give homemade food and varied to the dogs, although in these cases we must be more careful since we must always know what percentage of nutrients are we offering so that the animal does not have a deficiency or excess of these. Among the advantages of offering homemade food we find a greater palatability of the food and greater control of what our dog eats. Going deeper into the homemade diet, you have surely heard of the BARF diet, which is based on offering the dog a combination of raw foods (meat bones, different varieties of meat, fish, organ meats, fruits and vegetables) since these are the ingredients you would eat in the wild, providing you with some benefits such as the following:
- Produce less bulky stools
- They offer shine and thickness to the coat
- Reduces tartar on teeth
- Nutrients are not lost when cooking food
- Reduce water consumption
However, as a disadvantage, we must mention that, if we do not know the origin of the food or it has not been previously frozen, we could run the risk of offering the animal products in poor condition, with bacteria or worms. For this reason, it is always preferable to freeze when in doubt or semi-cook the product before giving it, that is, cook it on the outside but keep it raw on the inside.
Mixed feeding
It is also worth mentioning the option of offering a mixed diet, combining the commercial feed with the homemade diet so that the dog does not get tired to always eat the same thing and enjoy food more. This type of diet should not be made by mixing the feed with homemade food because these products have different digestive processes and could cause intestinal problems. For this reason, it is best to offer feed on some days and homemade food on other days. Thus, it will not be necessary to cook every day and the animal will still be able to enjoy the advantages of the natural diet.
Which dog food to choose?
Now, among the different options, what to feed a dog? The answer lies in the needs of the animal and in our own economic situation. A natural diet will always be more beneficial, however, it can also become more expensive if, for example, we live with a giant breed dog. So, a mixed diet is a good option for those people who want to feed their dogs with homemade food but do not have enough time or cannot buy so many ingredients, since we also find many quality feeds, made with natural ingredients and whose cost it is not excessively high.
However, we should always consult our veterinarian first about the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of diet and which one is best suited to the needs of our dog.
How to feed a dog?
There are two methods to feed our dog: rationally or ad libitum. The first method is always recommended because it is easier to control the amount of food we give the dog. However, if we leave the food bowl always full (ad libitum) for when the dog wants to serve himself, there is a possibility that he will be constantly eating if he is a dog obsessed with food or with a lot of anxiety, which will cause him to win. a lot of weight. In this way, although there may be exceptions on many occasions, it is preferable to give the rationed food in 2 or 3 daily meals to a he althy animal.
Obesity problems in dogs
Food is very important for dogs since the appearance of numerous diseases depends on it, including obesity, as we have just mentioned. Feeding excessively or incorrectly can cause these types of problems that, although they seem insignificant, can affect the life expectancy of the dog. In addition, there are other factors that can influence the appearance of obesity, such as castration. Therefore, we have to complement exercise with a good diet
An animal is considered obese when its ribs cannot be easily palpated or when its weight is greater than 15% of its optimal weight, often causing problems cardiac, respiratory, osteoarthritis, etc. The consequences of obesity in dogs can be devastating, so a correct diet is essential to avoid them.
What do wild dogs eat?
Dogs that lack owners and live in nature as in their origins, consume fruits, meat, viscera and bones of others animals that hunt (reptiles, birds, rabbits, hares and other mammals). As they are not domesticated, their instinct leads them to consume any food available in nature, which is why, on certain occasions, there have been cases of attacks on humans. In fact, they have large canines with which they can easily tear apart their prey.
Because there are so many domestic dogs today, many people wonder what dogs eat and how they live in the wild to offer their companion a diet that is as similar as possible to their nature. However, as we have just discussed, Wild dogs hunt to eat and eat absolutely everything they need from their prey, usually starting with the viscera. At home, we cannot and it is not correct to offer live animals to our dogs to hunt. If you want to give your dog the most natural diet possible, then you should assess the possibility of setting a BARF diet.
You will see that in the diet of wild dogs we have not mentioned fruits, vegetables or cereals. Do not consume these ingredients? So why do we include them in the section dedicated to explaining what domestic dogs eat? Very simple, they do eat these ingredients when feeding on the viscera of their prey. In general, the prey of dogs are herbivorous animals that eat these foods and, therefore, are found in their digestive tract. In the wild, a dog will eat between 10 and 20% of fruits, vegetables and grains through the stomach of the animals that he hunts. This percentage in the diet of domestic dogs is the same because it aims to adapt as much as possible to the nutritional needs of the dog as a species.
Prohibited foods for the dog
Now that you know what dogs can eat, you should also know that there are some toxic foods for our dogs and that we should avoid giving them. Among them we can highlight the following:
- Chocolate: contains a substance called theobromine which is toxic for the animal causing heart problems, in the nervous system and kidneys, among others. Dark chocolate contains a higher percentage of this substance, so just 100 grams of this food can kill a Yorkshire terrier.
- Coffee and tea: contain methylxanthines, a substance with stimulating effect that can cause tachycardias and other problems similar to those produced by chocolate.
- Onions and garlic: contain thiosulfate, harmful to dogs, as they cause serious gastrointestinal symptoms and anemia due to the destruction of red blood cells, as long as they are administered in inadequate quantities.
If you want to know many other toxic foods for dogs, don't hesitate to read this article: "Forbidden foods for dogs".
