Bowl check – what goes into the food
What does pet food actually contain? And why? Your dog’s feeding bowl should contain sufficient, balanced amounts of o ver 25 vital nutrients each day.
Achieving a nutritional balance in this respect is crucial to the quality of the dog food. If the daily rations contain the following ingredients and nutrients, the feeding bowl’s contents are correct:
- Carbohydrates (starch from cereal, potatoes, rice etc.) and fat (vegetable oils, fatty meat) as a source of energy
- Protein including individual amino acids (from meat and innards, cottage cheese, curd cheese)
- Bulk elements: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chlorine
- Trace elements: iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and iodine
- Fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E and K and water-soluble B vitamins
- Fibre: (fruit and vegetables) which regulate the bowel movements and have a positive effect on the intestinal flora.
Integral pet foods meet the dog’s energy and nutrient requirements completely, as specified by the Pet Food Directive. This means that additional supplements are not necessary. All you have to do is take account of your dog’s size, age, constitution and energy requirement when selecting the correct pet food.
Tip: those who feed MERA DOG can rely on the MERA CareConcept. The integrated nutrition system is based on the latest scientific findings, and fulfils all the requirements of modern pet food. High-quality ingredients promote health, well being and performance – in every dog.
When food makes you sick to the stomach
Clear evidence of a balanced or unbalanced diet. And what you should pay attention to when changing pet food.
Has your dog left almost all its food untouched again? This should make you wonder – as dogs usually eat their food quickly and with pleasure. If this isn’t the case, then this behaviour may be a sign of an unbalanced diet.
Above all, dog food should be functional. Sounds rather uninspiring, but it’s obvious. Each dog needs to be supplied with energy and nutrients corresponding to performance and age. It follows that puppies, young dogs, adult dogs and seniors all have completely different needs in terms of their daily diets. Various criteria exist in order to be able to judge the expediency of a particular pet food, e.g. the tolerance levels and the adequate provision with nutrients.
Is the pet food the right type?
- Pet food acceptance level: dogs should eat their food quickly and with pleasure.
- Dog’s weight and fitness level: fully grown dogs should maintain their normal weight. Weight loss may result from insufficient portions or poor digestibility.
- Amount and consistency of faeces: the amount and consistency of the faeces usually alter in the event that the pet food is difficult to digest. Firm, moulded faeces is normal. Dogs usually defecate between once and twice a day.
- Skin and coat: if your dog is healthy, but is nevertheless prone to dry, chapped skin and a dull coat, this may be due to an unsuitable food combination.
- Behaviour: if your dog behaves in a lively, attentive way typical of the breed, then the diet is bound to be correct.
Tips for changing pet food
If you wish to change your dog’s pet food, then remember to give your dog, and its body, time to adjust to the new food. This is because each change of food results in work for the digestive tract: the micro-organisms in the large intestine have to get used to the different combination of nutrients – step by step. Each dog reacts differently to a food change. Sensitive dogs may suffer from irregular fermentation in the intestines, resulting in flatulence, altered defecation frequency or diarrhoea. For this reason, it is advisable to mix the old and the new food initially. Slowly increase the amount of the new food until you no longer have to use the old one.
LEFT-OVERS FOR YOUR DOG
Left-overs from the family meal aren’t necessarily good for your dog.
The fact that humans find certain foods tasty certainly doesn’t mean that these are suitable or healthy for dogs. And left-overs are usually very calorific and lack nutritional balance. A primte example: the fatty edges from leftover meat. Feeding dogs like this on a regular basis makes them overweight. Many dog owners don’t like hearing this, but it’s the truth.
Those who are unable to resist their dog’s begging eyes should reduce the daily dog food rations so that their pet does not put on weight.
Balance is important.
In general, left-overs and other treats should not constitute more than between 5 and 10 per cent of a dog’s daily rations, to ensure that the balance of energy and nutrients contained in normal pet food is not disrupted. Left-overs from our meals are usually demineralised apart from salt. In the case of animals with a high mineral requirement, growing dogs, for example, this leads to a dilution of the nutrients, with the result that sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals are not absorbed.
And you won’t be doing your pooch any favours by feeding it spicy, hot left-overs, either – dogs cannot digest this type of food. And watch out for chicken or fish bones! These can injure the digestive tract and result in constipation which, in the worst cases, can lead to fecal impaction (coprostasis). And however much your four-legged friend loves his food – if you love your dog, you should keep a very close eye on what it eats. This is how you can protect your dog’s health.
WHY DON’T SOME DOGS CHEW THEIR FOOD?
Because they don’t have to. Their stomachs can cope with almost anything.
In contrast to humans, dog saliva does not contain any digestive enzymes. The saliva serves exclusively to ease the path of the food through the oesophagus. It follows that dogs only reduce their food to a size which allows them to swallow in comfort.
Relatively large chunks of food land in the stomach as a result. Initially, this poses no problem, as a dog’s stomach is extremely elastic – its size always depends on the amount of food absorbed. The food remains in the stomach for between six and twelve hours before proceeding to the intestines. The food particles may not exceed a diameter of 1.5 mm in order to be able to pass through the pyloric orifice, or the end of the stomach tract. If the particles are too large, this increases the risk of stomach distension or twisting.
Feeding tip: large croquettes force dogs to reduce the size of their food by using their teeth. In this way, you can ensure that smaller particles reach the stomach – and can be digested quickly and efficiently.
TIPS ON PUPPY NUTRITION
Our dogs are destined to become healthy, strong and clever.
For this reason new puppy owners are very concerned with the specific, appropriate nutrition of their puppies. Very appropriate, if one considers that the healthy life of the dog begins in a cup of dog food.
Our experienced nutritional scientist, Dr. Mandel is concerned with your puppy’s nutrition right from the beginning…
Within a year a small puppy develops into a healthy, full-grown dog.
The correct, specific nutrition plays a crucial role in this development.
Today you will find out what puppy food really requires and find answers to the many questions with which puppy owners concern themselves:
How do I find the correct food?
In the best case your breeder will recommend a food which he believes in to you and will give you a sample of the food he used to raise the puppy, so that the puppy also gets the best in his new home. The familiar puppy food helps the small puppy to get used to the big change in his world faster.
A change of food should only take place after the puppy is used to his new home, a few days after his arrival. An immediate change of food could lead to digestive problems with accompanying diarrhoea; to avoid this it’s best to make any changes slowly.
Nowadays it is very common to find suitable balanced food, most dog owners would not be able to blend the required nutrients correctly to meet demand.
The accurate, composition to meet the demand is extremely important, so that it does not lead to any deficiency.
Is it important to offer water with the food?
This is very important! A dog needs 50ml of water per kilogram body weight per day. The total water taken in with food and drinking water can be even higher. Water is just as important for the dog as food.
Which energy requirements does my dog place against the food?
Large and small breeds have different demands in growth at different times and therefore different demands on the energy and protein content in the food.
Smaller breeds need more energy:
This results from the fact that the metabolism of small breeds is much higher than that of large breeds. Growth is also finish earlier in smaller breeds.
Large breeds need less energy:
Great Danes for example should only be given a high protein and energy yielding puppy food in the first few months (until approximately 5 months), to ensure that bone and muscles develop optimally. There are large breeds that develop up to 24 months of age; these breeds should be changed to a puppy food which has less energy and protein after 5 months of age. If large breeds use too much energy (fat), too much protein and too much calcium in the growth period, they grow too fast. This can have consequences such as unstable cartilage which can not carry the weight of the dog. Hereditary conditions like hip displaysia, elbow dysplasia and other skeletal and bone diseases could be triggered.
Our products Junior 1 and Junior 2 are based on this knowledge:
Both puppy foods are food for growing dogs. Junior 1 is for small and medium breeds up to the end of the growth phase (approx. 12 – 14 months) and for large breeds up to the 5th month. Junior 2 has reduced energy levels and is suitable for all large breeds up to the end of the growth phase (approx. 5 – 24 months) and provides for a healthy growth pattern.
Take care not to over feed:
I often hear from some owners that a puppy can not be over-fed and that the energy he consumes will all be converted and used for his growth. This is however a fallacy: Directly through over feeding comes excess weight and the consequences of sensitive cartilage. It’s important to calculate all the energy found in treats too. If you reward your dog often, you should reduce its daily food ration accordingly.
Take care with supliments:
It is often believed that more is better; however the opposite is true when it comes to supliments. The addition of supliments such as minerals (calcium, phosphorus etc.) can also cause damage. All the minerals and vitamins contained in today’s puppy food are at an optimal level. Too much phosphorus for example, can obstruct the uptake of calcium, too much calcium can cause bone deformities. If you want to use additives, I advise you to discuss these with your veterinary surgeon.
How does one measure the correct quantity of food?
The quantity specifications of the manufacturers are only average values, which are to be adapted individually. The growth and condition of the dog will be the indicator of how much food he needs
My recommendations:
Reasonable, healthy and specific puppy nutrition is important so that your dog grows up to be a healthy animal. Trust in our high-quality puppy products and you are certain that you nourish your puppy in a healthy, specific and reliable way. Because longevity is also part of a healthy diet, well fed dogs live longer and healthier.
