MY ADVICE ABOUT WHAT FOOD YOU SHOULD FEED YOUR DOG

Food Recommendations: My Work

HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT FOOD TO FEED?

Food Recommendations: Text

WHAT FOOD SHOULD I FEED MY DOG?

Food Recommendations: List

DOES EACH DOG NEED A DIFFERENT FOOD?

This is a nutshell explanation of dog breeding. Though each of the hundreds of dog breeds was developed for specific phenotypic traits (like size, coat color, and build), they can all be traced back to the same species.

All of this is to say that the nutritional needs for a Golden Retriever are not significantly different from those of a Poodle. All dogs have a biological need to eat a diet that is composed primarily of animal products – meat. That is simply the way that domestic dogs evolved from Canis lupis, the wolf. A dog’s body is biologically adapted to deriving nutrition more efficiently from animals than from plants. That’s why high-quality dog foods place so much importance on the inclusion of meat. Your dog’s body needs animal-based protein to survive – he also needs fat for energy.

BREED SPECIFIC FOOD?

Getting back to the point, you may be familiar with certain dog food brands that sell formulas specific to different dog breeds. Brands like Eukanuba and Royal Canin come to mind. Unfortunately, these products can be misleading – especially for inexperienced dog owners.
There are minor differences between different breeds in terms of energy requirements and specific dietary needs (things like food allergies or sensitivities). But there is no real need to feed your dog a breed-specific recipe. In fact, if you check the ingredients list for some of these products you won’t find any significant differences at all.

NUTRITIONAL NEEDS

Meat is still the most important element in a dog’s diet, however. The primary nutrient your dog needs is protein and it should come from animal-based sources like poultry, meat, eggs, and fish. Protein plays a role in the development and maintenance of healthy tissue and muscles – an adult dog needs a diet that consists of at least 18% protein and puppies need a minimum of 22%.
After protein, the next most important nutrient in your dog’s diet is fat. While you might think of fat as a bad thing, it is actually a highly-concentrated source of energy for your dog. Your dog needs to have at least 5% of his diet to come from fat as an adult and at least 8% as a puppy.
Fat plays a particularly important role in the diet of small-breed dogs and working breeds because they have especially high needs for energy (calories). Dogs in these categories may also have higher needs for protein to help them maintain their lean muscle mass, but their minimum requirements are the same.