How You Feed Your Dog Is As Important As What You Feed

Let’s say you’ve already figured out what type of food you’re going to feed your dog. I hate to break it to you, but your work’s not quite done. There are three more aspects of feeding dogs that require your attention.

 

How Much to Feed Your Dog

Determining how much food to feed your dog is like trying to hit a moving target. Amounts will vary with growth, reproductive status (e.g., decreasing after spay/neuter), exercise levels, health status, and even with something as basic as ambient temperature. I recommend that you use the pet food label’s directions as a starting point and then make adjustments based on your dog’s body condition.

Your goal should be to feed your dog the amount of food that keeps him or her slightly on the skinny side of normal. Research has shown that thin dogs live longer and experience fewer health problems than do dogs who are overweight or even at a “normal” body condition. It can be difficult for owners to accurately assess their dog’s body condition so there is no shame in asking your veterinarian for help in this regard.

 

How Often to Feed Your Dog

Most healthy adult dogs do best when they are fed twice a day (roughly twelve hours apart). Puppies need to eat two to five times a day depending on their age and breed. In general, the younger and smaller the puppy is the shorter the time between feedings must be to avoid potentially dangerous low blood sugar levels. As puppies mature, you can gradually decrease the number of feedings aiming for the adult’s schedule of twice daily by 12-18 months of age.

Method of Feeding

Owners can pick from three different feeding methods, or a combination thereof:

1. Free Choice – an essentially unlimited amount of food is available at all times
2. Time Limited – the dog has a certain amount of time in which to eat after which the food bowl is picked up
3. Amount Limited – owners determine the size of each meal

Most dogs do best with amount limited feeding, with a touch of time limited thrown in for good measure. By controlling the amount your dog eats, you have the best chance of meeting the “slightly skinny” benchmark that is associated with optimal health and longevity. By keeping an eye on how long it normally takes your dog to finish his or her meals, you can identify health problems that adversely affect appetite in their earliest stages when treatment is at its most effective and least expensive.

If your dog normally grazes throughout the day, you don’t have to pick up the bowl between meals. Just watch how much is food normally left before the subsequent feeding. If it begins to increase, this is a sign that the dog’s appetite is decreasing.

You’ve spent a lot of time, effort, and money to pick the right food for your dog; don’t mess that all up by feeding the wrong way.

Are 'Natural' and 'Organic' Just Words on a Dog Food Label?

Take a close look at the front of a few dog food labels the next time you are at the pet supply store. Do you know what’s behind the phraseology that you see there? In some cases, what is written is defined by a regulatory body, but other terms are essentially meaningless. Read on to learn which words and phrases you should look for and which are pure marketing hype.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has established rules about how the front of a dog food label can reference ingredients. For example:

• Chicken for Dogs — the product must contain at least 95% chicken, not including water used for processing.
• Chicken Dinner for Dogs — the term “dinner,” or similar words like “entrée” or “formula,” can only be applied to products that contain 25% or more of the ingredient in question.
• Dog Food with Chicken — the word “with” implies that at least 3% of the food is made from that ingredient.
• Chicken Flavoring — “flavoring” indicates that specific tests were able to pick up the presence of the ingredient, but no particular percentage is mandated.

Other terms that have specific definitions include:

Natural

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) defines “natural” as being derived “solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subjected to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices.”

Organic

Agricultural products labeled as organic are produced in accordance with the provisions of the Organic Foods Production Act and the regulations of the National Organic Program as outlined by the USDA. The term indicates that an agricultural product has been produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.1

Human Grade

Human food safety and sanitation standards are described in regulations adopted by the FDA. Description of a product as human-grade indicates compliance with these standards. For a manufactured pet food, both the ingredients and final product processing must comply with the standards. Thus, unless a pet food manufacturing facility complies with human food safety standards, once ingredients enter the facility they are no longer human-grade and it would not be appropriate to describe the finished pet food or ingredients as human-grade.1

Many of the other terms that you’ll find on dog food labels are really just hype. Simplify your dog food shopping experience and ignore any references to a food being holistic, ancestral, instinctual, premium, super-premium, or containing no fillers.

source : http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/dr-coates/2014/december/are-natural-and-organic-just-words-dog-food-label-322-32294

Is canned food just a treat?

Many people use canned food as a treat or top dressing in addition to their pets’ dry meals. Whether you have a cat or a dog most can’t resist the appealing smell and soft texture of canned food. 

As a nutritionist I had to ask:  Is there a nutritional benefit to feeding canned?

There absolutely can be!  Let’s look at what canned food has to offer:

1. Moisture content – canned food generally has a moisture content greater than 70%.
   What is the benefit of this high moisture content for your pet?
   MORE WATER!
   If your pet is predisposed to lower urinary tract issues such as crystals and stones, or if you have concerns that your pet isn’t drinking enough water to maintain healthy hydration, adding canned food to their eating regime increases water intake.  Water is essential to life and maintaining hydration can help ensure proper bodily functions.
2. Calorie dilution – the higher moisture content means lower calories compared to the dry kibble equivalent.
   When would this benefit a cat or dog?  During weight loss.  You can feed a larger volume of canned compared to dry while actually reducing the calories consumed.  The increased water content will help increase the feeling of fullness during a meal and aid digestion.
3. Soft Texture – the soft texture of canned food helps during times of oral sensitivity.  Oral sensitivity can occur during teething as a puppy, or in aging pets when teeth, gums, and jaws become more sensitive, or during recovery from facial trauma.

So now that you have read some of the awesome benefits of canned food you might wonder: Does it have to be ALL canned or ALL dry??

Absolutely NOT!

Feeding a combination of dry and canned food can provide the benefits of both.  The best way to achieve an appropriate balance of wet:dry is to start by determining the dry food equivalents of the canned food.  For example, let’s say the calories in one can of wet food equals the calories in one cup of dry food.  If you wanted to feed a diet of 1:1 and have been feeding a cup of dry food per day the equivalent including canned would be ½ a can and ½ a cup of dry. 

Make sure you choose a canned food that compliments the dry food you are feeding.  If the label on the canned food does not contain the dry equivalents check the brand website or call the consumer care line.  This way you can be sure your pet is receiving ALL of the nutrients they need in the right amounts.

Want to learn more about which dogs and cats may benefit from eating a diet containing wet and dry good?  Stay tuned!!