Natural pet food is based on the consumption of meat and offal, medium-fat dairy products, vegetables and cereals, bran, and some unsweetened fruits. Contrary to popular belief among uninformed people, a natural diet has nothing to do with leftovers from the owner's table.

Unlike dry food, natural food retains all the nutrients - dry food is produced using high temperatures, which leads to the loss of some of the nutrients. Cheap feeds are made mainly from cereals and soybeans, which can cause diseases and allergies in the animal. And with natural nutrition, the product that causes a negative reaction can be replaced with another.

Cooking natural food for a dog takes time, but the result of such feeding will be a healthy and contented animal that receives the necessary proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as fiber (with Feed Bro! food, everything is much simpler - it is already ready to eat). All you need to do is make the right diet for your dog.

Meat. What kind of meat does a dog need

The dog's natural diet is based on meat: it should make up 2/3 of the total diet, while only 1/3 should be left for plant foods. The meat does not have to be first-class, but its freshness is the main condition.

The meat that the dog needs:

  • Beef, horse meat, lamb, rabbit;
  • Poultry - chicken and turkey. However, when giving the by-products of these birds, one should observe the condition of the dog's skin and digestion;
  • frozen sea ​​fish deboned. This product is an additional source of protein.

Meat products unsuitable for feeding dogs:

  • Raw bones - they are a source of helminths;
  • Tubular bones of a bird that can injure a dog's mouth, as well as pierce the intestines or esophagus;
  • River fish and fish bones;
  • Fatty meat trimmings - this does not apply to pieces with cartilage and veins, which are good for a pet.

For a greater variety of natural nutrition, you can offer the dog beef knuckles, young calf ribs, beef tails and tracheas.

Rice, buckwheat and oats are used to feed dogs - they are easily absorbed by the animal's body. Feeding a pet with corn, barley and wheat porridge should be limited, since these crops provoke indigestion, and the substances from them are not absorbed in full. Natural for dogs includes cereals with the addition of meat and vegetables.

Advantages and features of some types of cereals:

  1. Buckwheat. Iron, magnesium, calcium and B vitamins are not destroyed after cooking. This culture contains a lot of vegetable proteins digestible together with porridge carbohydrates. Buckwheat has a positive effect on the dog's metabolism, improves immunity. Cooking this cereal is recommended to a crumbly state.
  2. Rice absorbs harmful substances from the stomach and intestines, and also stimulates metabolism. It is preferable to feed the dog unprocessed (not steamed) rice, which has retained a large number of magnesium, calcium and iron. Boiled groats are used to treat poisoning in a dog. It is recommended to cook rice until crumbly, and after cooking, let it brew for 1 hour. Before cooking, rice is soaked for at least half an hour, the water is drained.
  3. Coarse oatmeal is used to diversify the pet's diet - this porridge should not be the basis of plant nutrition. Oats contain a lot of sodium and vitamins, but it is contraindicated in pets with urolithiasis.
  4. Chipped wheat is rich in starch and flour, so it should only be given to active dogs. The kernel of wheat is not completely digested, but its remains cleanse the intestines well.
  5. Barley groats stimulate the digestive tract, but are not a complete food for dogs.

Porridge for a dog is supplemented not only with vegetables, but also with meat - slightly boiled or raw. Meat should be placed in a bowl of porridge just before the dog eats the food. Spices are not added to the porridge, the finished product is stored in the refrigerator.

The dog's diet is supplemented with carrots, beets, zucchini, pumpkin and sweet peppers, asparagus and cucumbers. Turnips, algae and tomatoes can only be given to a pet in limited quantities. Canned vegetables not used for dog food. Garlic and onions are dangerous to the health and life of a pet.

Dairy

Dairy products in the diet of dogs serve as an additional source of protein. It is preferable to use products of medium fat content - cottage cheese with a fat content of 5-9% and kefir with a fat content of not more than 3.5%. Kefir is well absorbed and normalizes digestion - it is recommended to give it to pets undergoing antibiotic treatment. Cottage cheese serves as a supplier of calcium, potassium, B vitamins and phosphorus - it is useful for dogs at any age. In addition to these products, the diet may include yogurt without fillers and additives.

Milk whey can be used to make cereals. Cheese should be strictly limited, as a large amount of it leads to addiction. Small cubes of low-fat cheese can be used as a reward or to mask a cure.

  • Include fat-free cottage cheese in your dog's natural diet. Low fat content dairy product interferes with the absorption of calcium;
  • Give milk to dogs that have not fed it after weaning;
  • Giving processed cheese to dogs - it has no nutritional value;
  • Feed your pet ryazhenka or varenets - these products can cause fermentation in the stomach.

It should be noted that the dog should not be given meat and dairy products in the same meal. A combination of permitted fermented milk products is allowed. It is recommended to add egg yolks to cottage cheese as an additional source of trace elements.

Dairy and lactic acid products fed to a dog must be natural and made without the use of dyes, emulsifiers, additives and vegetable oils.

Natural dog diet

Adult dogs older than 8 months are fed 2 times a day, based on this we form a diet.

First feeding option:

  • Monday - cottage cheese with the addition of kefir;
  • Tuesday - half serving of food "Feed Bro!" and half of boiled porridge (buckwheat, rice or oatmeal);
  • Wednesday - cottage cheese with the addition of one or two raw egg yolks (protein is not needed, it is not digested and also slows down the absorption of vitamin B, disrupts metabolism);
  • Thursday - half serving of food "Feed Bro!" and half of boiled porridge (buckwheat, rice or oatmeal);
  • Friday - cottage cheese with the addition of kefir;
  • Saturday - sea fish (eg pollock, hake). Fish is necessary because it contains phosphorus for correct formation backbone;
  • Sunday - half serving of food "Feed Bro!" and half boiled porridge (buckwheat, rice or oatmeal).

For the second feeding, you can use the meat feed "Feed Bro!" without adding porridge.

How much food a day does a dog need

The question "How much food to give the dog?" individual. The age of the pet, its level of activity and general condition are important. General recommendation- up to six months, the weight of fed products should be 7% of body weight, and after 6-8 months - 3.5% of body weight.

Calculated total daily feed, after which it is divided by the number of meals - this is how the mass of one serving is determined.

So, a dog weighing 30 kg needs to be fed about 1 kg of food per day. Under the condition of two meals a day, the amount of one serving is 500 gr.

Unlike ready-made feeds, natural feeding is a labor-intensive method. The owner of the animal will have to spend time cooking and carefully consider the diet. Before choosing this method, it is necessary to study all the nuances of how to properly feed the dog with natural food.



Some owners confuse natural feeding with table food. This is wrong. Even the best food "for people" is harmful to pets. For dogs, cook separately.

On naturalka adhere to the following rules:

  • components are prepared separately and mixed in a bowl before feeding;
  • the dog should eat a portion in one “lick”: if the food remains, it means that the dog overeats, over time he will develop obesity;
  • provide constant access to clean water;
  • vitamin complexes are introduced into the diet - it is almost impossible to independently calculate the amount of nutrients in the daily menu;
  • dairy and meat products must be given in different ways;
  • meat and offal are given raw, pre-freezing in freezer 2 - 3 days;
  • vegetables are rubbed on a coarse grater or chopped;
  • cereals are boiled, it is possible on the broth;
  • meat is cut into pieces of different sizes, taking into account the size of the pet - so that he gnaws them;
  • products do not salt or pepper;
  • you can not mix natural and dry food - this will lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

All food must be fresh. It is stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days.

The dog is transferred from dry food to nature gradually, over 2 weeks. Additionally give probiotics, otherwise you can undermine the work digestive system.

Advantages and disadvantages of "natural" nutrition

It is believed that natural women are cheaper than dry food. This is only partially true. For large breeds, feeding natural food will actually come out cheaper. They eat a lot of food, and most of the daily "natural" menu is occupied by cereals, vegetables, offal.

Small pets eat little and are very picky. You will have to literally “dance” around them in order to persuade them to eat a piece of healthy food.

However, natural feeding, in comparison with dry food, has important advantages:

  • independent quality control of products;
  • straight - as close as possible to the natural, "wild" diet of animals;
  • variety - the menu can be varied daily, which is especially important for small breeds.

This type of food is well suited for dogs prone to allergies. They often have negative reactions to the components of industrial feed. By preparing your own food, you can eliminate the allergen.

Natural has several disadvantages:

  • high cost - in most cases, it is cheaper to feed with industrial feed;
  • large expenditures of time and labor - every day you will have to cook not only for yourself, but also for your pet;
  • it is easy to deviate from the rules of feeding - the owners can make a mistake when calculating required amount and product ratios.

But the main drawback is revealed when you have to leave and temporarily leave the dog with friends or in a hotel. The attorney is unlikely to want to cook. Therefore, the animal is gradually transferred to industrial feed, and then returned to the previous diet.

It's even worse when the trip is unplanned. The owner has no other choice but to hastily hand the "nanny" a bag of ready-made food and hope that the pet's digestive system will not suffer much.

Do's and Don'ts for Pets


A natural diet should include:

- Dairy products. They give kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese with a fat content of 2% to 9%. Skimmed milk is not included in the menu, as it is poorly absorbed.
- Meat. Beef, veal, turkey, rabbit. It is better to give not tenderloin, but sinewy meat. Chicken is added carefully - some dogs are allergic to it.
- offal. Liver and lungs (infrequently, they provoke diarrhea), udder, scar, heart, stomachs.
- Cereals. Buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, barley.
— Vegetables and herbs. Any, with the exception of potatoes, legumes, cabbage. They cause gas.
- Fruits and berries. All unsweetened varieties. Rarely added as a treat.
- Eggs. Chicken or quail, raw, 1 - 2 times a week.
- Sea or ocean fish. Enter 1 time per week. Pre-boil, remove sharp bones.
- Cut it off. Add to ready-made liquid food, best of all - to kefir.
- Crackers or biscuits. Just like a treat.
- Vegetable oil. Olive, sunflower, pumpkin, linseed. They are given a portion. For small breeds - a few drops, for large breeds - 1 tbsp.

Fish is not as nutritious as meat. It has half the protein. Therefore, it is given 2 times more.

As for the bones, the opinions of breeders and veterinarians are different. Some recommend giving raw spongy bones and moslak to gnaw. This will help train your jaw and clean your teeth from plaque. Others prefer only artificial bones sold in pet stores.

One way or another, you can give bones to dogs with a full chewing apparatus and no diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Also, sometimes you can pamper your pet with unsalted hard cheese, nuts, special treats for animals. It is useful to occasionally introduce a little seafood, sea and sauerkraut.

Important! The dog is strictly forbidden to feed the following foods:

  • sweets;
  • bakery and pasta;
  • onion and garlic;
  • grapes and raisins;
  • smoked meats;
  • pork;
  • fried, spicy, pickled, peppered, salty foods;
  • corn, semolina, soybeans, pearl barley;
  • tubular bones;
  • river fish.


An adult dog, starting from 8 months, is fed twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Usually for “breakfast” they give fermented milk products, for “dinner” - meat with vegetables.

The animal should not be overfed - this will lead to obesity. The pet must eat a portion at a time. If food remains in the bowl, reduce the amount.

Approximately the required daily volume of products is calculated as follows: 6 - 7% of body weight for puppies, and 3 - 4% for adults.

Calculation for an adult dog weighing 15 kg: 15 * 0.4 \u003d 600 g of food. For a puppy 15 kg: 15*0.7=1050 g.

When choosing a menu, the proportions should be observed:

  • Meat - 30%;
  • Offal - 20%;
  • Cereals and vegetables - 35%;
  • Dairy products - 10%;
  • The rest is 5%.

These are average values. For a domestic and elderly dog, calories daily menu reduce. For a young, active, pregnant or working dog, the amount of food is increased.

It is possible to formulate the rules for feeding a natural woman only in in general terms. Each breed has its own characteristics, which are taken into account when compiling the diet.

Natural nutrition is considered as close as possible to natural diet dogs. Its main ingredients are meat, cereals, vegetables, offal and dairy products. Although this method allows you to independently control the quality of food, it takes a lot of time and effort.

In this article I will tell you how to properly feed a dog on naturalka. You will learn what the natural diet is based on and whether it is worth choosing this feeding option. I will consider the rules for calculating the diet, balance of nutrients and diet. I will make an overview of allowed and prohibited products.

Whether to feed the dog with natural food or not is up to the owner to decide.

Natural food has many benefits. This is a variety of diet, the ability to control nutrients, confidence in the quality of the ingredients.

However, natural feeding requires more time for selecting and purchasing products, calculating the balance and daily food preparation.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the pet will need fresh meat, cereals, vegetables, dairy and other products every day. Periodically you need to buy vitamins.

What is natural nutrition

Over the millennia of human training, the psychology and behavior of dogs have changed, but the physiology has remained approximately the same as that of the ancient ancestors.

The dog is a predator that wild nature ate animals. From a completely gnawed victim, the animal's body received: protein and vitamins from meat and offal, carbohydrates from undigested plants, minerals from bones.

Approximately on these, only in more perfect principles, dogs are based. This type of diet is natural for pets, does not change the functioning of the digestive system, and fully satisfies the instincts and physiological needs.

The range of necessary and permitted products for a dog is small. But pets do not need variety.


Mode

First, the volume of the daily ration is calculated: 2-3% of the weight of an adult dog, 5-10% of a puppy, 3-5% of a teenager, 1-2% for obesity. For example, with an animal weighing 20 kg, the volume of food is 600 g. These are average data for an inactive dog.

The calorie content of the diet is increased during intense exercise, during the cold season, during pregnancy and lactation.

Approximate calorie intake

Calorie requirement (kcal):

Dog weight (kg) Low activity Average activity Intensive loads
20 1300 1700 2150
25 1500 2000 2500
30 1700 2300 2800
40 2100 2700 3400

Every day a dog per 1 kg of weight should receive:

  • proteins 3-4 g;
  • carbohydrates 10-15 g;
  • fats 1-2 g.

Based on this, the dog's daily diet should consist of: 2/3 of meat, fish and offal and 1/3 of vegetables and cereals with the addition of vegetable oils or other fat.

Puppies and adolescents up to five months are fed 5 times, at 6-7 months - 4 times, up to 10-12 months - 3 times. Adult dogs are fed twice a day - in the morning and in the evening at the designated time. To do this, the entire daily diet is divided into two equal parts.


Allowed and prohibited products

Sources of protein - meat, sea fish, egg, milk. The basis of the feed is meat, it is given raw.

Preferred: beef, veal, rabbit and poultry without skins. Also bone products: chicken wings, lamb ribs, beef and turkey necks. When buying in a dubious place, the product is scalded in boiling water, boiled or frozen in the freezer.

Offal: liver, tripe, heart, kidneys give 1-3 times a week - instead of meat. Bones are removed from the fish, boiled or fed raw. For a full-fledged diet, the pet is given milk, bio-yogurt (without filler), cottage cheese, curdled milk or kefir. Raw yolk is mixed with cereals or dairy products.

Carbohydrates and vitamins:

  • rice, buckwheat, barley, oatmeal, corn grits;
  • broccoli, carrots, zucchini, beets, potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers;
  • dill, dandelion, spinach, lettuce;
  • crackers, biscuits, rye bread;
  • any berries and fruits without stones.

The need for fat is covered vegetable oils, rendered beef fat and milk. Oils are mixed with porridges cooked in water.

No need to overload the diet with cereals. The dog's body is not adapted to digest cereals, so cereals are always given together with meat and fish.


The dog should not be given:

In spring and autumn, the dog should be given. To find out which vitamin is needed at a certain period, consult a veterinarian.

Most often these are cereals, dairy products, vegetables and fruits. Therefore, new foods are introduced into the diet gradually, in small portions.

Sample menu for a dog

This is the diet of a dog weighing 20 kg and average physical activity.

meat day


  • chicken necks 300 g;
  • bioyogurt 50 ml;
  • fish fat or olive oil 0.5 tsp.
  • beef 200 g;
  • rice porridge on water 100 g;
  • fresh pumpkin 50 g;
  • linseed oil 2 tsp

Fish

  • chicken backs (or other bone products) 300 g;
  • curdled milk 50 ml;
  • linseed oil 0.5 tsp
  • sea ​​fish 250 g;
  • fresh vegetables 120 g;
  • egg yolk 1 pc.;
  • olive oil 2 tsp

Fruit is best given between feedings throughout the day. For example, as a reward.

With the advent of ready-made feeds, many owners of their pets have switched to mixed feeding. Veterinarians believe that this is not true. The dog's body gets used to one type of food, so the combination can lead to gastrointestinal diseases. In addition, the balance of nutrient intake is greatly disturbed.

How to feed


To avoid problems with the health and behavior of the pet, you need to follow the recommendations of veterinarians.

  • feed at the same time;
  • clean up the bowl of uneaten food after 20 minutes;
  • give food room temperature only(18-20 degrees);
  • the food should be thick, liquid food is not compatible with the dog's digestion;
  • should always be near bowl of fresh water, it must be changed at least 2 times a day;
  • you can not give food before intense exercise, an interval of at least 1-2 hours;
  • you can not distract the pet while eating: stroke, call, clean.

Do not feed your pet the leftovers of lunch and teach them to take food from strangers.

Veterinarians do not recommend fanatically copying template menus. This can lead to difficulties in selecting products, take a lot of time and affect the maintenance of the dog. Just find out the needs of your dog, study the recommendations for foods and daily food intake.

Pay attention to the condition of the pet: behavior, coat, skin and well-being. Improper nutrition, even if it's straight - lack or excess, always manifests itself outwardly.

Feeding a dog is a serious matter. After all, every owner wants to see his pet healthy and cheerful, and this largely depends on the correct organization of feeding.

The dog is practically an omnivore. However, the one who believes that the dog's diet is no different from the food from our table is mistaken. The dog does not have a refined human taste and does not need all kinds of spices and spices, moreover, in this way it is possible to pervert the dog's taste.

Nutrition should be balanced in accordance with the physiological needs of the animal. Both under-feeding and over-feeding are harmful to the dog's body. Feeding determines the rate of growth and development of dogs, the nature of feeding affects their health. Improper feeding of puppies worsens the physique of the dog, adversely affects the growth and weight. For the same reason, there various diseases digestive organs and metabolic disorders. Malnutrition of males and females adversely affects offspring.

The need for dogs nutrients different. This is due to factors such as time of year, place of residence, age, workloads. The dog needs proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral salts and trace elements. A complete diet includes animal and plant foods in certain proportions. In addition, the dog needs water.

A healthy animal should eat enough food to keep the bowl empty. Adult dogs should be fed once a day as their energy expenditure is minimal. Outdoor dogs are given food twice a day in winter. Dogs are fed twice a day at large physical activity and in some special cases.

The volume of food and its calorie content is different concepts. The easiest way to determine if the amount of food is sufficient is on the sides of your dog: if the sides are significantly rounded after eating (there has been a sharp increase in the abdomen), then the amount of food is sufficient or even large. You may need to change your diet, as discussed below.

Periodically, animals organize a fasting day to cleanse the body of toxins. This should be done at least once a month and no more than once a week. In principle, a healthy animal, feeling the slagging of the body, arranges starvation for itself. If your dog doesn't have an appetite, don't force-feed or give him treats. But if the loss of appetite continues for several days, you should contact your veterinarian to find out the cause.

Both undernutrition and overnutrition of dogs are harmful. If the dog, according to the constitution, is not inclined to be overweight, you can add more pasta, cereals, hercules, which all dogs love very much, but you can get by with bread. Overfeeding an animal can lead to obesity and related diseases. Such an animal is pathetic.

An adult dog is fed once or twice a day at the same time. In nurseries, animals are fed once a day, usually in the afternoon. About the features of feeding puppies, males during mating and whelping and lactating females are described in separate sections. Working (service and hunting) dogs are fed two to three hours after returning, when the dog has a good rest. In general, dogs should be fed after a walk - then they have a better appetite.

Dogs are carnivores by nature. This determines the characteristics of their digestion. Digestion begins in the mouth. The food is chewed and simultaneously moistened with saliva. The intensity of saliva secretion depends on the nature of the food: less saliva is secreted for watery food than for dry food. Unlike other animals, food in the dog's mouth is almost not chemically digested. Food begins to be digested in the stomach. The dog's stomach is single-stone and quite roomy. In the stomach, gastric juice is secreted, which has enzymes that digest food. Various foods are digested different speed. Then the food passes from the stomach into the intestines in portions, where it is affected by intestinal juice, pancreatic juice and bile. The time of passage of food through the digestive canal is approximately 12-15 hours, while plant foods are digested much faster - in 4-6 hours. The dog digests the meat in two hours by about half, and after 12 hours almost completely. In a normal feeding regimen, a healthy dog ​​will empty the rectum two to three times a day.

Meat is the most nutritious food. Any meat is suitable for dogs: beef, pork, horse meat, lamb, meat of wild animals, birds, rodents, etc. Raw meat is healthier than boiled. Lean meat, of lower grades, is more suitable for feeding. Fatty meat can cause indigestion. Daily rate meat is not the same and depends on age, body weight, physiological state and loads. The approximate norm for an adult dog with an average physical load with a body weight of 35 kg is approximately 400 g per day.

Meat by-products are actively used for feeding dogs: liver, kidneys, brains, lung, scar, udder, meat trimmings, fetlocks, heads, etc. Dogs are also fed with blood obtained during slaughter. Fresh pure blood of a large cattle in raw form, fed within 3-4 hours after receiving it. In other cases, they give boiled or dried blood (blood meal), but in small quantities (up to 50 g per day).

To avoid the possibility of infecting your pet with helminths, meat can be subjected to heat treatment. .

When feeding a dog with natural food, the diet should contain bones, and they begin to give bones with a fairly early age- puppies from two to three months. When changing teeth at four to five months, the bones are replaced with cartilage. The most nutritious bones of young animals with cartilage. Prolonged lack of bones in the dog's diet leads to a weakening of the skeleton. Tubular bones should not be given, as they break easily and can injure the animal's mouth and throat. It must be remembered that eating a large number of bones leads to constipation. In the fourth or fifth year of life, the bone diet is usually reduced by half. Do not give bones to dogs after suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. Boiled bones have practically no value.

Stale meat ("with a smell") is quite suitable for feeding to dogs and is easier for them to digest.

Meat and bone meal and meat and bone sawdust are usually added to feed. Fish and fish waste are great additions to a dog's diet. In terms of nutritional value, they are not inferior to meat and meat by-products. For feeding, they use low-grade fish, not very suitable for people. Dogs can be given both raw and boiled fish (boiled in unseasoned water). Sharp bones are removed from the fish before feeding. big fish free from scales. You need to be sure that the fish is of good quality.

In Feeding a dog natural food, the diet contains milk, dairy products and their waste. It is better to use fermented milk products: kefir or yogurt. Milk is fed raw. The reverse (skimmed, skimmed milk) is also fed raw or fermented; reverse serves as a source of protein instead of meat. From milk waste, whey and buttermilk are fed to dogs, they are used to make cereals.

Cottage cheese is an excellent food. Adult dogs are fed cottage cheese instead of meat. Cottage cheese is an excellent dietary product for sick dogs.

It must be remembered that dairy products cannot be stored in galvanized dishes, since the combination of lactic acid with zinc causes catarrh of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to stomach and duodenal ulcers.

Raw chicken eggs are used as additional food (they give only the yolk); boiled eggs are fed whole.

Animal fats are given to dogs in the cold season as an additional food to the main diet and in small quantities.

A significant part of the diet consists of forage products of plant origin. These primarily include a variety of cereals - oatmeal, rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, etc. Bread, cereals and flour of cereal plants are a valuable source of carbohydrates and minerals.

Porridges are boiled in meat and bone broth or whey or water. Bread is added to milk, stew or soup. It is preferable to feed stale bread. Wheat bread more high-calorie than rye. The amount of bread fed for an adult dog should be limited to 200-300 g. Bread is a heavy food, it is difficult to digest and lingers in the stomach for 3-4 hours. Feeding large amounts of bread causes gas in the dog's intestines and can lead to constipation.

Flour is used to make stew or mash. A significant part of the dog's diet is vegetables and root crops - up to 10 percent of the daily calorie content of the feed. The most popular potato, as it has the highest nutritional value. However, it is difficult to digest, so it is fed boiled in combination with other vegetables. For feeding dogs, cabbage is used, both fresh and sauerkraut. The dog must be given raw grated carrots, sometimes freshly cooked beets. As feed additives crumble fresh salad, tops of carrots and beets. Fresh nettle is exceptionally useful: young shoots hot water and crumble into feed. Dogs can be fed sorrel, tomatoes, small amounts of onions and garlic. In reasonable quantities, you can give your dog raw fruits.

As feed additives, yeast, vitamin preparations, bone meal, fish oil, egg shells passed through a coffee grinder, salt and so on.

A variety of meat, meat-vegetable and other products are widely used. As a rule, canned food is fed along with cereal products. Dry food works well. In principle, the dog does not need a special variety of diet, and even more so seasonings and spices. Dogs do better when they are given food they have adapted to. New products or components must be introduced into the diet very carefully, observing the behavior and condition of the animal. If the dog feels well, it always has a steady appetite and properly formed excrement, then you have found the optimal diet for your pet.

At any time of the year, the dog needs fresh drinking water. Water should be in a separate bowl and be available to the animal at all times. You should not allow the dog to drink water from puddles and swamps while walking, as this is fraught with diseases.

During feeding, you should not interfere with the dog, and even more so try to take away food from her. Only hunting dogs, at the request of the owner, must unconditionally move away from the bowl.

Dog food should not be hot and not cold, not dry, but not liquid. The dishes must be unbreakable and of sufficient volume. The inside surface of the bowl should be perfectly smooth. It is necessary to determine once and for all the place for feeding. The feeder should be at the level of the dog's elbow. After eating, the dishes must be washed, leftover food is thrown away or stored in the refrigerator.

It is almost impossible to specify the exact diet for feeding dogs. As already mentioned, it depends on many factors. The approximate norm of feeding service and hunting dogs per day is as follows: meat - 400-600 g, cereals - 400-800 g, vegetables and tubers - 200-400 g, table salt - 10-15 g.

An empty and cleanly licked bowl indicates that your pet has enough food. If the dog looks at you beseechingly or barks, next time you need to slightly increase the portion. In the end, you will select the optimal amount of food.

Do not give dogs leftovers from the table containing spices and spices, a large amount of salt. Do not give your dog sweets, especially chocolate and sweets.

There are some peculiarities in feeding breeding dogs. So, males are constantly maintained in factory conditions. In the period up to two years, the nutrition of such males practically does not differ from the nutrition of other dogs. But then they change their diet somewhat so that the dog is, as they say, "in the body." To prepare for mating males begin two months before the start of use. The diet includes at least 70 percent of meat and meat by-products. Easily digestible and not very bulky foods are preferred. During the mating season, males are given a raw egg daily or every other day. The diet must include raw liver, as well as raw vegetables: lettuce, sorrel, nettle. The frequency of feeding also changes: as a rule, males are fed two or three times a day during the mating season, without increasing, however, the amount of feed. After mating, the male is fed after two to three hours.

Feeding bitches has its own characteristics. They begin to prepare for mating in two months. During the period of preparation for fertilization, animals are fed with vegetable stews with the addition of a small amount of meat and offal. Twice a week, the stew is replaced with low-fat cottage cheese with the addition of raw egg give raw fish.

After mating, for about a month, the diet is not changed, but the number of feedings per day is increased up to 3-4 times. In the third week of pregnancy, bitches often vomit, it happens that they refuse to feed. You should not worry, as this is a normal physiological reaction of the body, everything goes away by itself in about a week.

At 5–6 weeks, the nutritional value of the diet should be increased by about one and a half times by adding mainly meat or meat by-products, fish and cottage cheese. The animal is usually fed three times a day. Crushed calcium lactate tablets, feed chalk, activated charcoal are added to the feed; all this is about half a teaspoon once a day.

In the last two weeks, the bitch is fed up to five times a day. In the diet at this time, a significant proportion is meat, fatty cottage cheese and milk. Exclude rye bread, potatoes and cereals. To avoid constipation, add half a teaspoon of ground flaxseed to the diet.

The period of lactation (milk secretion) in bitches lasts from one to one and a half months. It depends on the individual characteristics of the animal and on its feeding.

In the first six hours after whelping, the dog is not fed, but only a drinker is placed with clean water. For the next two days, the food should be easily digestible. Food is given five to six times a day. WITH fourth day they switch to their usual diet with the difference that the animal is given more cottage cheese and milk, fresh vegetables and herbs are desirable, fish oil and bone meal must be added. To improve lactation, it is useful to give surrogate coffee with milk and honey as a drink 2-3 times a day, and also to feed at each feeding walnut. It is also necessary to give 0.5-1 tablet of apilac 4 times a day.

Big features differ diet and feeding puppies. In the first week of life, puppies feed exclusively on mother's milk. Start feeding should be from the moment when the puppies become sighted. Puppies are fed fresh whole cow's milk, preheating it to a temperature of 25–30 degrees. Raw milk can be added egg, at the rate of one egg per liter of milk. Milk is fed from a bottle with a nipple, later the puppy is taught to lap from a bowl. To do this, pour a little milk into a small bowl and gently poke the puppy with its muzzle into the milk. In the first week of feeding, a healthy puppy eats about 200 g of milk per day. Starting from day 14, crumble into milk White bread and start giving chopped meat- about 20-30 g per day. In the third week, liquid cereals from semolina or mashed oats are added to the diet; now the puppy requires about 250 g of milk per day. At this time, they begin to give grated carrots as a source of vitamin A, which is very necessary at this age.

The norm of feeding puppies at the age of 10–15 days is approximately 100 g, at the age of 16 to 20 days the norm increases to 150 g, at the age of 21–30 days it is 200 g. ( It's about about large breeds; for small puppies, the norm is half the amount of the above.) Puppies are fed 3-4 times a day in equal portions. At 30-40 days of age, puppies are weaned from their mother.

It is impossible to avoid health problems: - Pork. Firstly, this meat is fatty, which is not in the best way affect the condition of the liver and pancreas of the dog. Secondly, the use of raw pork threatens with infection with helminths;
- Potatoes and beans. The dog, in its own way, does not digest them well;
- Fried foods. They are not very useful to people either, but dog can lead to chronic diseases of the pancreas;
-Sausage. For the same, or even for money, you can buy offal for your pet. The benefits from them are much greater than from fatty sausages.
- Sweets. They are absolutely unnecessary for the dog and are harmful to the teeth. Of course, you can give a cookie, but there should not be any sweets and chocolate in the animal's diet. We don't brush our dogs' teeth twice a day! The best treat for a dog is a piece of meat. Yes, and there are now enough special goodies for four-legged animals in pet stores.
- There is an opinion that a dog's favorite treat is a bone! Yes, if it's a sugar bone. But in no case do not give the animal tubular chicken bones, which easily injure the esophagus and stomach. Boiled bones also do not need to be given to the animal to gnaw - they easily exfoliate and clog the stomach.

While the puppy is still small, he, like a child, needs to eat a little, but often and varied. In the diet of the animal must be dairy products - cottage cheese, kefir. Milk, of course, too, but an adult dog absorbs calcium better from fermented milk products. Give the baby semolina - it is nutritious and promotes good set weight, . It is better to give meat to a puppy at night - so he will eat up and will not wake up from hunger in the middle of the night. A two-month-old baby needs to be fed 5 times a day. But the portion should be small. Over time, the amount of food in one increases, and the number of feedings decreases. By the age of one year, two times is enough - in the morning and in the evening, although many owners and breeders feed their pets once in the middle of the day.

You can cook various porridges, but it is better - easily boiled: rice, buckwheat, wheat groats. And here is corn porridge dogs don't digest well. In principle, a dog can eat one type of porridge all his life. But you can diversify the diet and alternate cereals. The meat does not have to be a tenderloin, but cooking the broth on the bones alone is not too satisfying. A variety of offal is best for dogs. Beef kidneys, (aka tripe), head meat. Of course, cooking offal and kidneys is not very pleasant - they are terrible. Tripe, moreover, often has to be washed and cut into pieces beforehand right size- it is not always possible to find it clean and sliced ​​\u200b\u200bin the market. However, these products contain great amount beneficial trace elements. There were cases when, with the introduction of kidneys into the diet, the dog stopped chewing on shoes and picking up everything on the street.

You can boil meat products and add the broth to the porridge, bringing it to the consistency of a thick soup. Or you can give them raw. It is even better. True, boiled foods are preferable in summer, because meat quickly deteriorates in hot weather. If your dog is medium-sized, then it is not necessary to cook her food separately. Many products from your table will do. Porridge, soups, borscht. Just take it out of soups. But if the dog is large, then you will have to cook separate and rather rather big portions. Be prepared for the fact that 5 liter pots of dog food will boil in your kitchen every day.