The best way of feeding for dog and owner.

Most dog owners are familiar with the notion that a dog’s diet requires a careful balance of ingredients to build a strong healthy frame to maintain tone.

Less familiar but equally important is the need for digestibility in a dog’s diet. A dog’s digestive system is unlike the human system and requires different treatment.  Elements in a dog’s food, raw starch in particular, need to be broken down before feeding in order to be properly digested.  This is because (unlike humans) a dog’s saliva does not contain the enzymes which start the digestive process and the dog’s small intestine  - where the dog’s digestive enzymes are present – is relatively short compared to other animals.

It may be valuable to add for first time dog owners, that it is generally a mistake to apply human values to feeding a dog. The human palate is conditioned to seek out and enjoy a wide range of flavours and textures. A dog partly because of its very different digestive system, does not need such variety and, indeed benefits from a steady and unvarying diet.

Types of dog food

Dog food is presented in three main forms; extruded complete super premium foods and flaked muesli-style foods are both dry; canned foods are moist.

The ingredients in dry food can range from a cereal base through to egg, rice chicken and meat. Super premium foods contain all the vitamins and minerals required for a balanced diet.

The difference between extruded super premium foods and flaked foods lies in the cooking processes involved. Proper cooking is necessary to break down raw starch to ensure complete digestion. Extruded complete foods – including all super premium foods contain cereals cooked under correct pressure and temperature ensuring even and thorough cooking and a balance of ingredients in each nugget.

Micronised flakes (i.e. those used in many flaked products are cooked by an infra red process somewhat similar to microwave cooking. The resulting “degree of cook” in poor quality flaked food can be very variable, and obviously lead to poor digestion.

Trials conducted by Cambridge Veterinary school show that over 70% of dogs samples digested extruded foods more fully than the flaked diet – in some cases more than 30% better.

It has also been found that the variation of flake size in micronised food causes heavier particles to sink and concentrate in the bottom of the pack and lead to an unbalanced diet from day to day.

If extruded foods are preferable to flaked foods on the grounds of balance and digestibility, they offer attractions against canned foods for completely different reasons.

The ingredients for canned foods vary; some are complete foods, others require mixing with mixers ands supplements to provide the necessary balance of minerals and vitamins. Some are based on fish, meat and their derivatives but many are cereal or vegetable based. By their nature they are moist – to the extent that 75% of the content of the average can is water.

Breeders and many owners question the value-for-money of cans and see little sense in carrying home large volumes of water from the shops.

More benefits from feeding extruded super premium foods.

The proven digestibility of extruded super premium foods leads to firm motions, less wind and nasty smells and fewer trips to the vet.

Only super premium foods provide the light abrasion, which keeps a dog’s teeth cleaner.

Super premium foods may be cheaper because of the waste involved in other types of food.

Changing your dog’s diet

If your dog is used to a different food, it is important to change the diet gradually over a period of 10 to 14 days – mixing a little of the new food with the former food and gradually increasing until only the new food is fed.

Warm water or gravy may be added to soften the food. A small amount of meat may also be added but this should be kept to a minimum to avoid unbalancing the diet.

The quantity fed will vary from dog to dog. The feeding guide should be used as a starting point. To ensure that your dog remains the correct weight, run your hands over him on a weekly basis to make sure that you can feel his ribs and backbone clearly – he should be lean but not thin. Increase or decrease the amount fed accordingly.

If your dog is overweight, you can diet him using any super premium food but reduce the recommended quantities by 1/3 to ½. A good way of dieting a dog is as follows:

Set aside the whole ration for the day in the morning and feed from this. You can give snacks and treats all day long from this amount and give whatever is left for supper. This way you won’t overfeed.

Should I add water?

All our foods are designed to be fed dry as this will keep the teeth clean but a little warm water or gravy may be added if preferred.

Will my dog drink more?

You should expect your dog to drink more if he has previously been fed on fresh or canned foods. This is perfectly normal, as he will no longer get his water from the food bowl. – remember that canned food s contain about 75% water.

Can I add meat?

All our foods are formulated to be fed alone but you can add a little meat if your dog prefers. This should be kept to a minimum to avoid unbalancing the food

Do I need to add supplements?

There is no need to add any vitamin or mineral supplements to our super premium foods. It may in fact do more harm than good.

Why do protein levels vary so much?

Compared with canned foods, super premium foods appear to be much higher in protein but if you take the protein in canned foods as a proportion of the solids (i.e. subtract all the water), the two work in out in very similar proportions.

DON’T LET PETS NEAR YOUR FOOD.

What's wrong with a little people-food snack for your pet now and then? LOTS.

For starters diets should never be supplemented unless directed by your pet's Doctor. Anything you add or take away from a top quality balanced pet food imbalances that food. The balance of nutrients with each other is as important to good nutrition as it is starting with good building blocks: carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Second you never know when a pet that eats table food is going to eat something inappropriate such as cake with a knife in it, or spoiled food you turn your back on momentarily. Your pet could ingest a lethal dose of bacteria before you can turn back around. And then there are grapes and raisins, which are now proven to cause kidney failure in certain susceptible individuals.  In those individuals the amount of grapes and raisins seems to matter less than just the fact that the dog is susceptible to the effects. Although treatment helps some individuals may succumb to fatal kidney damage.  Research is ongoing to look for the active ingredient(s) involved, as well as for better treatments.

Third, good manners.  You may think it's cute to see FiFi begging at the table but your guests won't.  So either plan to have no dinner guests, or teach your pet better manners.

If you have a puppy or kitten learning its eating methods now, then now is the time to establish likes and dislikes foe a lifetime. FINICKY EATERS ARE MADE NOT BORN.  If your little one is slow to ingest a certain brand of food, and it is a top quality brand, there are two don’ts and two do's to remember. DON"T switch brands in search of the one it'll eat, because you'll do is force it's intestinal tract to have to adjust to each new food. AND DON"T add gravy, scraps, vegetables or other materials to a pet's diet to enhance the flavour.  It only causes imbalance