Dog Food: Everything You Need to Know
How do I manage my dog's diet? What does he eat? And how do I know which food is bad for him? If you have a four-legged friend, you will surely have asked yourself these questions. If, then, you are a beginner, it can be really difficult to juggle these questions. Here, then, is a complete guide to dog nutrition, diversified based on age, possible intolerances, lifestyle.
A well-studied and balanced diet is an essential requirement for a dog to grow up healthy , strong, happy and… beautiful! Yes, because the type of food, in fact, influences not only physical fitness, but also the characteristics of the coat: a smooth and shiny coat, in fact, can only be an indicator of an animal in full health.
In practice, the dog is what he eats and, for this reason, a natural diet is always better. But let's start from the beginning:
- Dogs and nutrition: general principles
- Dog food according to its age
- The importance of natural nutrition
- All Aldog® croquettes, 100% natural and from a controlled supply chain
- How to prevent allergies and intolerances
- Foods to avoid at all costs
Dogs and nutrition: general principles
Depending on their age, breed, size and other conditions – such as pregnancy – dogs require different nutrition , just like us.
However, we can start from some general considerations regarding the dog's diet, which should provide approximately:
- 50% protein – meat, fish, egg yolk
- 50% vegetables and carbohydrates , such as well-cooked pasta or rice – ideally those that have been cooked twice , because they are more easily digestible
Dog food according to its age
To stay healthy, a dog needs a varied diet , not from day to day – our friends, after all, are creatures of habit – but based on the stage of growth he is in.
This means that there are specific foods for dogs:
- puppies
- adults
- elderly people
- in pregnancy
Obviously this also applies to dogs in breeding , which is why it is essential to rely on a dog food wholesaler that can offer quality kibble specifically formulated based on the age groups we have just seen.
Puppy food: 0-12 months
As with humans, dogs' childhood is also a critical stage for their future strength and health. In addition to filling your puppy with cuddles, it is therefore essential that you pay attention to his diet: the ideal is that you choose specific kibble that meets his needs from weaning to the first year of age .
Specifically, the puppy's diet must contain ingredients and principles that contribute to its vitality , such as:
- prebiotics – FOS, fructooligosaccharides – for the balance of the intestinal flora
- choline chloride , for the assimilation of fats
- Chondroitin, Glucosamine and Methylsulfonylmethane for joint support
- linseed oil and salmon oil , for the well-being of the retina and make the coat shiny and bright.
>> Aldog Puppy kibble is the ideal food for puppy dogs: find out more here.
Adult dog nutrition: + 1 year
Even when the dog grows and becomes an adult, nutrition remains fundamental. In this case, the food must be rich in nutrients and contain a higher percentage of meat than cereals.
If you have an adult dog, for its diet choose products:
- with the monoprotein
- grain-free or low in grains
This way, you can be sure that you are meeting his nutritional needs in a complete and balanced way.
You'll see, your friend will be so fit that he won't be able to help but wag his tail around the house happy and satisfied!
Senior dog nutrition: + 8 years
The seniority of the dog depends mainly on its size : a Great Dane, for example, is considered senior at 5-6 years of age, a Golden Retriever around 8-10 years of age. However, genetics, environment and the dog's diet also play a major role.
In fact, with age, the dog tends to lose muscle mass and weight . A correct diet for elderly dogs, however, ensures that these are kept constant through the right intake of calories and proteins .
As an older dog decreases its energy consumption, it is often natural to reduce the daily food ration. But this is not always correct: once again, it depends on the animal in question
The ideal is to choose a specific diet for older dogs that helps them maintain their ideal weight and gives them the correct intake of:
- protein for muscle mass
- vitamins
- fibers for the intestine
- chondroitin, glucosamine and MSM to support joint health.
The healthiest choice you can make on behalf of your furry friend is to prefer kibble for senior dogs with cereals that have undergone double cooking , a process that makes starches easier to digest. An example of this is Aldog® Low Fat.
Feeding pregnant dogs
And what about pregnant women? In the first four weeks , keep the rations constant , without increasing fats. From the fifth week , however, slightly increase the amount of food - around the time of delivery, this will be 25%-50% higher than the maintenance portion.
Furthermore, encourage her to eat small, frequent meals : this facilitates digestion, which is also helped by twice-cooked cereals, such as those contained in Aldog® Starter kibble.
At Aldog® your dog will find all the kibble he wants!
Prefer natural food for your dog
We always want the best for our four-legged friend and choosing a natural type of food certainly benefits the dog because:
- provides all nutrients in adequate quantities and in the right proportion
- contains ingredients that are easily digestible and assimilated by the body
- does not harm the dog's well-being with unhealthy ingredients
Above all, a natural dog food is free from preservatives and colorants , which are often added to food to make it more palatable.
Aldog® croquettes, 100% natural and from a controlled supply chain
Can you find the nutrients we listed above in a pack of kibble? Yes, if they are of quality, that is, if they do not contain preservatives, colorants and use meat instead of meat meal - the latter, in fact, is obtained from a recycling process, through the use of appetisers and preservatives.
Aldog® , for example, is the healthy diet for your dog: in fact, we produce mini, medium and maxi kibble with 100% natural ingredients, all derived from a controlled Italian supply chain .
A healthy dog diet prevents allergies and intolerances
Yes, our four-legged friends are just like us: they can suffer from dandruff, dermatitis, gastrointestinal problems . Fortunately, nothing that cannot be resolved with a well-balanced and studied type of diet because, in most cases, it is a question of allergic reactions or food intolerances .
For example, did you know that dogs can also suffer from celiac disease ? In this case, there is little to do, the diet must be gluten-free .
And what about dermatitis ? It is good for the dog's diet to be rich in prebiotics that re-establish the bacterial flora and highly digestible ingredients , such as those present in Aldog® Pork.
Foods to avoid at all costs
Dogs are known to be gourmets. However, there are some foods that should never (and we stress never! ) enter a dog's diet because they can cause serious illnesses.
For example, sweets and fruits that are too sugary – such as grapes, pears, figs, raisins – cause diabetes. It is also better to avoid onion, garlic, beans, spinach, nuts and avocado .
Be careful, even with chicken bones : if the dog ingests them, those that are too small could puncture his intestine!
Of course, every now and then we can't deny our four-legged friends a biscuit : in this case, it's better to fall back on specific foods that, in addition to making him happy , provide nutrients that balance his diet in a healthy way.
What will your dog's next meal be?
