Understanding Dog Nutrition
What is the right food to feed my dog?
The right food to feed your dog is something that is well-rounded, approved by a food company, is something your dog likes, something that fits into your budget, as well as making sure that it meets all the nutritional needs of your dog.
Dr. Kathleen Laux
Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates
What are the life stages of feeding my dog?
The life stages of your dog are puppy, adult, and senior. There are different things in each stage of those dog foods to help your dog grow as a puppy, and then as an adult, maintain a good adult weight, and then a senior often will bring in additional joint supplements to the food to help with things as they are aging.
Should I feed my dog on a schedule? How do I know if my dog's nutrition is suffering?
Feeding a dog on a schedule is a good idea. Your dog's nutrition might be suffering if he's losing weight, hair coat is over oily or dull, skin is flaky or dry, and if their energy level does not seem as high as it used to be.
How do I know if I'm feeding my dog too much?
The most common sign of feeding your dog too much is them getting overweight. Ideally, we're looking to keep them at a body condition score of four or five out of nine.
What are the essential nutrients my dog needs?
There's four essential nutrients in foods. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins and minerals are all the added things to foods to ensure you're getting enough of all the vitamins and minerals needed to be healthy.
How will a veterinarian be able to assess if my dog is getting proper nutrition?
A veterinarian will be able to assess your dog's nutrition by their physical exam, seeing if they are over-conditioned or under-conditioned.
There are so many brands of dog food. How will I know the best one for my dog?
My opinion on the best dog foods available are the four big companies that have veterinarians on staff. Purina, Hills, Royal Canin, and Iams have many veterinarians on staff.
When would my dog need a prescription diet?
A prescription diet is usually needed. The main things we have them for are certain conditions, diabetes, there are prescription diets to help with weight loss, if they have urinary, kidney, and liver issues. And a big one also is dogs with food allergies sometimes need to be on a prescription diet so that they can avoid the things that they are allergic to.
Are there any new studies about dog nutrition that we should be aware of?
Yes, new studies about grain-free diets in dogs are being linked to a type of heart disease in dogs called dilated cardiomyopathy. These diets should be avoided unless there has been a discussion with your veterinarian and there is a reason to be using a diet like that in your dog.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (845) 626-5555, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram
Dog Nutrition - FAQs 1
Dr. Kathleen Laux
Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates
How many times a day should I be feeding my dog?
I would suggest feeding your dog at least twice a day. Feeding them more than once a day helps to keep their metabolism up and helps prevent weight gain. Puppies, being in their younger life stages, should be fed at least three times a day.
Do I need to feed a specific diet to my dog for their breed or size?
Specific diets are particularly important for large-breed dogs. Their food, whether it's a puppy or adult formula, has slightly different ratios of minerals and vitamins that help them grow properly as they are going to get so large. Apart from that, ensuring a good quality and complete diet is important. If your dog eats really fast, there are different sizes and shapes of food that can be helpful in slowing them down.
What is meant by life-stage nutrition?
Life stage nutrition categorizes nutrition into the best foods for a puppy, an adult, and a senior dog. Depending on the size of the dog, the puppy stage is considered anywhere between a year to about 18 months of age for a large breed, and then adult stages from there to about seven or eight. After that comes the senior stage, which for large breed dogs, starts more around six years of age.
What is the most important information I need to look at on my dog's food bag or can for ingredients and nutritional values?
On a food bag, you want to ensure that the food is AAFCO-certified, which means it meets the food standards of this country. If your dog nutritionally needs fat or a low amount of fat, perhaps due to conditions like pancreatitis, you will want to look at the maximum fat content on the label. If your dog has a certain food allergy, whether that be chicken or beef, you should scan the ingredients carefully. Dogs that are sporting or hunting dogs will need a higher protein level to keep up with their needs.
Do the ingredients of treats matter when choosing a flavor or brand?
The ingredients of a treat are most important. If your dog has a food allergy, you want to ensure that the allergen is not included on the ingredient label. Besides, you want to ensure that the treats are made in a reputable company's facility to ensure there are no bad byproducts or anything harmful in them.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (845) 626-5555, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram
Dog Nutrition - FAQs 2
Dr. Kathleen Laux
Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates
What kind of food is best to give an adult dog?
The best food for an adult dog is an adult formula food. This is custom made to suit their needs at this stage of life. The age at which a dog becomes an adult varies depending on size - small breeds generally reach adulthood at nine to ten months, middle-sized dogs at around a year, and large breeds between a year and a half to two years.
What kind of food is best to give a senior dog?
Senior dogs should transition to a food specifically designed for seniors. This usually contains higher levels of joint support and brain health supplements. The age at which a dog is considered a senior also varies by breed - large breeds may reach this stage as early as five to six years, regular dogs between eight to ten years, and small breeds not until they are ten to twelve years old.
What are a dog's nutritional requirements?
Dogs require fats, proteins, carbohydrates, water, vitamins, and minerals. Commercially made dog food ensures that these are present in the correct amounts and ratios for different life stages.
How can I ensure my dog's getting a balanced diet?
To ensure your dog is getting a balanced diet, it is best to buy commercial dog food from a reputable company as they have done the necessary research and testing to guarantee all the dog's needs are met. If you're cooking at home, you'll need to do more research to ensure the food provides all necessary supplements.
Is dry food, wet food, or a combination of both best for dogs?
The choice between dry, wet, or a combination of both depends on what works best for you and your dog. Typically, a dog's diet is mostly made up of hard kibble, with wet food occasionally added as a treat or to encourage eating. Dogs don't require wet food to survive, as a balanced kibble will provide all they need.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (845) 626-5555, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram
Dog Nutrition - FAQs 3
Dr. Kathleen Laux
Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates
Can I feed my dog human food?
Human food can be a challenging thing to know what can be good or bad for your dog. All human food should be given in moderation if you're going to feed it. You need to consider the size of your dog and their calorie needs compared to ours. What you think may be a small amount of human food is actually a large amount that can cause a lot of issues. There are also certain human foods that need to be avoided at all costs.
How do I know if the food I'm giving my dog is making them sick?
If a food is making a dog sick, you may see symptoms like increased vomiting, softer stool than usual, or allergies that manifest as licking or chewing their feet, and unusually itchy, smelly skin. If you notice these signs, the food may not be agreeing with your dog.
Can changing my dog's diet suddenly cause harm?
Changing a dog's diet too quickly can certainly cause some gastrointestinal upset, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, or a decreased appetite. Therefore, whenever you change your dog's food, you should transition it slowly over a period of about five to seven days.
How does an elimination diet work?
An elimination diet involves feeding your dog a specific food that eliminates all potential allergens. These diets usually involve hydrolyzed protein or amino acid level foods and are prescription made by a company. After feeding this diet for eight to 12 weeks, you reevaluate the dog's condition. If symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or itchiness have cleared up, then you know the food trial was a success. After that, you start to reintroduce one ingredient at a time to see if your dog reacts to it.
How do I know if my dog has eaten something toxic to them?
Typically, if a dog has ingested something toxic, they may start vomiting, have diarrhea, heavily salivate, or appear dizzy, confused, or out of it. The exact symptoms can depend on the toxin. Things that should be avoided in dogs include chocolate, grapes, raisins, avocados, onions, garlic, chives, anything high in fat, and any bones that could splinter and cause choking.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (845) 626-5555, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram