Feed the right food! How much to feed your pet?
Feed the right food
Dog and Cat Diet - A Short Biology Lesson
Dogs are considered omnivores and have evolved over thousands of years to live alongside humans and depend on them for food scraps. Because of this, dogs have adapted to digesting meat and plants. Like humans, dogs can synthesize taurine (an essential amino acid building block of protein) from other proteins, which is essential for health.
Cats can only get taurine from meat and fish, so it's crucial to provide them with a balanced feline diet . Cats generally have higher protein needs than dogs. They do not require carbohydrates and are generally classified as carnivores, historically hunting predators. Giving your cat dog food or a vegetarian diet may cause malnutrition and lead to health problems.
life stage diet
Food for kittens and puppies is higher in calories and suitable for the growth stage. They are usually suitable for children under one year old. However, some pets may be more prone to weight gain after neutering and may need to be switched to an adult diet from 6 months of age.
Large dogs have longer growth stages, so they may be fed puppy food for a longer period of time, or they may be able to switch to an intermediate puppy food.
Senior food is usually fed when pets are 7 to 8 years old and usually contains fewer calories and different vitamins and minerals to meet the needs of older pets.
Wet food vs. dry food
Canned or bagged food (wet food) is relatively easy to store, has a stronger smell and is considered more attractive to animals. It has a high water content, around 80%, which means your pet won't drink as much. This is especially true in cats.
Dry food is easy to feed, easy to store, and generally less expensive than wet food. Premium dry food is well researched and balanced.
The disadvantage is that dry food usually contains more calories from carbohydrates in a smaller amount, so extra care must be taken to ensure the correct amount is consumed. The water content is much lower (between 15% and 30%), so you must make sure you have access to fresh water at all times.
You can mix wet and dry feeds as long as the total amount fed is appropriate for your pet's ideal weight.
How much to feed your pet
The food you choose will have feeding instructions written on the packaging. This is the amount your pet should feed in 24 hours. Please remember these are guidelines. Since we are advised to stay home, dogs may be getting less exercise than usual and therefore need to eat fewer calories.
If you feed your pet dry food, it's important to weigh their food rather than guessing. It’s easy to overfeed dry food. To save time, you can weigh your daily portions in the morning. Then, break it up into meals that can be fed throughout the day rather than weighing each feeding.
It is important to remember that your pet should be fed according to its ideal weight. If they are overweight or underweight, this may be different from their current weight.
take care of
As we spend more time with our pets, it can be tempting to give them plenty of treats, even as part of puzzle play or training! This can easily lead to overfeeding your pet – especially if you feed them human food. Giving your dog 60 grams of cheese is equivalent to eating two donuts for a human. Two potato chips for your cat is the equivalent of a burger for a human!
It's also important to remember that many human foods, such as grapes and chocolate , are toxic to animals.
If you give your pet occasional treats, remember to adjust your pet's daily portion size to absorb the extra calories. Remember, treats are not nutritionally complete and therefore can only replace a small portion of your pet's food.
Check your pet's weight
To simply assess whether your dog or cat is at a good weight, you should check the following body areas:
Ribs: You should be able to easily feel your pet's ribs when you run your palm over them. If you can't feel the ribs, your pet may be overweight. You shouldn't see your pet's ribs; if you can, they may be underweight.
Waist: Viewed from the side, you should be able to see your abdomen "tuck in," starting at the end of your chest and working your way up to your hips. When viewed from above, there should be a visible "waist" behind the ribs.