Nutrition &
Your Pet
We could write volumes on this subject. This is one of the most important choices you will make for your pet, and it can be one of the most complicated decisions as there are so many food brands from which to choose. As far as meeting the nutritional needs and increase the effectiveness of companion animal care and more importantly, your companion animal, you must take into consideration age, breed, weight and any underlying conditions.
Feeding Guidelines
Let's break it down in categories and let's keep it within some simple guidelines. Beyond the information below, we are always available at the clinic or through our website to visit with you and help you choose a good food for your companion animal!
Adult Dogs
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Calculate the resting energy requirements:
[KG X 30] + 70
Kg are found: lbs divided by 2.2 -
Choose a quality dog food. Take into consideration your dog's lifestyle and breed and ask for help at the clinic or the pet store. Calculate the caloric needs and call if you have questions.
Intense activity dogs, such as competition dogs or service dogs, might need an additional 1/3 calories.
Underweight Dogs
An underweight dog's caloric needs (along with a supplement provided by your doctor) will be met by adding another 1/3 of the calories calculated until they have reached a suitable weight. We like to add these extra calories through a third meal.
Overweight Dogs
An overweight dog can successfully be put on a diet, and we are proud of our commitment to clients who are serious about dieting their dog. A general exam and a thyroid panel will be required before prescribing a diet food. Most diets last 90-120 days. It would be considered extreme if the dog lost more than one-third of the body weight during a diet. We like for our dieters to come to the clinic for a weight check with the purchase of each bag of dog food.
Puppies Just Weaned
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Consider adding Nutri-Cal if you have a small breed dog. For some reason, these pups are overrepresented in hypoglycemia.
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These babies may eat puppy food softened with warm water or a special weaning diet. Some breeds have no problem going straight after the hard stuff, and that's great! Make sure you aren't seeing any vomiting of whole kibble.
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Feed and water them in a shallow dish. They can better see as well as smell the food.
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Adding water to puppy food is a good idea. Sometimes, they just forget to drink!
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If you can, choose a breed specific food from a pet store and if you shop at the grocery store, choose a puppy food that is size specific.
Kittens
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Feed and water them in a shallow dish.
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Choose a food that offers a very small kibble.
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Do not feed cow's milk. If you would like to supplement, use goat's milk (not concentrated) or mother's milk replacer.
Orphans
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Bottle-feed them a reconstituted or canned mother's milk replacer. Goat's milk (not from the canned concentrate) diluted by one third with water the amount you are mixing is also a sound choice. Yes, you are diluting the fresh goat's of refrigerated goat's milk.
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Orphans are fed every 2 hours for the first two weeks and every 3-4 hours for two weeks after that. At 4 weeks, you may continue the bottle or move them to a puppy food mash (warm water, milk replacer or goat's milk) or commercial weaning diet which is available at the clinic and most pet stores and is easy as well as nutritionally balanced. It also comes in an impressive volume for the money.
Pet Nutrition Handbook Free Download
Dog and cat food is big, big business. As the nutritional needs of companion animals have been studied and requirements become more and more streamlined, almost every major label of dog and cat food has undergone huge changes. The industry has seen tremendous growth as dozens of new brands are out there. Moreover, owners are aware of how important nutrition is when it comes to a pet's health needs and the competition is fierce when it comes to getting your business.