Dogs are not only different in their appearance but their individual needs. Owners often struggle to find the best dog food for their pups. A large dog would require a different diet than a small dog of the same age. Similarly, puppies have other nutritional requirements than senior or adult dogs.
You should feed the fresh pet dog food to your buddy at the right time and in the right amounts. It allows your fellow to lead a healthy and long-lasting life. Here is a simple guide for the dietary requirements of breeds of all sizes.
Basic Food Requirements of All Dogs
Before getting started, you should know that the dietary needs of dogs depend on various factors. These include their weight, age, height, and activity level. While selecting the best dog food for your fellow, check the food type, quality, amount, and the number of servings per day. In addition, raw dog food should contain a high protein content, moderate fat content, and low carbohydrate (grains) content.
Best Dog Food for Small Size Dogs
Don’t ever assume that small dog breeds require lower calories than larger ones. Small dog breeds have a much higher metabolism, so they need more calories per pound than larger ones. High metabolic activities can raise health concerns for puppies and senior small dogs.
The raw dog food should have smaller kibbles, finely ground food with 4-6 servings per day. You should avoid making them obese by overfeeding as it can lead to serious health issues. Make sure the dog food contains higher fat to protein ratio, vitamins, and lower concentrations of grains.
Consistently check out the symptoms of hyperglycemia, which may include weakness, lethargy, tremors, and seizures in extreme cases.
Best Dog Food for Large Size Dogs
Large dog breeds have a similar nutritional requirement to small dog breeds, just with a few exceptions. Ensure that food contains whole-food ingredients, devoid of artificial substances, fillers, or by-products. A diet rich in lean protein will be beneficial from poultry, meat, and fish.
According to their activity level, the diet should contain low to moderate glucosamine, chondroitin, and fats. Avoid the risk of bloating and other health issues by making kibble size larger. Also, make sure that their diet contains lower levels of calcium and phosphorus. Carefully monitor their growth rate, as excess can lead to Developmental Orthopedic Disease (DOD) and obesity.
Best Dog Food for Medium Size Dogs
The food for medium-sized dogs can be selected based on their activity level and metabolic needs. Usually, they are slim, active, and have higher energy needs.
But you can feed them a diet from both small and large dog food formulas, according to their nutritional needs. Avoid adding supplements at an early age of their life.
Best Dog Food for Puppies
Always switch the puppy’s food to adult dog food with utmost care. Puppies require a properly balanced diet that fulfills all their nutritional needs for proper growth and active metabolism. Their food should contain smaller kibbles to avoid choking hazards.
The food for puppies of the large breed must be lower in calories per serving. Lower calories allow a healthy growth rate in large breed puppies along with supporting joints and bones.
The excessive growth rate in puppies can lead to obesity and developmental orthopedic disease. Food for puppies of the large breed must contain lower amounts of fats, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. The food should contain optimum calcium to help bone development.
Best Dog Food for Senior Dogs
A dog’s nutritional requirements change with age. Senior dogs face common health issues like arthritis, obesity, and appetite loss. Generally, a diet rich in antioxidants is helpful for old dogs of all sizes. Senior dogs can eat the foods recommended for all sizes and ages of dogs.
Don’t restrict the protein content in their diet, as old dogs need about 50% more protein than adult dogs. Make sure that their diet contains low sodium and phosphorus. Osteoarthritis can be prevented in senior dogs by adding supplements like glucosamine, omega-3 fatty acids, and chondroitin. You should feed soft and canned dog food to the old ones. These are more palatable for them.
