FEEDING YOUR DOG

Adapted From
www.healthypets.in


Todays Tips -How to Feed your Dog


Is your dog hungry? If you are giving your dog treats in between meals he may not be hungry. Treats should comprise no more than 10% of your dog's diet. Make sure that the whole family is aware of the treat ration for the day and that you all have a system for communicating when the dog has received treats. Too many treats can not only lead to a finicky dog but an overweight dog!

- Is the food too cold? While the temperature of the food does not matter to your dog, the aroma makes a difference. Cold food has less of an aroma than room temperature food. You can add a bit of hot water to the food to bring out the aroma.

- Does your dog have a feeding schedule? Free feeding can lead to a finicky dog. Free feeding is not a good choice for any dog. Some breeds are prone to obesity, and will just continue eating even when full. If food is left out for them at all times, they will eat it!

- Change the texture. Some dogs may prefer moist food to dry or vice versa. If you are giving your dog dry food, try adding a bit of broth or hot water to moisten the food. If you are giving your dog moist food, add kibble to give it some crunch. In making the change, make small adjustments to test what will work. Finicky dogs will be slower to adjust so give it time.

- Change the feeding schedule. If your dog is on a twice per day schedule, try switching to once per day. Do not overfeed as this could lead to gastric problems. As long as your dog is healthy and not overweight, it is okay to try the once per day schedule. Some dogs do better with one daily feeding.

- Change the flavor. It may not always be practical to run out and buy a new flavor of dog food, but you can make subtle changes to the existing food. Add a little bit of unsalted meat to the food, or poultry broth. If you are due for a new bag of food, try a different flavor. One caution here, don't buy the biggest bag of food! Buy a small bag so that you can try it. Remember your finicky dog may well reject the brand!

- Bribe your dog. Is there a treat that your dog loves? Break it up into the food. You can try to gradually decrease the treat until your dog eats the food alone. Remember that treats should comprise no more than 10% of your dog's diet.