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A balanced diet... for dogs
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Clear several misconceptions about your doggy's diet. Read on... .
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SO, WHAT is good for your pup? Feeding right in the formative years helps a puppy develop immunity, thus making him healthier. A complete, adequate diet must have the right amount of protein, fat and starch plus all the vitamins and minerals. As a rule, small meals easily digested should be the norm.
Less is more: Overfeeding a puppy will put a lot of strain on his growing bones and harm him in the long run. The delicate digestive system of the pup at weaning requires a bland diet before a regular adult ration can be tolerated.
Baby cereals and baby foods are excellent at this time. Ragi porridge is a wonder food for pups, provided they are thoroughly cooked. The high fibre content of ragi helps in the digestive process but ironically undercooked ragi can trigger indigestion.
Jaggery can be added for its iron content but check out if your pup enjoys the sugary taste. Similarly, whether you mix the porridge in milk or buttermilk depends on your pup's preference.
Pups grow very quickly during the first four months and this is the time for a high protein diet. It will help him fight diseases and also parasites that cause infection. But watch out for a protein overload, which can put a strain on his kidneys. Eggs, a good source of protein, can be given after two months. Start with 1/4 an egg and gradually increase it to a full one at six months. Again, full boiled eggs are safer as compared to raw or half cooked ones, which can cause bacterial infections. Eggs should be given only twice a week and can be given daily after an adult diet has been reached. That is around eight or nine months.
For those who'd like to keep their dogs totally vegetarian, soya chunks are the perfect protein alternative. One or two chunks a day will suffice for a four-month old pup. Added to dal and boiled rice, this can form the main meal of the day. Soya resembles meat in texture, takes on the flavour of whatever you're cooking it with and the dogs love to chew them.
A word of caution about soya. When added to the adult diet, too much soya can make the dog sluggish and you have to make sure he gets adequate exercise to digest it.
Boiled veggies can be added after four months and onions and garlic introduced at six months. Fried onions as a garnish will have your puppy lapping up the meal in no time but go easy on the oil. Raw, whole carrots give the dog something hard to chew besides supplying him with the necessary vitamins as also serving to clean their teeth.
Rusks as a snack do the same job. Biscuits and bread provide carbohydrates to keep your dog energetic.
Throughout his first year, a pup should have daily amounts of vitamins and minerals, either in liquid or powder form. Minerals are absolutely essential for the dog. They are required in the bone formation of the growing animal and for the healthy state of blood and tissues.
Normally, a well balanced diet contains enough minerals for the dog's needs but if he doesn't get enough from the food, his body draws on the bones and tissues, leading to rickets and eczema and sometimes, even hysteria. Lack of vitamins A and D will slow down the recovery after an illness. Mineral deficiency can be suspected if the legs of growing pups are not straight and bulge at the joints, the coats are not shiny, if they're scratching though they don't have an infestation by insects and if they tend to eat earth and manure.
Most pups tend to gulp down their food and seldom chew it. This is perfectly normal. Often a pup will regurgitate his food and eat it again. Don't stop him from doing this, however distasteful it may seem to you because this is his way of predigesting his food.
Regular mealtimes are also a must. Apart from ensuring discipline, the saliva begins to flow at the usual time for a meal, and the digestive juices, if not employed, may cause digestive upsets. Older dogs do go off food, once in ten days or so, as a natural way of cleansing their stomach.
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