Health and diet

Little big loves – how to feed them the best?

Each dog is an individual and has different needs. When it comes to diet, it depends on its health condition or physically demanding activities. However, we can generalize these needs to a certain degree according to a breed, age and mainly the size of a dog.

Each dog is an individual and has different needs. When it comes to diet, it depends on its health condition or physically demanding activities. However, we can generalize these needs to a certain degree according to a breed, age and mainly the size of a dog.

It’s not only about mini breeds having little stomach and therefore needing smaller pieces of dry food. Our mini pets are also much closer to the ground than other dogs or than we, as people, are. Therefore, they get into contact with a much greater concentration of dust and various harmful substances. You probably can imagine that his environment is a big stressor and a burden to the immune system. Besides breathing, also hair and skin suffer from it. Do not also forget about the fact that small dogs need more energy to keep up our pace.  

And because, as I tend to repeat again and again, the best protection is prevention, this needs to be taken into account when choosing the right food. Since small dog breeds have to cope with more external influences which weaken their organism, we shouldn’t expose them to unnecessary burden in the form of cereals in food which are difficult to digest. It is probably not necessary to emphasize that they have considerably shorter digestive tract and therefore also faster digestion. It is another reason why they need to have food which is easily digestible. Some of the highly nutritious but easily digestible proteins are salmon, tuna, lamb and rabbit. Its benefit is also the fact they are hypoallergenic.

Remember that a key to a healthy, long life and good resilience is a healthy digestion and healthy skin. Food should therefore contain supplements to support cellular and microbial immune system such as sea-buckthorn, probiotics, inulin, vitamin C or omega 3 fat acids. Due to their closeness to ground, small breeds more often suffer from urinary tract diseases, mainly in winter. Cranberries or blueberries are the best to treat these diseases and for prevention and they also have good influence on the health of dogs’ hearts.

Small dogs also often have problems with teeth. There are herbs for their health as well and they can be included in quality food. For healthy gums and teeth, look for the already-mentioned sea-buckthorn, clove or sage.

As well as for other breeds, you shouldn’t forget about the different needs of mini breeds in various stages of their lives. A puppy, an adult dog and a dog senior will need different composition. Also, the needs of long haired and short haired mini dogs will be different. If you invest your efforts and choose perfect food for your dog, don’t forget about treats! They should also have different composition, not only a different size.

What is your dog’s diet? For example, have you noticed an improvement in its health condition when you started to give it special food for small breeds?

 

Related articles

Care and raising

First heat

If you’ve got a little female puppy at home, first heat might catch you off guard, so it’s not a bad idea to make some preparations ahead.

Interesting information

Dogs at work

Domestic dog is the oldest domesticated animal and it has provided accompaniment to humans for 14 thousand years at the minimum. During this time, it underwent numerous changes and a long development. All the dog breeds of today are a result of human...

Interesting information

Dogs and horses

I am not much of a horse person, but from time to time, I like to go horse riding. Usually, I leave my fuzzy friends at home. The presence of horses upsets them. When I was getting my dog fellows, I didn’t think about the fact that not all the breeds...

Interesting information

Why do dogs dig?

If you take pride in your nicely groomed garden and your dog belongs to the category of the so-called diggers, it probably doesn’t make you very happy. However, frantic digging in earth doesn’t please not even us, who wink at a few holes in the grass....

Care and raising

How to train calling with a whistle?

Calling a dog is without any doubt one of the most important commands that the dog should reliably master at any situation. Most often, we call the dog using the command “come”, but we can also emphasise it with a whistle. It pays off mainly in...

Interesting information

Five myths about dogs

I have always thought, that I know my four-legged fellows to their last hair, but there’s always something that manages to surprise me and there’s always a lot to learn from them. Some of the myths are so deep-rooted, that one doesn’t even fall upon...

Výchova a péče

How do the dogs and cats hear?

Simply put: much better, than us, humans. And cats even hear much better than dogs. But from experience, I can say, that it also depends on what and whom they want to listen to. How is it with dogs?

Care and raising

How to unteach your dog to beg?

Does your dog beg for food at the table? Do they beg even from strangers when you’re at a restaurant? Then you should know, that you are one-hundredth percent guilty of this yourself. If a dog learns to beg for human food, it is an educational mistake....

Care and raising

Dog Puzzles

When the weather is lovely rather for ducks than dogs for a longer period of time and long walks don’t come into question, my fluffy friends are getting get bored at home and start with their shenanigans. I always try to think of a home activity to...