Nutrient requirements for dogs

I've already written about a balanced diet for cats, now let's see what nutrient requirements dogs have. Like cats, they need six basic nutrients to thrive: water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. At first glance, it would seem that both pets need the same kind of food. You already know why this isn't true from the article titled The differences between dog and cat food. I'm not going to talk about the functions of individual nutrients, you can read about that in the article What should a balanced diet for cats consist of?.

 Dogs have been living alongside humans for some time, and during the period of their domestication they have adapted to such a life quite well, which is also true of their eating habits. Their digestive system has become more flexible, and it can utilize all nutrients to benefit their metabolic needs. For example, they can use energy from carbohydrates better than other carnivorous animals. With regard to the natural behavior of dogs, or "eat until you drop" as I call it with a bit of exaggeration, we should not give them unrestricted access to food like cats; we should give them their daily ration in one or two doses.

Today I will focus on how the nutritional requirements of a dog change throughout its life and in certain specific situations such as in dogs with allergies, athletes, etc. Let's start from the beginning of their life as a puppy. This is a bit more complicated than for kittens, because we have to take into account the specific needs of individual breeds. The puppies of small breeds grow up faster, and from one year of age they can have adult granules. For larger breeds it is better to switch to adult granules around 18 or ideally 24 months. It's also necessary to make sure they don't gain weight too quickly and supply them with special joint nutrition.

Puppies grow fast, so they have higher demands for energy and building material in the form of protein. For healthy development, they need 2 to 4 times more calories, 6 times more protein, 11 times more calcium and 9 times more phosphorus per kilogram of their weight than adult dogs. As you can see, an increased dose of adult granules will not meet the needs of your puppy. Puppy granules are classified according to size, usually into 3 to 5 categories. Choosing the right granules will prevent future problems such as obesity tendencies, poor bone development, joint problems, etc.

And why is it not enough to simply adjust the amount for all sizes (of puppy, adult or senior granules)? Because small breeds, for example, require more energy per kilogram of their weight than large breeds. Large and giant breeds, in turn, have a shorter adult stage than small breeds - they enter old age at about seven years, while small breeds only enter old age around ten years. Therefore, not only the size of the granules, but also the proportion of the substances contained in them will vary in individual weight categories.

In adult dogs, the amount of nutrition they need is determined by their optimal metabolic body weight and lifestyle. A couch dog naturally does not consume as much energy as a professional athlete or a working dog. Therefore, we must adjust the instructions on the package to the specific needs of a particular dog and its specific situation (e.g. a dog living permanently in the garden will consume more energy in winter, and energy consumption will also increase in a pregnant or nursing bitch).

Remember to include served treats when calculating the necessary daily energy. Treats have an undeniable value in the education of our dog partners; however, choosing them poorly and overusing them could easily cause a serious health problem. You should therefore also select high-quality, healthy treats. There is lots to choose from. From dried meat and nutritional treats with a high mineral and vitamin content to those for dental cleaning.

Dogs with a sensitive stomach, food intolerance or allergies are a category on their own. These are caused by an inadequate response of the immune system to certain components (usually proteins) in the diet. For these dogs it is appropriate to choose granules that are easily digestible and hypoallergenic. It is also suitable to limit the number of protein and carbohydrate sources - i.e. a monoprotein diet.

Another special nutritional category includes dogs that are overweight or prone to obesity. They need less energy, but simply reducing their dose of food would reduce their intake of other substances such as vitamins and minerals, which could lead to other problems. This is why they need special granules composed of ingredients with a lower energy value. On the contrary, athletes, working or otherwise extremely busy dogs need a higher energy ratio.