Your Dogs Diet Changes With Age

Your Dogs Diet Changes With Age

Your dog’s diet will change as he gets older. Like other animals the main food requirement for the newborn will be milk whereas when the dog is older his requirement is for a diet that consists of foods such as beef or chicken as well as boiled eggs, milk and water.

Unlike older dogs puppies need to be fed on a more regular basis. This is because they are generally more active and burn off more calories in relation to their body weight than an older dog would. It is therefore important that a puppy has a diet with plenty of protein, fat and carbohydrates.

An elderly dog will need to have a diet where the proteins are easily broken down and digested. Their diet should also consist of a large bowl of water being available to them at all times. Much like a high protein/low carbohydrate diet in humans is often attributed as a cause of kidney stones the same can be found in dogs and a diet that is protein rich may end up causing kidney damage in elder dogs. This is more likely to occur in an elderly dog when his immune system may not be working at the same levels as previously. Care should therefore be taken in the quantity of feed (and in particular protein) that is given to an elderly dog. This is especially true as the dog will not be as active as he once was and therefore will not be able to burn off as much of the energy.

Care should also be taken with feeding a pregnant dog. She will probably not need the same amount of food as previously as a full stomach may be the cause of some discomfort. You may need to consider including some vitamin and mineral supplements with the food though ensuring that mother and puppies receive all the required nutrients. For example whilst nursing it would be advisable to add a calcium supplement to the feed to ensure that the puppies’ bones develop properly. It is advisable to consult your vet as they should be able to give the best advice on which supplements to use.

(C) Stuart Smith
House Train Your Puppy