It contains a large amount of vitamins (A, D, B12, iodine, phosphorus). Eating fish products for dogs helps improve the condition of the animal’s skin, coat, and joints. However, you need to know which ones will be useful and which ones can cause harm.
Do not include river water in your dog’s diet, which contains a large number of small bones, as well as substances that block vitamin B in the body. To prevent your pet’s development from slowing down, avoid its consumption.
But sea fish is the most suitable option for a four-legged friend. A large amount of fat provides high energy value. You can feed your dog salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, chinook salmon, brown trout, whitefish, omul and other types of sturgeon and salmon fish.
What to choose: raw or boiled fish
The raw product is more dangerous than the cooked one. Experts emphasize the likelihood of infection with worms and advise treating it. Boiled will enrich the animal’s body with nutrients, giving it strength and energy.
Do dogs need a head... a fish head?
They are advised not to be added to dogs' diets. They can be harmful to health, since this part of the fish contains a large amount of an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1 in the body.
The need for meat in a dog's diet
Nowadays, only a few owners of four-legged animals choose natural food. However, historically, predators, which include domestic dogs, consumed natural food obtained during hunting.
Therefore, feeding raw or cooked meat is important for dogs, and protein should form the basis of the animal's diet. From it, your four-legged friend receives the necessary substances that help:
- replenish the body with energy;
- strengthen bones and joints;
- build muscle tissue;
- normalize the functioning of the hematopoietic system;
- improve the condition of the skin and coat;
- strengthen the immune system.
The main thing is that the meat be of lean varieties, because fatty foods are poorly digested and over time provoke the development of diseases of the digestive system. The raw materials must be of good quality so that the pet does not experience poisoning or disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.
Recommended quantity
How much meat do you need per day? It depends on the breed of the dog, its age, gender, weight, lifestyle, and health status.
The dog should eat such a volume that the main amount of animal proteins in the diet ranges from 40% to 70%.
- For a sedentary animal that lives in an apartment, 10-20 grams per day per 1 kg of body weight will be enough.
- A young active pet needs more - up to 30 grams per 1 kg of weight.
- The puppy's norm should be increased. For the proper development of a growing body, a complete diet is needed. Depending on the breed and weight, the puppy can be fed a maximum of 1 to 2.5 kg of meat every day.
It is better to divide the daily recommended volume into several feedings.
For a person weakened after an illness or an elderly person, the daily norm should also be higher. If a dog has kidney failure, the amount of protein is strictly dosed. When fighting excess weight in a pet, increase the amount of food rich in proteins, while reducing the content of fats and carbohydrates.
Types of meat suitable for dogs
Most owners believe that protein is a must in food. But not everyone can afford to feed their pets expensive tenderloin. In addition, not all varieties are equally useful for domestic predators.
Pork
The appropriateness of pork in a pet's diet still causes a lot of controversy. This is due to the fact that piglets eat everything, but due to physiological characteristics they do not sweat. Therefore, pork often contains toxins and helminths.
Tenderloin should not be fatty, but almost every part of the carcass contains a lot of fat. Veterinarians consider pork too heavy for the four-legged body, although they allow feeding lean parts or dietary meat of suckling pigs.
Beef
This is the most popular raw material among four-legged lovers. In addition, this is what veterinarians most often recommend, and it is best to use other parts of the carcass rather than the tenderloin.
Beef trim with film and cartilage is the healthiest food for a dog, because it contains substances that improve intestinal function and prevent constipation. Cartilage tissue contains gelatin, which strengthens bones and joints. The main requirement for raw beef for dogs is freshness and lack of fat.
Mutton
Lamb is considered a good substitute for beef for dogs. It contains many useful substances and B vitamins that help strengthen your pet’s muscles. Lamb is also rich in potassium and magnesium, which have a positive effect on the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system. Lamb fat contains half as much cholesterol as beef, but it still shouldn’t be included in your pet’s menu.
horsemeat
Horse meat is also suitable for feeding your four-legged friend. It contains a lot of protein, which is absorbed several times better than beef. Horse meat does not cause allergic reactions, and individual intolerance is extremely rare.
However, it is not recommended to frequently feed your dog horse meat. It contains very little fat, and its lack has a negative effect on the activity of animals. In addition, horse meat contains virtually no carbohydrates, which serves as an excellent environment for the development and reproduction of pathogenic bacteria - therefore, there is a risk of buying a low-quality product.
Rabbit meat
Rabbit meat is superior to other varieties in its composition. It contains many vitamins and minerals. Rabbit meat contains vitamins B and C, nicotinic acid, iron, phosphorus, cobalt, potassium, fluorine and manganese. Rabbit is a low-calorie product because it contains little fat. Including rabbit meat in the menu has a good effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
But rabbit meat is not equally beneficial for everyone. If your pet has kidney and biliary tract diseases, then offering rabbit meat is not recommended. Its structure contains purine bases, which are converted into uric acid in the animal’s body. It is dangerous for older animals - acid crystals begin to accumulate and settle on the tendons and joints. This later leads to the development of arthritis.
Bird
Poultry is quite common on the pet menu. Usually the pet gets chicken or turkey - the most affordable and nutritionally beneficial products.
Chicken contains large amounts of phosphorus and potassium. But store-bought carcasses contain antibiotics that cause food allergies in animals, so it is better to purchase farm products.
Turkey meat is rich in vitamins A and E, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium. It contains more sodium than beef, which is useful for normal metabolism. Turkey meat is a low-calorie variety because it contains a small amount of fat and is easily digestible, which means it can be used in dietary nutrition.
Features of feeding raw animal products
- Before eating any animal, any meat is frozen for prevention - at least 3 days.
- The daily norm is divided into 3-4 meals (the younger the dog is, the more often it is fed, switching to two meals a day by the age of one year).
- After defrosting, you need to thoroughly wash the piece, remove films and bone fragments.
- The size of the portion cubes is determined by the size of the puppy; cubes with a side of 3-4 cm are considered optimal, but if they are representatives of small breeds, it is better to use smaller pieces.
- You cannot feed your animal cold food (only from the freezer); food at room temperature is preferable.
- Minced meat is specifically digested in the stomach; gastric juice knocks the meat mass into lumps.
- Scalding does not replace freezing - only the parasite larvae on the surface die.
- Boiled bones are useless for the animal, and the remains of soft cartilage on raw bones will only be beneficial.
- The energy value of muscle tissue (meat pulp) and offal is different, so a portion of heart and lung is 1.5 times larger relative to meat.
What kind of meat should you feed your dog: raw or cooked?
The debate about whether to give raw or cooked meat to a dog is still going on. Moreover, each point of view has its advantages and disadvantages.
The benefits of heat treatment
Proponents of thermally processed foods in a pet's diet primarily point out the harm of raw food. Uncooked food contains dangerous microorganisms, viruses, bacteria and parasites. And if there are fewer vitamins left in a processed dish, then they can be easily replenished with cereals, vegetables and herbs.
In addition, there are foods that need to be well boiled. For example, carcasses of wild animals and birds are given only heat-treated, since they contain many pathogens that are deadly.
Before feeding the dog, the kidneys and liver are doused with boiling water or boiled. This makes it possible to get rid of dangerous microorganisms and parasites inside the tripe.
It is also recommended to cook the bird, which will help remove long bones that are dangerous for dogs and neutralize the negative effects of hormones and antibiotics in purchased products.
What's good about raw meat?
By nature, the digestive tract of dogs is designed in such a way that it is able to extract substances beneficial to the body from unprocessed pieces of meat. In addition, supporters of feeding point out that during heat treatment, protein is destroyed and the bulk of vitamins and minerals are lost. Because of this, the cooked product contains mainly carbohydrates, so the feeling of hunger comes faster.
But is it possible to give your dog raw meat without any pre-treatment? In fact, there are certain rules and tricks:
- The piece must be doused with boiling water to kill pathogenic bacteria.
- For the same purpose, you can freeze parts of the carcass for 1-3 days.
- Bones should be removed to prevent your pet from damaging his teeth and gums.
- The food is given in large pieces: then the four-legged friend can tear and chew it, cleaning his teeth.
- Excess lard and fat are trimmed off. This will avoid problems with the liver and cardiovascular system in the future.
Whether it is possible to feed a dog raw meat or whether it is better to abstain - only the owner of the animal decides. The main thing is that the products must be fresh. If the pieces have changed color or have an unpleasant odor, then it is better to refuse feeding them.
Conclusion.
Is it possible to give your puppy raw meat? Yes, not only is it possible, but it is necessary. But you still need to be careful in this matter. You should not give all types of meat; it is better to give it non-allergenic and easily digestible, containing no fat. The puppy should receive meat every day in small portions. Be sure to monitor your pet's health. Don't forget that your puppy needs other nutrients besides meat. Give him meat along with cereals and vegetables, diversify the protein, for example, fish. It is important to give your puppy bones as he is teething, but remember that this can be harmful and lead to death, so choose your bones carefully. A puppy is a small growing organism and it is important that he receives all the nutrients.
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Variety of tastes: how to complement the menu
When thinking about diet, we must remember that a pet’s body is adapted to eating protein foods. Therefore, he will not be able to be healthy and active by eating mainly plant-based foods. However, you should not neglect additives to the main diet either.
By-products
Innards are considered a good alternative to beef or lamb tenderloin. By-products are introduced into the menu of puppies from the age of 5-6 months; they are suitable for feeding animals of all breeds and ages. Thanks to the wide variety of offal, you can choose the piece that your four-legged friend will like the most.
Dogs eat almost all types of offal. So, beef tripe is very useful for puppies and adult pets. And the nutritious udder is recommended to be used for feeding disease-depleted individuals.
The main requirement when choosing is the freshness of the raw materials. You should not offer offal more than 2-3 times a week; liver and lungs should be introduced especially carefully. These parts can cause food allergies and do not have much nutritional value.
Bones
Bones are included in a dog’s menu not for satiety, but for oral hygiene. Thanks to a solid treat, the animal successfully cleanses the teeth of yellow plaque and tartar.
In addition, food debris stuck between the incisors and molars is removed. This helps prevent the development of bacteria in the mouth. While chewing, the gums are massaged, which is a good prevention of periodontal disease and gingivitis.
However, not all bones are equally useful, and some are even dangerous. You should not offer raw chicken or pork tenderloins. Tubular bones can injure the gums, and sharp fragments can harm the esophagus. Beef haunches and cartilage are suitable for feeding. Moreover, the size of the bone should be proportionate to the pet itself.
Cereals
Cereals in the diet allow you to saturate the animal’s body with essential elements and carbohydrates, which promotes proper digestion and maintenance of activity. But not every cereal is equally good. Veterinarians consider buckwheat and rice to be the best options for feeding. Less commonly used are oatmeal, barley, wheat cereals and rolled oats. Corn and pearl barley porridge is poorly digestible, so it should not be cooked.
You should not change cereals on the menu too often so as not to cause digestive upset. However, it is recommended to add another type of cereal to your usual porridge to diversify your food.
Fruits and vegetables
Fresh vegetables and fruits contain substances and vitamins that have a positive effect on the digestive system of your pet. However, not all of them are equally safe. Moreover, a dog that is not accustomed to plant foods is unlikely to eat carrots or cucumbers.
In small quantities, vegetables and fruits are introduced into the menu of puppies from six months of age. Safe types of plant-based foods include:
- carrot;
- cucumbers;
- pumpkin;
- zucchini;
- celery;
- cauliflower;
- apples;
- pear;
- bananas.
After your four-legged friend has eaten any vegetable or fruit, you need to carefully monitor his body’s reaction. If food allergies, diarrhea or diarrhea occur, this ingredient will have to be abandoned. Vegetables can be given fresh or boiled, mixing them with porridge.
Sour milk and eggs
It is recommended to add chicken or quail eggs to mixtures with other foods no more than 2 times a week. Such protein is not very well absorbed and harms the digestive system if consumed frequently. The number of eggs that are added to a pet’s dish is influenced by the size of the individual. For example, a large representative can eat many pieces without much harm, but a small individual can eat one. In addition, eggs are a strong allergen.
Milk contains protein, which is easily digestible and has a good effect on health. However, this only happens if cottage cheese, kefir or cheese have low fat content. Fatty foods lead to indigestion and diarrhea. If the owner gives his pet yogurt, it should be natural, without added sugar or canned fruit.
New family member
For the first 3-5 days, the diet should be as close as possible to the baby’s usual diet from the breeder. A new environment, separation from parents is stressful for a dog; you should not aggravate the emotional state with changes in diet. If the puppy is accustomed to eating boiled meat, it is better to maintain the diet these days; it is preferable to adjust the diet after adaptation.
