Popular brands of dry food for pugs, which one is better to choose?

People adore these friendly and sociable dogs with huge, sad, naive eyes and choose pugs as their pets. Representatives of this breed have a funny face and an excellent appetite. If you ask any pug: “What do you want?”, he will answer with 100% probability: “Something tasty.” Which dry diet to choose, what to pay attention to, how much to give and when - you will find answers to these questions in the article.

How to choose?

Properly selected dry pet food has advantages over homemade food. It is difficult and expensive to select a natural menu so that it is balanced with all the necessary components, and then maintain it throughout the pet’s life. Manufacturers of dry food develop formulations that meet the nutritional needs of dogs depending on breed, age, and health status.

You cannot alternate natural and dry food. The transition from one type to another occurs gradually over the course of a month.

Dry dog ​​food is divided into classes:

1. Economical.
2. Premium.
3. Super premium.
4. Holistics.

A pug's excessive appetite leads to serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and obesity.
They often suffer from allergies. Dry food for this breed requires a high protein content with a low amount of fat. It's nutritious without the extra calories.

In budget food, this advantage is lost due to the low quality of raw materials and the replacement of animal protein with vegetable protein. Dyes and preservatives cause allergic reactions. The nutritional value of the diet from such replacements decreases, and the daily dose increases. Premium, superpremium and holistic food classes are suitable for pugs.

Focus not only on the brand, but also on the composition : a high percentage of protein indicates good quality, and the presence of corn means that the food belongs to the economy class.

A specific brand of dry food is selected empirically, taking into account the individual tastes of the pet. Monitor your reaction to food; chicken and grains are often allergens. You cannot alternate dry food of different brands or combine it in one feeding.

Maintain hydration: provide your dog with constant access to clean, filtered water.

Advantages and disadvantages of feed

One of the main disadvantages of dry food is its artificiality and the presence of chemical additives. This is often a drawback of economy-class feed.

It’s important to choose food wisely—it’s best to consult a veterinarian in this matter. In some cases, animals fed exclusively dry food developed liver, kidney and pancreas diseases.

The advantages of industrial feeds are nutritional balance. They contain all the useful vitamins and amino acids.

IMPORTANT!

If you feed your pug dry food, be sure to provide plenty of water. It is also necessary to follow the recommended standards and measuring cups.

If you give your dog artificial food, you should not:

• combine feed from different manufacturers;
• give your dog vitamins and other supplements;
• pour boiling water over food;
• alternate food and natural food;
• Industrial food must be selected individually - some pets may have allergies. It is advisable to choose hypoallergenic food from premium brands Hill's, Acana, Eukanuba, etc. If you decide to switch to another food, it will take a week for the gastrointestinal tract to adapt to the new food. If the puppy refuses to eat dry food, you need to add a little warm water to it.

Dry food labeled grain-free is dietary and low-calorie. It is advisable to give it to dogs with obesity.

Canned porridge with meat is a type of wet food that does not require the addition of dry food. They also contain all the ingredients necessary for the development of a pet.

If you feed your dog only wet food, your little friend will eat his food quickly without chewing - this is harmful to his gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, alternate between dry and wet food.

According to reviews, the following are the most popular among dry food:

• Eukanuba;
• Hills;
• Royal Canin;
• Akana;
• FestMate;
• Canide.

Breed lines, rating

Interesting!

The nutrient requirements of dogs of different breeds
differ in composition and quantity . This is determined by size, characteristics , energy needs , structure of the muzzle, and shape of the jaws.
To decide on the type of food for your pug, focus on the following parameters:

1. Health status
   . If your pet is healthy, use the diet for daily feeding. The veterinarian will give advice on feeding a dog that is sick or has physiological problems.
2. Age.
   Almost all brands produce food for puppies, teenagers, adults and older dogs. This information is on the packaging.
3. Lifestyle.
   Pugs lead an active lifestyle in the first year, then they like to lie down and sleep. But everything is individual. Choose breed food that matches your pet’s temperament: Activ or Normal. Light (light) is suitable for overweight animals.

The Royal Canin company has developed a series of dry food for pugs, which takes into account the structural features of the dog’s head and jaws: trefoil-shaped pieces are easy to grasp with a flat muzzle. Specialized food has been developed for adult dogs and puppies: Royal Canin-Pug Adult, Royal Canin-Pug Junior.

Puppy feeding schedule

The type of diet must be maintained at the same level for the first two weeks after purchasing a pug puppy, so you need to find out from the kennel or breeder what food was used. The daily food intake for puppies under one year of age is divided into several feedings:

• up to two months - food is given six times a day;
• from two to four months - food is given four times a day;
• from four months to six months - food is given three times a day;
• from six months to ten months - food is given twice a day.

Starting from the age of one year, it is recommended to feed your pet twice a day, but if necessary, it is possible to transfer the pug to one meal a day. The first complementary foods are introduced to the puppy starting at the age of one or one and a half months . For this purpose, you can use low-fat kefir or yogurt, as well as cottage cheese.

Then the diet is gradually supplemented with lightly stewed and salted vegetables, well-cooked rice or buckwheat porridge. If your pet is actively growing and gaining weight well, then the diet is optimal. If necessary, vitamin and mineral supplements are added to food.

Starting from about three months of age, the main emphasis in the diet should be on meat products and low-fat boiled sea fish without bones. If the owner does not have the opportunity to feed the puppy natural food, then it is necessary to select industrially produced dry or wet food that is optimal in composition and age-appropriate. It is important to remember that the transition from one type of nutrition to another must be smooth and gradual.

This is interesting! Biscuit crumbs are an ideal source of carbohydrates for your pug puppy. Such crumbs should be mixed into minced meat or fish and fed to puppies aged two to five months, which promotes the development of chewing muscles.

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Interesting video

A story from a dog owner about what she feeds her pet.

Popular brands

It is impossible to say in advance what specific food your four-legged friend will like. Dogs, like people, have different tastes and reactions to food. For pugs with their characteristics, the following foods are recommended:

Holistics

Holistics contain high quality ingredients. For example, meat of the Human Grade category, i.e. suitable for human consumption and subjected to minimal processing.

The food is supplemented with amino acids, prebiotics, seaweed extracts, and herbs. The price is the only drawback of these feeds.

However, the holistic composition eliminates unwanted reactions to dry food. This is the ideal food for pugs.

content in holistic products reaches 80% . Vegetables, fruits and berries serve as a source of essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

There are many brands that produce holistic products, here are some:

1. Now Fresh or Now Natural holistic.
2. Go! Natural Nolistic.
3. Applaws.
4. Golden Eagle.
5. Orijen.
6. Grandorf.
7. Velcand.
8. Savarra.
9. Pronature Nolistic.
10. Taste of the Wild.

Super premium class

In super premium food, at least a quarter of the composition is made up of meat components. If by-products are present, then exactly which ones should be indicated. All foods containing less than 25% meat are classified as premium. Also, food of this class should not contain flavor enhancers.

There is not much difference in the quality of food from different manufacturers. As a rule, the percentage of proteins and carbohydrates is almost the same. The only difference will be the addition of flavoring components such as vegetable oils, herbal or fruit extracts, which are different in each recipe.

For allergy sufferers

Itchy skin, hair loss, ear problems, unpleasant odor, etc. - This is a manifestation of an allergy. The cause is dry food containing the following ingredients:

1. Poultry meat.
2. Wheat, rice, corn.
3. Soy protein.
4. Eggs.
5. Artificial additives, flavors, preservatives.
6. Some types of fruits.

If your pet shows signs of allergies, consult your veterinarian and switch to hypoallergenic food.

All well-known brands produce lines of hypoallergenic diets. “Hill's”, “Royal Canin”, “Brit”, “Acana”, “Orijen” have proven themselves well.

What to do if you choked?

The opposite situation occurs when the pug has an excessive appetite. In this case, when eating food quickly, inaccurate swallowing of granules is inevitable.

The most severe complication will be food getting into the respiratory tract. At the same time, the pet begins to cough, choke, and spin around in place.

If your tongue begins to turn blue and breathing is clearly difficult, urgent help is needed.

To remove stuck food from the esophagus, sit your pug on your lap, with its back facing you. With your left hand you need to hold your head from above, slightly tilting it forward. With your right hand, clenched into a fist, make forward movements to the middle of the sternum, forward and upward.

How can I help besides this?

If food is stuck in the upper part of the esophagus, you may be able to remove it with tweezers. However, in this case, the help of a second person is necessary, since the procedure is unpleasant and resistance is inevitable.

If the manipulations do not bring relief to the condition, you need to take the pug to a veterinary clinic as quickly as possible.

Diet

The daily dose of dry food and the number of feedings depend on the age of the dog.
Divide the entire daily intake equally by the number of feedings or increase in favor of one (morning or evening) according to your pet’s taste.

It is advisable to feed at the same time.

If your dog seems to be malnourished, switch to a more nutritious food, but do not increase the daily amount .

Each package contains dosage instructions based on your dog's weight and age. The average dosage is 20 g per 1 kg of weight.

Recommended number of feedings depending on age:

1. Until 1 month, the puppy is fed 6 times a day with special milk powder, which is sold in pet stores, or infant formula.
2. 1 - 3 months - 4 - 5 times a day, junior food can be soaked in hot water, but not in boiling water.
3. 3 - 6 months 4 times a day, volume increases.
4. 6 - 7 months 3 times a day.
5. After 7 months 2 times a day.
6. From a year on, 2 times a day, they switch to “standard” food, you can feed 3 times a day, but without increasing the daily norm.

Consult your veterinarian about your pet's feeding schedule, taking into account its development and health status. Switch to a different dry diet over the course of a week, gradually replacing one with the other.

If the dog is sick, the number of feedings does not change .

Pugs nutrition rules

To keep your pug healthy and cheerful, you need to adhere to a number of rules:

• the optimal food temperature is room temperature;
• portions should correspond to the individual needs of the dog, but be such as to prevent excess weight gain;
• food should not be liquid;
• Tap water should not be given;
• milk should be given to help get rid of heartburn, which is typical for the breed;
• salt is added sparingly, it is better to put it not in meat or fish, but in vegetables;
• the meat component should be lean and make up at least 2/3 of the daily diet;
• Be sure to give raw poultry bones, as well as stewed vegetables.

Feeding pugs from the owner's table is fraught with illness for the dog, including its death.

Photo: Feeding pugs meat

If you feed your pet natural food, then you need to provide a varied and balanced menu. Pug needs meat: rabbit, beef, veal, chicken. It is given raw. Twice a week they give boiled fish.

Vegetables are carrots and eggplants, cabbage and greens. They are ground, stewed and mixed with the main dish. Corn and legumes are contraindicated. Cereals - rice, millet, buckwheat and rolled oats - are given with caution so that obesity does not develop.

You can give a little low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, sugar-free yogurt, cheese. Eggs are offered either quail or chicken yolk. Fruits are given a little at a time.

Canned food can be given as an alternative or supplement to a natural diet.

Felines

Pugs are very curious by nature, and if there is also a cat in the house, trying someone else's food will be inevitable. However, systematic use is extremely dangerous for your pet.

Dogs and cats have different body needs and manufacturers take this into account when preparing diets. For example, cat food contains taurine, which often causes an allergic reaction in dogs.

A different balance of vitamins and minerals can lead to heart, kidney and liver problems if consumed over a long period of time. A high percentage of protein and carbohydrates causes obesity. Budget cat foods contain flavor enhancers that are addictive.

If your pet tries it once, there is no need to panic! To more quickly remove a possible allergen, it makes sense to give a sorbent, for example Enterosgel.

Prohibited Products

It is imperative to completely exclude a number of foods that are harmful to the dog’s body from the pug’s diet:

• pasta;
• wheat and semolina porridge;
• potatoes in any form;
• legumes;
• corn and soybeans;
• chocolate and candies;
• flour products;
• sour cream and ice cream;
• smoked meats;
• mushrooms;
• any citrus fruits;
• grapes and raisins;
• pickles and marinades;
• seasonings;
• fatty meats;
• sausages, sausages and sausages;
• fried foods;
• tubular and sharp bones.

It is strictly forbidden to use any low-grade and cheap dry or wet food in your pug’s diet, which simply contains a huge amount of meat substitutes and offal, as well as all kinds of dyes and flavor enhancers.

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The best of the inexpensive ones

When choosing inexpensive food, you need to look at the composition and recommendations of the manufacturer. Some of them recommend mixing canned food with cereals, which means that canned food is not a complete diet. You should also avoid those that do not detail the ingredients used.

One of the most inexpensive foods is Organics food .

There are different flavor and age ranges, the composition is described in detail, the grain content is no more than 2%. At the same time, the food is quite high in calories; a pug weighing 8 kg requires only 200 grams of food per day.

Another economical option is Frank's ProGold food .

At approximately the same price as Organix, the composition contains very general data. There is much less meat and its components (only 80% versus 98%). In this case, the daily norm is 800 grams for a pug weighing 8 kg.

Food Nero Gold.

The price level is the same as the previous two. The composition is even less detailed than Franks's. Calorie content and percentage of ingredients are not indicated. The daily norm is also 800 grams per 8 kg pug.