DOG'S DIET: TYPES OF MEALS AND FREQUENCY

DOG'S DIET: TYPES OF MEALS AND FREQUENCY

There are 3 ways to feed your dog: industrial, home or mixed feeding with rations to be distributed in 1, 2 or 3 meals per day.

What type of food to feed your dog?

When it comes to dog food, dog owners can choose between 3 options:

Industrial food

This type of food consists of so-called wet food dog such as canned dog food and dry food dog such as kibble. At present, this type of food is used by 80% of dog owners. Provided that you know how to choose your products, this type of food is very practical, offers good guarantees in terms of composition and perfectly covers the nutritional needs of pet dogs.

Homemade food

As its name suggests, it consists of preparing your dog's meals yourself. But beware: "home-cooked" food does not mean giving your dog table scraps or even making him eat the same meals as the human members of the family. The Homemade food must be balanced (with the help of a veterinarian) and adapted to the particular needs of the non-strict carnivore that is the dog. When it is well balanced, the home food is of high quality. It is even what is best for the dog, from a nutritional and digestive point of view.

Mixed" feed

Mixed feeding is a mixture of the two feeding modes mentioned above. With this type of feeding, the dog can, for example, be given kibbles for his first meal of the day in the morning and then a homemade food for his second meal in the evening.

To make your choice between one of these 3 feeding methods, we advise you to study the advantages and disadvantages of each one in our dedicated articles, and contact your vet if you have any doubts.

How many meals a day?

It is not recommended to give the dog access to his food at will in order to control his intake.

The food, whatever the chosen feeding method, should preferably be distributed in the form of a meal.

The distended stomach of an adult dog with no particular health problem allows him to have only one meal a day.

In many cases, it is recommended to divide the daily ration into 2 to 3 meals per day:

• For animals with high energy requirements such as puppies during their growth period, gestating and nursing bitches and sporting dogs such as hunting dogs,
• Generally when the food ration is wet (pasta, household ration...) and more voluminous and particularly in dogs belonging to large breeds to limit the risks of stomach twisting to which they are more prone,
• In animals suffering from gastrointestinal disorders. Splitting meals will ensure easier digestion,
• In dogs that are particularly voracious naturally (Labrador, Beagle...) or that have reduced caloric intake as part of a diet to avoid them feeling too hungry.