Appropriate dog’s energy requirements vary according to age, physical activity, race and ongoing diseases

Appropriate dog’s energy requirements vary according to age

Dog’s energy requirements- Dog’s age

A very important factor that influences the daily amount of food is dog’s age; a puppy has different nutritional needs than an adult dog, the food for a puppy must ensure and sustain growth and evelopment.

• Small and medium-sized dogs are considered adults after about six months of age
• Large and giant-sized dogs are considered adults after two years

Dog’s meals according to their age:

6-12 weeks – 4 meals a day

3-6 months – 3 meals a day

6-12 months – 2 meals a day

When the dog becomes an adult his/her nutritional requirements must ensure body-weight’s maintenance and balance of nutrients, otherwise if our dog is elderly, attention to the weight, to the daily dose of food and to not overfeed

Do not provide too much food to small and medium-sized dogs after 7-8 months of life to avoid cases of obesity

Dog’s energy requirements –  Physical activity

For example, a male German shepherd that weighs around 30 kg doing daily light physical activity: games, some running or long walks will need about 1600 to 1700 calories per day.

Male German shepherd that weighs 30 kg doing an intense physical activity will need about 2000 to 2200 calories per day

Male German shepherd that weighs 30 kg doing low physical activity or even overweight will need about 800-900 calories per day

The breed

To calculate the energy demand and consequently the ideal weight of our dog, we must consider the breed; there will be substantial differences if the dog is a Pug, a Great Dane or a Chihuahua.

How can we calculate the caloric needs or know the ideal weight of our dog if he/she does not belong to any breed?

This may be a problem because there are no guidelines, but we can refer to

Purina Body Condition System

Appropriate dog’s energy requirements vary according to age

Using this system, we can tell if our dog is too thin or if instead he/she is becoming obese.

Diseases

Dogs require special precautions to prevent cancer cachexia due to ongoing disease or tumors, always check the status of their health through:

• Condition of the hair
• Breath
• Teeth
• Dry skin
• Muscular tone

We conclude this brief summary remembering that a correct food ration is the first step towards health and well-being, there are too many diseases associated with overweight or unbalanced diet.

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