Everything You Need to Know About Dog Nutrition
Dr. Biggins, how do I know what diet is good for my dog?
I think talking to your veterinarian is step one, and asking their recommendations is great. If you haven't had time to speak to your veterinarian, going off the age of your dog and your lifestyle are probably the first two steps that I would take. For my dogs, I would choose an adult large breed diet, and they're not that active. So, I wouldn't choose a high-protein or high-performance diet. I would just stick to a regular adult large breed diet.
How does my dog's age affect their nutritional needs?
A lot of times we overdo it with puppy food. Puppy food is really high in fats and proteins, but after a year, especially, that's a hard deadline. You should not be feeding puppy food anymore because it's way too much fat and protein, and you want to switch them over to a more complete and balanced diet as they enter their adult years.
For puppies, they absolutely need those extra fats and proteins as they're growing.
For senior dogs, I think that's something you should talk to your vet about because as dogs get older, they can start getting some medical issues.
There are definitely some prescription diets we can recommend to help your dog, depending on what's going on internally, whether that's kidney disease, urinary issues, skin issues, or even dental issues.
Are you a fan of mixing foods and putting toppers on dog food?
I'm not really a fan of mixing commercial kibbles or doing lots of toppers. When you feed a commercial kibble, everything down to the molecule in that little bite-size kibble—the macros, your fats, carbs, and protein—is all complete and balanced. If you feed a scoop of one brand and then another, or add a tablespoon of toppers, you've kind of thrown off the macros, and it's really hard to keep them balanced when you mix different brands like that. If you want to do it, that's fine, but I would ask your veterinarian for guidance. We can definitely calculate the calories to ensure everything's balanced and not overdone.
And what about basic supplements for dog nutritional needs?
Supplements are fantastic. I definitely always recommend a joint supplement. You can feed that to your dog when they turn a year old and continue it indefinitely. Adding a probiotic is great as well. That always helps. When you're looking at probiotics, just make sure it's a pre and probiotic mixture. That's going to give you the best combination to actually do the work it's supposed to do.
Is grain free dog food a good choice for my dog?
Your dogs are not true carnivores. They are omnivores. If Zeke and Bow were set free in the forest, they would not last very long. Neither would your pug or maybe your lab, a little bit longer, but still, they are not true carnivores. They need grains in their diet. They've been domesticated for years and years. In 2018, there was a huge investigation by the FDA linking dilated cardiomyopathy, which is a heart disease, to limited ingredient food or grain-free diets. They're not exactly sure what the trigger is, but there's definitely something related to that. So when you're looking at foods, I try to steer clear of anything that says limited ingredient or grain-free, especially those with a lot of lentils, pea proteins, or potatoes. I'd definitely steer clear from that.
Is homemade dog food good for my dog? Are they any better than a bag of dog food?
No, I don't think homemade dog foods are bad, but if you're going down that route, it's really important to seek help through a veterinarian nutritionist. You can do that with Zoom meetings. Often, universities offer consults with them, and they can help you make your diet complete and balanced. A lot of times, people just try to do it on their own, and they're not balancing those macros. It's really difficult to do, but it can be done. It just requires a lot of guidance.
How often and how much should I feed my dog?
If you can feed your dog three times a day, that is fantastic because you want to kind of hit their metabolism a little bit. We know that more frequent, smaller meals help with that, even on the human side of things. Most people can't feed their dog three times a day, so at least twice a day is good.
I think free feeding is something I would definitely talk to your vet about. Often, if you leave food sitting out, they're just going to eat as much as they can until they're full. Some dogs don't have the mental capacity to know when they're full. For example, B here would just eat and eat until he made himself sick. I'm not the biggest fan of free feeding. I definitely think twice a day is your best bet. As for treats or additional snacks throughout the day, how much of those can I give so that I don't end up giving my dog too many calories and creating an obese pet?
How many treats can I give my dog so that I don't end up giving my dog too many calories and creating an obese pet?
So, treats should account for 10% of your dog's daily diet. A lot of times, it ends up being 30%. One thing I do with my own dogs when I take them to work is make a mental note to take a handful out of their kibble for their dinner time. I remove those calories that they would have already gotten throughout the day from their treats.
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