How food requirement changes with age in dogs?

The nutritional requirements of a dog vary throughout its life and are governed by factors such as age, reproductive status level of activity, state of health and environmental conditions. Since animals eat to satisfy their requirement for energy, all essential nutrients must be present in the correct amounts relative to the energy content  of the diet. General recommendations may be given  for feeding dogs at various life stages, but these are usually aimed at the average healthy dog that is kept indoors in a temperate environment.

These recommendations, which are reflected by   the  feeding guides found on the packaging of commercially available  pet foods in India, are intended only as a guide to obtain an  approximate estimate of a pet’s  needs.  The energy requirements of pets have been established for various life stages from early life through gestation and lactation to senior years, as well as for level of physical activity.  Because dogs are extremely diverse in terms of their body size and shape, the relationship between energy requirement and body weight is not linear.
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 Optimum Diet for Puppies: The amount of time taken for a growing puppy to achieve adult body weight varies considerably, with larger breeds having a longer growth period than smaller breeds. Toy, small and medium breeds reach 99% of their adult weight at around 9-10 months, whilst large and giant breeds reach this point at approximately 12-24 months. A Puppy’s nutritional requirements are almost twice that of an adult dog and are different to human. For example, Puppies not only need significantly more protein than adult dogs and human babies but also require highly digestible proteins and energy dense food for optimum growth.  If Adult dogs should be fed a diet containing at least 25 g protein per 1000 kcal, this requirement increases to 50g/1000 kcal in bitches during pregnancy and lactation and 56g/1000 kcal in puppies.

Puppies grow almost 12 times faster than babies. Lastly puppies are fed 2-4 small meals per day to accommodate in their tiny stomachs. Image- www.pinterest.com

 Dog Food for Adults Dogs ( above 12 months in age): Nutritionally  speaking, the stage of adult maintenance  is considered  to  be  the period  of basal requirements in  which  the  animal is not subjected   to  additional  physiological stresses of  growth,    pregnancy  or  lactation, regular   work,  or  high levels  of  activity,  or extremes  environmental   temperature. During this period, the dietary aim is to maintain optimal health, activity and   promote    peak condition in the   animal. The amount of food needed to meet these may then be calculated from knowledge of the energy values of food.  Feeding recommendations are only ever given as guidelines and are subject to individual variability between dogs and to difference in activity level and environmental conditions.

If extra snacks, treats or table scraps are added to the diet, their energy content must be taken into account when calculating the daily food allowance, In addition, spaying may reduce the resting energy requirement to bitches. Regular weighing of the animal allows the owner to monitor the adequacy of the feeding regimen on a quantitative basis. Image-www.dogfoodinsider.com

Senior Dogs’ Dietary requirements: As a rough guide a dog can be considered senior when it enters the last third of its predicted lifespan. The energy requirement of senior dogs is approximately 20% less than that of young adults. The decrease in energy requirement is linked to declines in activity and changes in body composition. Most  adult  dogs in  maintenance  are  able to  eat all   they   require  in a   single   meal and  it  is  perfectly  acceptable to adopt a  once-a-day feeding.

Pregnant and Lactating Bitches: The average  duration  of   pregnancy in   the  bitch is  63 days, but her  energy requirements  do  not  increase appreciably until   the  last third  of  gestation when most  fetal weight gain occurs.  It is  important,  therefore,   to avoid overfeeding  in  early pregnancy,  since  this  will  lead  to the deposition  of  unwanted fat and  may predispose the   bitch to  problems  at whelping.  A gradual  increase in  food  allowance  over the second  half  of gestation is  all  that   is  required and a satisfactory regimen  would be to  increase the  amount  of  food  by  15% of the  bitch’s maintenance  ration  each  week   from  the  fifth  week  onwards.  By the time of whelping the bitch will be eating   60%   more than when she was mated. During the first four weeks post whelping, she must eat enough to support both herself and her rapidly growing puppies. The extra  energy and nutrients needed over above her normal intake depends on the size and  age  of the   litter  but at  peak  lactation (three to four  weeks after  whelping),  she may  need to eat anything  up  to four  times normal  maintenance allowance.

A petsworld India Survey among 150 dog breeders concluded that Royal Canin Starter Dog food for baby dog and mother is preferred formula by most dog kennels in India with home cooked food as the second best option. Image – Twitter