We all know that a correct diet is the basis for a healthy life. “Who are what you eat” also applies to our canine friends. Our dogs belong to the sub-species Canis familiaris and to the Order Carnivora (same as the wolves, foxes, bears, raccoons, cats, badgers and an endless list of nice animals). However, perhaps due to their association of several centuries with humans dogs are today one of the less carnivorous species in what concerns their metabolic capacity, although meat continues to tank top on their preferences. The truth is that today the domestic dog is or he can be omnivorous just like us.

Just as happened with their ancestors, the wolves, dogs exhibit a competitive behaviour over food. When various dogs are fed at the same time, dominant interactions may occur and some of the animals will eat more than the others. Therefore, it is very important that a dog is trained to eat only from his bowl. Competitive behaviour during feeding can be advantageous. In some instances, dogs that are "bad eaters" can be stimulated to consume more food in the presence of another dog due to the competitive behaviour!

Choosing the food

The type of food, commercial or home-made, should be chosen considering the advantages/disadvantages for each animal, bearing in mind that each dog is an individual, and that what works well for one may not work at all for another. Most of the owners prefer the commercial diets due to the easiness in acquisition, convenience, cost and quality. When deciding for a home-made diet, owners should ensure that the animals are being provided with a balanced ration with the ingredients appropriate for the dog's age, size, weight, activity level and reproductive stage. There are different commercial diet brands available in market adequate to different ages and physiologic conditions.

What is a balanced diet?

 A diet is balanced when an animal that consumed the amount of diet necessary to meet his daily needs for growth and activity has also satisfied his needs of other nutrients. A balance diet should include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and water. The dog’s daily needs vary with the age, race, sex, activity level, reproductive stage (gestation, nursing), environment and health conditions.

My dog devours the food in a matter of seconds...

The dogs exhibit a competitive behaviour over food. If the food is given to various dogs at the same time, competitive behaviour may lead dogs to devouring the food. The solution is to feed them separately. When the competitive behaviour is not the cause, we can try to give a diet that takes more time to consume. Some dogs devour moist canned food but they return to normal when given dried food. If even with dried the dog still devours it, we can try the addition of water to the diet immediately before feeding. This should reduce the animal’s voracity while minimizing the risk of the ingestion of great amounts of air.