Food for dogs of large breeds: types and selection criteria

Each dog, depending on its breed, age, individual characteristics and environmental factors has its own nutritional needs. And before each owner is a choice - to make the dog's diet on their own or resort to ready-made food.

Of course, feeding a dog with ready-made food greatly simplifies the process of keeping an animal, especially a large one, but not all of them will be not only safe, but also beneficial to the health of your pet. Let us consider in more detail the composition and the rules for selecting feed for large dogs

Every owner should know that when choosing food for your pet, you must first pay attention to the composition. For example, when you choose food for puppies of large breeds, you should first look at the amount of protein in it, since it is one of the main building components of their body. Besides meat protein is most desirable for dogs, as it is the most physiological for the digestion of your little pet.. It is for this reason that it is important to observe a rational relationship between the animal and the plant component, and within the fraction of animal protein, between meat and protein of other origin (for example, milk or egg).

It is also important to determine the presence of fat in the composition, because fatty acids are an excellent energy depot for their subsequent use in the process of PSA growth. Fat is involved in the formation of adipose tissue, which serves as a heat insulator, and the mechanical protection of certain parts of the body.

Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for your pet's current physiological processes. They can be divided into “fast” and “slow”. Slow ones are more beneficial for dogs because they do not stimulate fat deposits in the body., longer provide the energy balance of the body and provide a stable saturation. The abundance of light, fast carbohydrates, as well as an abundance of fat, leads to a rapid weight gain by the dog.

Micronutrients, such as vitamins and trace elements, provide the dog with the ability to support enzymatic processes, help in the formation of the connective tissue framework of the body and the proper operation of its systems.

Dog food is divided into economy, premium and super-premium classes. Outside this classification are the so-called types of ready-made food - holistic.

In the economy class nutrition, the content of natural meat is practically reduced to zero, its main component is meat by-products. In premium and super premium feeds, the content of natural meat is much higher, and holistic feeds consist entirely of organic and healthy ingredients.

In addition, the compositions can be classified according to several criteria - grainless and with grain protein, containing meat and not containing meat protein, with flavoring agents, preservatives and without them. It should also be noted that the finished food is divided into dry and canned (wet) varieties.

In order to choose a suitable ready-made diet for your large pet, you need to take care of the quality of this food, which manufacturers usually vouch for. To begin, pay attention to the feed economy class.

• Dog Chow. In the composition of this raw material, the main source of protein is turkey meat, contains products from cereals, soybeans, as well as preservatives and flavors. Of the advantages of the product can be identified low cost, relatively high prevalence. Of the minuses - not meeting the requirements of the composition, containing mainly turkey by-products, cereals, soy and only 30% protein, so this food is extremely non-physiological, especially for puppies.

• Feed "Our Brand" for large breeds. This feed includes chicken, corn, sunflower and beetroot. This feed is also mineralized, but it contains only a quarter of the protein, and the composition, as in the previous case, contains many by-products, for example, flour from chicken parts. The advantage of this feed is low price. And the minuses are exactly the same dictated by the characteristics of the composition - the likelihood of an allergic reaction to corn gluten, the non-physiological composition of the composition of offal can disrupt the growth rate of the puppy.

• Pedigree for puppies of large breeds. The main source of protein, as in the past case, offal of chicken and other types of meat. The carbohydrate donor is a mixture of corn meal, rice and cereals, as well as beet pulp. The fats in this feed are of animal origin. This feed has the same advantages inherent in this price category - absolute recognition and prevalence, reasonable price. The disadvantages of this feed are an unbalanced composition threatening to impair the growth and development of the puppy.

Next we look at the premium feed.

• Royal Canin. This feed contains dried poultry meat, not by-product. Corn is used as a source of carbohydrates. Advantages of feed - the relative popularity, the average price, the presence of whole meat in the composition. Cons - half of the protein is of vegetable origin, not all of the composition is thoroughly stated, which does not allow to fully evaluate the potential of this diet.

• Hill's Science plan. In this diet, as in the previous one, the main formative component is maize. Chicken in the form of flour serves as the meat component, there are additives in the form of animal fats, and hydrolyzate of unspecified protein - it is impossible to say animal or vegetable. Reviews of veterinarians are similar to the previous feed, since the composition is not completely clear and it is impossible to assess the harm or benefit of this feed for the health of the dog.

• Pronature. Sources of protein in the feed are chicken and corn gluten. Its protein content is slightly less than 40%. The carbohydrate component is presented in the form of rice and corn flour, mineral enrichment is present. In the list of advantages of this feed, a noticeable advantage is the price, relatively rich in protein composition, mineralization and saturation of micronutrients. This food is not without its minuses - the undisclosed distribution of proteins by origin, the product is relatively difficult to find in stores, as it is not very widely distributed.

• Probalance In this diet there is up to 30% of dry poultry meat. In addition, this diet includes cereals (rice, barley, oats), chicken fat, and vegetable oils, such as flaxseed. In addition, the composition is richly mineralized and fortified, but it contains not very safe additives (E321). Thus, the very compromise price with good quality of performance can be attributed to the advantages of food, because almost a third of the food consists of whole, though dry, meat, and carbohydrates in the food are not in the form of by-products. Disadvantages of the product - it contains the above ambiguous additive, the safety of which is not fully understood. In general, this food is an excellent option in terms of price-quality.

• ProPlan for puppies of large breeds. It contains 17% of chicken protein, which does not allow us to state unequivocally that this is only meat. It also contains corn, wheat, animal protein, beet ingredients, and other plant and animal ingredients. Moreover, beetroot and part of plant components are presented in the form of by-products. In the composition, it is not explained that the “flavor-feed additive” was used in the feed, and the complex of incoming vitamins was also not specified. Thus, the advantages of this feed - recognition, availability, price; cons - there is little protein in it, the presence of by-products, undisclosed components.

Rating super-premium class feeds, as well as holistic class diets.

• Acana. This diet contains almost entirely natural ingredients. The source of animal protein in it is chicken meat, moreover, both fresh and dry, separated from the bones. There is also turkey meat and other meat components, the sum of which gives the share of meat in the product above 62%. Also present are eggs, beans and many other natural plant ingredients. It is important to bear in mind that in the process of cooking the meat decreases, therefore the proportion of protein in the final product is declared at 33%, and the manufacturer maintains this bar. In this feed there are no artificial ingredients, and the existing natural product is very high quality. The composition of the feed is balanced, so it is very useful for the dog. Pros - product quality noted above, balanced composition; cons - the price, as it is not always possible to find in the supermarket near the house.

• Now. This feed contains meat of turkey, salmon, egg white. The meat parts of the product are presented in the form of a fillet, the eggs are whole. This diet is grainless, and the main source of carbohydrates in it is potatoes. In addition, the composition is the same as in the previous version, all the ingredients are natural, but their percentage ratio is not indicated, so it is difficult to say how much meat is in the feed. In total, protein is slightly less than thirty percent. The advantages of this feed are in the presence of natural products, their relatively physiological composition, and among the significant drawbacks there will be an understatement of the composition and a relatively high price.

• Farmina N & D. As part of this feed, the main donors of animal protein are fresh and dry boneless chicken meat, containing egg components, chicken fat and fish (its meat, fat). The feed includes dry vegetables, fruits, vitamins and trace elements. There are natural flavorings. The main source of carbohydrates - potatoes, and vegetable fibers - peas. The advantages of this feed are the natural origin of the ingredients, the balance of the composition; cons - the price is also not always possible to find this food nearby.

• Orijen. This diet contains up to 20% of fresh boneless chicken meat, up to 15% of dry chicken meat and about 10% of animal components, which makes it very rich in protein.The carbohydrate component is presented in the form of sweet potatoes, peas and lentils. The advantage of this diet is usefulness, but such an abundance of protein (38% of protein in the final product) is controversial, minus is the price.

The choice of food for active and large dogs should be taken very responsibly and carefully. Therefore, the choice of "dishes" can be guided by the following principles.

• If possible, exclude all economy class feeds from the sample, as they often consist of by-products, their formulation is imperfect, and the composition is not in balance, which disrupts the puppy's growth rate or the physiological processes of the dog at any age.
• If price is not a limiting factor for you, it is advisable to turn your attention to feed with a completely natural composition, for example, holistic or super-premium group, since such feed will have the best absorption, causing the least discomfort to the dog's digestion.
• The food you are interested in should be marked with the fact that this food is intended for large dogs, and if you have a puppy, then other corresponding marks. In addition, on the reverse side of the package should be indicated the distribution of portions for an adult dog or the consumption rate for puppies of different ages.
• Always read the composition carefully. In the feed there should be no flavor modifiers, flavors, preservatives. When studying the composition, pay attention to whether the product consists of whole foods or flour. Also look at the distribution of protein, fat and carbohydrates in the feed, vegetable and animal proteins, whether there are grain components. If your dog has an active, agile temper, you should focus on clarifying the amount of protein and carbohydrates.
• It is very important to pay attention to the calorie content of the feed, the lower it is - the better will be the health of your pet in the future.
• Be sure to read the reviews, ask familiar breeders - perhaps they have advice for you regarding the choice of feed.
• After the purchase, try a small portion on your dog. If she likes food, you can switch to this diet completely, but if she does not like this product, she will have to look for another one.

Big dogs have their own feeding habits. For example, large dogs are at risk for some diseases, such as gout, and increasing body weight leads to an increase in the load on the supporting joints, which causes their chronic damage.

How to choose a dry dog ​​food, see the following video.