How to feed a cocker spaniel?

Any pets need proper care, proper daily regimen and good nutrition. If it is decided to have a dog, then it is important to add more dressage, daily walks and other measures designed to raise a healthy and obedient pet. If a Cocker Spaniel will soon appear in the house, then it is necessary to read as many articles and books about this breed as possible in order to know the peculiarities of the care and feeding of this pet.

The breed of dogs, Cocker Spaniel, has its own characteristics associated with growth and development, which allows you to develop a suitable day and nutrition regime.

Like many other breeds, Spaniels can eat food prepared by the hands of the owner, dry food and mixed. Each of the options has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, because before you choose something specific, it is worth exploring them.

Diet, composition and amount of food are very important for any dog, and in order not to be mistaken, you need to take into account certain factors.

• Dog size. Cocker Spaniels of different types differ greatly in size, and therefore the size of the portions they will differ.
• Age features. A puppy should consume a sufficiently large amount of food, since its body is in the stage of active growth and development. Minor overeating will not harm in this case. However, you should carefully monitor what exactly a pet eats, because small individuals can eat only natural, nutritious and fresh food. Feeding an elderly Cocker Spaniel will be different, because the motor activity will decrease significantly, which means there will be no need for substantial calorie replenishment.
• Features of physical activity. Cocker spaniels that are hunting dogs or participate in competitions spend a lot of energy. Therefore, they need its timely and full recovery through nutritious food. Domestic dogs do not have such loads, because the portions for them will be smaller.
• The role of pet character. Almost all Cocker Spaniels have a playful character and are constantly on the move, but sometimes calm and apathetic individuals can be found. Active pets need to be given a full portion so that the dog does not starve, and calm ones can reduce the amount of food by a quarter.
• Features of health and physical condition. The diet changes in some cases: the recovery period after surgery, the birth of offspring and its feeding. At this point, it is important to add protein foods to the main food, which will contribute to a more rapid recovery of the body of the animal.
• Presence of any allergic reactions. Cocker Spaniels are among those dogs that are susceptible to an allergic reaction to any food. This is especially true of modern dwarf breeds. In order not to harm the pet, before feeding him with a new food, it is worth checking whether he has any allergies to it. To do this, start feeding with small portions. In the event of a negative reaction, such as itching, irritation and tearing, it is necessary to remove the product dangerous to the dog from the diet.

Properly feeding the Cocker Spaniel is necessary, otherwise very soon irreversible processes will begin that will negatively affect the pet's health. In addition to the composition of the food, you need to pay attention to the size of the portions themselves: A puppy at 1 month can eat 3-4 tablespoons of food, for a 2-month-old pet, this rate increases to 4-5 spoons per meal.

The diet of dogs of this breed is based on the following principles:

• Pets up to 2 months of age are fed up to 6 times a day;
• from 2 to 4 months spaniels are recommended to feed no more than 4 times a day;
• from 4 months to 1 year the diet is brought up to 2 meals a day;
• An adult healthy individual is recommended to be fed well only 1 time per day.

The main feature of the power chart is mode, the owner must adhere to a specific time and place for feeding the pet. Such a system allows the dog's body to adapt and work smoothly.

You will learn more about the rules of feeding puppies by watching the following video.

Each owner decides for himself exactly what and how he plans to feed his dog.

In order to properly formulate a diet, it is important to know what products can be given to the Cocker Spaniel, and what not. Among the necessary and useful stands out the most valuable.

• Meat - This is the main dish in the diet of any dogs, including Cocker Spaniels. For puppies, the amount of product is calculated in the proportion of 50 g of meat per 1 kg of pet's weight. Adults consume 250-300 g of meat per day. It is important to boil this product well and avoid any bones.
• Offal. 2-3 times a week instead of meat, you can give the dog offal: liver, heart, lungs. It is important to boil such food. Due to the lower calorie content, its amount increases by one third.
• Milk products. Any dairy products is food, so even milk will not replace ordinary water. Milk can give a laxative effect to adult dogs, so its use should be reasonable. It is very important to give your pet kefir, cottage cheese, cheese and yogurt, without which the digestion process will not work correctly.
• Eggs. It is necessary to cook omelets or soft-boiled eggs no more than 2 times a week, a greater amount will provoke negative processes in digestion.
• Bread and cereals. Abuse these products should not be. Even cereals do not form the basis of the diet, they are included only for a change. It is best to use rolled oats, buckwheat and rice, which are prepared both in water and in milk. If desired, you can add vegetable oil and vegetables to cereals.
• Vegetables. Such vegetables as carrots, pumpkins, cucumbers, turnips, and zucchini can be given to the Cocker Spaniel. They are served both raw and cooked, but the first option is considered preferable. In order to better assimilate the product, it is necessary to finely grate or chop the vegetables and add vegetable oil or sour cream. You can use the dog food and greens, which are finely chopped and poured into the main course - in this way the dog will get more nutrients.
• Fruits dogs can also be given, but a little, due to the high content of sugar in them. It is best to use apples, melons, watermelons, currants, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, cherries.

In some cases, the spaniel will be helpful. crackers and dried fruitswhich will help intensify the process of digestion.

To protect the pet from worms, you need to add to the diet garlic, which is rubbed with a crust of bread, and on the other hand butter is smeared. You can finely chop and pour into food.

Not all owners of dogs have the opportunity to cook their pets a variety of food, taking into account all the necessary components and their combinations. In this case, ready-made feeds will be an excellent alternative to self-cooking. These products can feed both puppies and adult dogs. There are the following types of similar food:

• dry - in the form of granules;
• semi-moist - pieces of ready-made food with gravy;
• wet - food in the form of a paste or paste;
• delicacies.

To pick a good Cocker Spaniel, It is worth paying attention to another important factor - the quality of the product, which can be:

• economy;
• premium;
• super premium;
• holistic

Depending on the budget and wishes, you can choose the appropriate product, but you also need to consider the purpose for which this or that feed is produced. On the shelf in the store you can find a large variety of food, which is assumed in certain cases:

• for everyday meals;
• supporting line;
• preventive nutrition;
• therapeutic products;
• enhanced diet for weak and exhausted dogs;
• hygienic food, which is a treat.

Once the desired feed has been selected, you can confidently use it for daily feeding of a spaniel of any age, the main thing is to correctly calculate the number of servings.

If the experience of using finished products was not previously and doubts arise about its necessity and benefits for the pet, then the advantages and disadvantages of this feeding option should be explored. Among the advantages of finished feed emit:

• ease and speed of cooking;
• long shelf life;
• convenience of dosing portions;
• the presence of all the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements necessary for the full development of the dog's body.

As for the cons, we can distinguish the following:

• the high cost of premium feed, which is more expensive than self-cooking;
• Holistics are practically not implemented in retail;
• you can get to the fake expensive food that will harm the health of the dog;
• puppies should be given semi-moist and wet food until they have a complete change of teeth;
• feeding only dry or wet food adversely affects the development of the pet and its digestion.

After analyzing all these factors, it is possible to conclude that feeding a pet with exclusively prepared food is suitable for very busy owners who have no time to be behind the stove and prepare something for a spaniel.

In the modern rhythm of life, it is often difficult for people to devote a large amount of time to hobbies and pets, because they have to sacrifice something. In the case of pets, care for them often suffers, since there is no time for walks, full feeding, and taming. In such a situation, it is better to refuse to keep pets, as this only harms them.

If the owner still tries to find a free minute, take a walk with the dog, teach her something and cook something tasty and healthy, then his pet will thank him for it generously. The periodic ability to cook the Spaniel food itself forces the owner to use ready-made feeds from time to time, which is a mixed diet of the dog. Here you can highlight:

• mixing different products - dry or semi-moist food with cooked food;
• separate feeding option involves the delivery of a particular type of food within the established time frame: in the morning it can be dry food, in the evening - natural products.

This feeding option has its advantages:

• the ability to cook on their own only when there is time for it;
• in the absence of time to use the finished store products;
• rapid replenishment of the energy reserve of the animal.

There are in the mixed diet and its shortcomings:

• danger to the health of the dog when feeding low-quality food;
• the threat of protein glut in high-grade feed, as well as allergies to this component of the composition;
• getting dysbiosis and indigestion;
• risk of overweight pet.

It is possible to establish the spaniel the mixed ration only after the puppy is 5 months old.

If the owner prefers to cook himself for his Cocker Spaniel, then you need to know exactly what products you should not deal with. There is food that a dog can eat, but its consumption must be correct. For example, fish - for a variety of menus, it is suitable, but it is necessary to choose the right variety so that there are no bones in it.

Despite the fact that it is believed that dogs should be allowed to gnaw bones, for spaniels it is better to abandon this idea. When used, the animal may begin constipation, twisting intestines, there is a risk of damage to the tissues of internal organs. In addition, contact with a hard surface leads to deformation and abrasion of tooth enamel.

All baked goods, macaroni and sweets should be removed from the diet. It is harmful to give the dog beans, potatoes, broccoli. Regular cabbage can be introduced only in boiled or pickled form.

The list of prohibited for Cocker Spaniel products is as follows:

• the bones, fat and skin of birds;
• grapes and raisins;
• mushrooms;
• soybean;
• corn and semolina;
• sugary foods that have sugar or a substitute;
• food with caffeine, cocoa and other stimulants;
• food with marinade, salt and spices;
• smoked meat;
• expired food;
• scraps from the host's table.

Properly formulated diet will help ensure the health and longevity of the four-legged friend.