What you should bear in mind when feedingFeeding dogs properly

Owners are not doing their dogs any favors or even endangering them if they allow them to partake of the leftovers from the family meal. Even trends such as feeding a raw meat-based diet or vegetarian dog food should only be implemented with professional support. We will show you what you should always bear in mind when feeding your dog.

Feeding dogs high-quality food

Dogs need food that is tailored to their species-specific and individual needs. The easiest way to do this is with complete food. If the dry or moist dog food is of high quality and balanced, it provides the entire daily requirement of energy and nutrients, i.e. all the necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Dogs are not pure carnivores. It therefore also contains plant-based ingredients such as cereals. Once you have found a complete food that meets your dog's requirements and that he tolerates well, it is not necessary to change his food. Constant changes of food can put a strain on the gastrointestinal tract.

It is important to divide up the food ration. This is because many dogs would otherwise eat very large portions. This instinctively prepares them for times without "prey", but depending on the animal, they risk twisting their stomach. This can even be fatal within hours. Give your pet a rest after playing and then feed it. This will allow the dog to sleep peacefully in its place and digest.

Puppies are given small portions of puppy food several times a day from around the third week of life. Soon after that, three to four meals are sufficient, and then two feeds from around six months of age.¹

When feeding raw diet, owners rely on natural food. This means that the meat, offal and fish remain raw. Fruit and vegetables are also added raw. The German Animal Welfare Federation advises against feeding a raw diet without careful consideration for the sake of your dog and your family.

• When feeding a raw diet, there is a risk that the animals receive too much or too little of certain nutrients⁴ if owners feed their pets without professional advice from books. Raw diet products on the market often advertise that they are balanced. However, this is often not the case.⁵  If you want to know exactly what your pet is eating, you should cook the rations yourself.
• This diet increases the risk of infection with pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. Some diseases can even be fatal or spread to humans. This can also apply to multi-resistant germs. The dog does not have to be obviously ill for this to happen. It can also excrete the pathogens without showing any symptoms. For this reason, you should never feed your dog on a kibble if there are children, pregnant women, elderly people or people with weakened immune systems in your household or if the animal has frequent contact with them. Owners can avoid this risk if they store and prepare the meat hygienically and cook or heat it sufficiently before putting it in the bowl.