I have a nine-month-old mix — we got her at a rescue center and they do not know for sure her breed. We were told that she would weigh between 25 and 35 pounds (by our vet). Well at 55 pounds of solid dog I have a question – How many times a day should we feed her and how much? The vet thinks she has the following breeds mixed – Husky, Welch Corgi, Lab and Pit bull. She has short hair and seems to shed about every 4 months.
Nancy
Goodyear, AZ
You illustrate in your question the reason why I never try to guess how big a puppy will be when full grown. This is especially true of non-purebred dogs. Dogs are like people. Some grow early, and others grow late. Either can be normal, and this makes it devilishly hard to guess how big a puppy will be when it is an adult.
The tallest person in a sixth grade class may be among the shortest of the cohort during high school graduation. And the shortest person in the sixth grade could be among the tallest in the twelfth. In general I refrain from speculating on the final size that I expect juveniles of any species to reach.
But your question was about feeding. How much should a dog (or cat, or human) eat? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that one. Different lifestyles, activity levels, and baseline metabolisms all come into play. The type of food eaten is important, too. Active dogs that eat low calorie food need to eat large amounts in order to survive. Sedentary indoor cats that eat calorically dense diets can get by on close to nothing.
Formulas exist to calculate energy needs for pets. I haven’t used them in years, but I do recall that they involve body mass to the 3/4 power. I also recall, vividly, that the formulas are useless. They make great theory, but real life is more complicated–and at the same time more simple.
I recommend that you feed your pet the amount of food necessary to grow, thrive, and maintain a healthy body weight. That may sound obvious, but it is true. The only method that truly works in my experience is trial and error. If your pet is overweight, feed him less. If your pet is underweight, growing or training for the Iditarod, feed him more. Tinker until you get it right.
Two meals daily is the standard for dogs in the United States, but this rule isn’t set in stone. Some animals, most notably small breed puppies, should be fed more often (young Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua puppies should be fed at least four times each day to prevent low blood sugar). I have some patients that eat three square meals every day. Others eat only one (although I generally don’t recommend one meal each day due to an anthropomorphic opposition to going 23 1/2 hours without food).
For most pets the number of meals fed doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as the total amount of food offered. Your dog, as you mention, is “solid”. To me it sounds like you’re doing things right.
Cats and dogs with food allergies most commonly suffer from skin and ear problems. Gastrointestinal upset also is possible.
Numerous studies have been performed to assess the most highly allergenic food ingredients. A paper published in the September, 2002 issue of Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery attempted to tabulate the results of 22 different studies into a cohesive set of data. This “study of studies” has the advantage of large sample sizes that are likely to be statistically significant. It has the disadvantage of being authored by Philip Roudebush of the Hill’s Science and Technology Center. Although I can’t see any evidence of data twisting in the paper, readers should be aware that the data were tabulated by a person employed by a pet food manufacturer. Consume as many grains of salt as you desire while reading the results.
The leading food allergens in dogs as determined by the study of studies are listed below. Numbers in parentheses indicate percent of food allergy cases caused by each ingredient. They do not indicate the likelihood that a pet will suffer an allergic reaction after consuming the ingredient.
Beef (34%)
Dairy (20%)
Chicken (20%)
Wheat (16%)
Egg (7%)
Lamb (5%)
Soy (5%)
Corn (3%)
Pork (2%)
Rice (2%)
Fish (1%)
In cats, the following allergens were found to be most problematic.
Beef (29%)
Dairy (29%)
Fish (23%)
Lamb (7%)
Chicken (7%)
Wheat (5%)
Corn (5%)
Egg (4%)
A different study of studies was published in April, 2006 in the online journal Critical Reviews in food Science and Nutrition. The authors were Belgian, and in a quick review of the matter I could not find evidence of links to pet food companies. Here are their conclusions.
The leading allergens in dogs as determined by the authors are beef (36%), dairy (28%), wheat (15%), egg (10%), “diverse” (includes corn, rice, “biscuit”, chocolate [They're feeding chocolate to dogs in Belgium?! Don't they know it's potentially toxic? And isn't Belgian chocolate too good to give to dogs?], and gluten) (10%), chicken (9.6%), “canned foods” (8.6%), soy (6%), “dry foods” (6%), pork (4%), rabbit (1%) and fish (1%).
The authors concluded that the leading allergens in cats are “commercial foods” (ingredient causing allergies undetermined) (25%), beef (20%), dairy (15%), fish (13%) “diverse” (includes penicillin, “brand’s essence”, gluten, and viscera) (11%), lamb (7%), poultry (5%), barley and wheat (5%), additives (2%), rabbit (1%) and egg (1%).
Percentages in both studies may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Readers are invited to post links to additional studies in the comments section.
Photo: may cause allergic reactions in dogs. That leaves more for me!
Some dog foods state that they are for PUPPIES. What do you think of a dog food that states it is for puppies and adults? I always thought puppy food had additional vitamins, etc. Until my six-month-old Yellow Lab puppy is at least one year old, I’m going to keep her on puppy food. Do you agree?
Diane
Rehoboth, Delaware
Commercial puppy foods often have more calories, protein, and vitamins than adult formulas. The proportions of nutrients in puppy formulas also may differ from those in regular formulas. The added nutrients and altered proportions are designed to promote healthy growth.
Paradoxically, large breed puppy formulas are designed to slow growth slightly (although not affect final adult size)–this helps to prevent symptoms of hip dysplasia later in life.
It is my opinion that many companies use puppy formulas mostly for marketing purposes. Plenty of evidence shows that most adult formulas also can provide ample nutrition for the growth of puppies. Although puppy formulas may be tailored for young dogs, many dog foods are appropriate for multiple life stages.
I generally recommend that large breed puppies (such as Labrador Retrievers) stay on large breed puppy food until they are 12 – 18 months old. I recommend this because of the hip dysplasia-reducing effects of these diets.
However, that benefit may be marginal. Most puppies can in fact do fine eating regular high quality dog food.
I have said many, many times on this blog that in my opinion there is no one “right” food for any dog, cat, or human. We can thrive by eating almost any food that is adequately nutritious. This is true for puppies as well as adult dogs.
Another pet food recall was announced yesterday. This recall affects two types of Nutro Brand cat food. No dog foods are affected. Nutro issued a press release yesterday. Here is a quote.
This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.
Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.
Based upon the limited information I have seen I am optimistic that this recall will not lead to serious illness in many cats. Zinc can be toxic in very high doses. Although I have not seen quantitative information on the amount of zinc contained in the recalled foods, it is unlikely that their zinc levels are high enough to cause problems.
Low potassium also can lead to a host of problems. However, they usually develop slowly.
In either case, I’m optimistic that switching affected cats to a nutritionally balanced diet will prevent major issues from occurring.
However, contact your veterinarian immediately if your cat has been eating a recalled food and he or she experiences lethargy, weakness, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, or any other unusual symptoms.
For more information, click here to read the entire press release.
A note about comments: emotions tend to run strong when pet food is discussed. Please keep your comments civil. Thank you in advance for not forcing me to delete your comments.
Last week Anders asked a video question on the vet blog. Here it is again in case you missed it.
I am reminded of an aphorism: all things should be enjoyed in moderation, except for moderation itself, which should be enjoyed in excess.
The good news, Tailer, is that there is nothing wrong with an occasional treat here and there. The bad news is that it’s generally not a good idea for any creature to exist solely on treats.
Unless the nutrition information for the treats specifically states that they provide complete and balanced nutrition, it is safe to assume that they do not. Feeding nothing but treats could lead to nutritional deficiencies. Some treats are very high in carbohydrates–some experts believe this predisposes cats to diabetes. Excess treats also put some cats at risk of obesity (although it is clear from the video that Tailer’s weight is fine).
Anders, I recommend that you encourage Tailer to eat more of his regular food. Use the treats only as treats.
One of my cats, Nashville (aka Bug), does not
properly chew his food. I would guess, with his
dry food, he maybe chews two out of every 10 pieces
he eats. The rest of them he just swallows whole.
He doesn’t usually eat particularly fast, just
one piece at a time. I’ve had to avoid giving him
certain kinds of treats because he has choked on
them due to not chewing them. Could there be any
particular cause for him not wanting to chew food?
He does not have any dental problems that we are
aware of, and this has been going on since he was
a kitten (he’s now almost 2). Thanks!
Sabrina
Spokane, WA
Bug’s behavior is not abnormal. People still debate whether dogs are natural predators (they appear to share a common ancestor with wolves) or scavengers (dogs in the wild (wild dogs are common–they roam freely in towns and cities in developing countries) obtain most of their food by scavenging). Please pardon the double parenthesis.
Cats, however, are carnivores. Although they will scavenge if afforded the opportunity, their main source of sustenance is prey animals. They capture and kill their prey. They use their teeth to tear off pieces of meat and internal organs. The pieces are swallowed whole.
Cats’ teeth are designed for this purpose. They have few molars. Their molars, unlike ours, aren’t designed for chewing and thoroughly macerating food. It isn’t normal for them to spend much time chewing.
It generally isn’t harmful for cats to swallow food without chewing it. In fact, I know several cats who have no teeth. These cats often consume hard food and swallow it whole.
I always recommend avoiding treats or foodstuffs that cause difficulties for individual pets. But, for the most part, swallowing unchewed food is normal feline behavior.
Some people may use this fact to discourage feeding dry food or any form of commercial cat food as “unnatural”. However, I have yet to see any reputable evidence that dry cat food is bad for cats. I have seen theoretical evidence, I have seen plenty of material published on thoroughly biased advocacy websites, and I have seen anecdotal reports from forums that are not scientifically run. But I haven’t seen any solid studies that scientifically document health problems caused by commercial cat food. At least not yet.
I have a very old female cat. Most of her teeth
is gone – she has one fang in front that’s left.
I am worried about her food intake. Sometimes I
do give her mashed canned tuna. Is this ok? What
else can I feed her?
Rica
Philippines
Cats and dogs can thrive without teeth, as long as their gums are healthy. If your cat’s teeth were extracted by a veterinarian the odds are high that her gums are in good shape. If the teeth fell out naturally due to decay, then there is a significant chance that her gums are inflamed or infected. I recommend that you have a professional assess your cat’s oral health and perform corrective procedures if necessary.
Cats with healthy gums and no teeth generally have no problems eating. Many such cats prefer soft food, but I know several toothless cats who happily gum down crunchies. In other words, most cats without teeth don’t have special dietary needs.
If you are worried that your cat is not eating enough, you should monitor her weight. Cats that don’t get enough food lose weight over time.
Tuna generally is safe as a treat for cats. However, tuna is not nutritionally complete. Tuna should not be the only ingredient in your cat’s diet.
I have noticed that the subject of pet food has an extraordinary ability to get people riled up. Folks tend to have strong opinions about what pets should eat. I therefore could not resist publishing the following e-mail.
Dear Dr. Barchas,
I’m writing to let you know about a report on pet foods just released by Consumer Reports Health on its website ([click here]) and in the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports. Given the focus of your Dogster/Catster blog, I thought it might be of interest to you and your readers.
For the report, Consumer Reports asked experts at seven top veterinary schools whether pet owners should be paying a lot for fancy pet food brands, what ingredients they should be looking for, what common claims on pet-food labels really mean, and more. The bottom line: there isn’t scientific evidence that pricier foods are better, or that cheap food can make pets sick. Consumers should pay more attention to the nutrient profile of the food than the price, and the health, age and lifestyle of their pets have a lot to do with what’s best.
Details about these findings – and a lot more information about pet food – can be found on the Consumer Reports Health website: [click here] . . .
Yours,
Paul Selker.
Mr. Selker attached a press release to the e-mail. I have a hunch that readers may have a few things to say about some parts of it. For instance:
Be careful when making your own pet food. Most experts said they hadn’t seen a pet get sick from inexpensive food; however, half said they had seen pets become ill from eating homemade pet food, a growing trend since the 2007 recall of some commercial pet food contaminated by melamine. Dogs and cats each require about 40 different nutrients in very specific proportions, so pet owners who insist on making their own pet food should consider enlisting a nutritionist certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition . . .
or
Consider your pet’s age. Age-specific food is very important for puppies, kittens, and pregnant pets, who have especially stringent nutritional needs. Foods labeled either “for growth” or “for all life stages” meet those needs. Foods “for maintenance” are for healthy adult animals only. “Senior” is a marketing term, not a nutritional term.
or
Weigh the costs and benefits of wet versus dry food. There’s no nutritional difference between wet and dry pet food, but there is a cost difference. Wet foods contain about 75 percent water, so pets need more to get the same calories, and that makes wet food more expensive per serving.
or
[Regarding interpreting claims on pet food labels:] Grain-free. Protein in the product comes from nongrain sources (perhaps for people who want pets to eat more animal protein). It’s unclear whether there’s any benefit to a diet high in animal protein.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that Consumer Reports did a great deal to damage its credibility in my mind (and in the mind of basically every veterinarian in America) when it published an article on veterinary services several years back.
The article, as I remember it, recommended that people seek the cheapest possible health care for their pets. It ignored the fact that cost of care may be related to quality of care. Many vets (including me) interpreted the article as advocating that people cut corners when seeking medical care for their pets.
Given the rocky relationship between vets and Consumer Reports, I can’t blindly sign off on this most recent article. But I encourage you to read it and offer your thoughts.
I have a lovely Shepherd/Retriever mix who suffered
with dreadful ear infections for years until the
fifth vet we saw finally sorted out it was
allergies. She is now on Hill’s prescription low
allergen z/d and doing very well on it.
BUT I see on this website alot of
critique of this food. Can you advise what is or
is not in it that makes it tolerable to allergic
dogs? More protein? Less protein? More wheat or
less? Hard to know if I should switch or what to
switch to.
Maggie-Lee
Christchurch, New Zealand
Two subjects tend to inspire fanaticism among people who have pets: food and vaccines. It makes sense if you think about it. Both subjects are complex enough to prevent any person from proving, definitively, that their diet or vaccine protocol is the best. I have covered both subjects several times on this blog. Click here, here, here or here to read some food-related articles. Click here, here, here, here, here, or here to read about vaccines.
No doubt about it, plenty of people believe that Hill’s z/d is manufactured by Satan himself in the bowels of Hell. But z/d isn’t even remotely unique in that regard. If you doubt that, I challenge you to pick a food, any food, and google it. I guarantee that someone, somewhere, believes the food you have picked is produced by Satan or his henchmen.
Let’s step back from satanic associations for a bit and try to suss out what’s going on with your dog. Ear infections in dogs often are related to allergies. Dogs can be allergic to many different substances. Food is one of the many substances to which dogs may be allergic. Therefore, switching your dog to a hypoallergenic diet may help his ear infections.
Dogs with food allergies react to the proteins in their diets. Wheat protein is a common cause of troubles, but it is hardly the only one.
There are two ways to make a hypoallergenic diet. A manufacturer can use “novel” protein sources such as duck, fish or rabbit combined with egg or potato. Or, a manufacturer can use chemical reactions to modify the protein in the food so allergic individuals do not react to it.
Hill’s z/d employs the second tactic. The proteins are hydrolyzed, or broken down, to a size that makes them unlikely to cause allergic reactions.
Hill’s z/d is balanced and nutritionally replete. However, it is hardly the most natural diet out there. I certainly wouldn’t be willing to eat a food in which all of the proteins had been hydrolyzed. Nonetheless, I could survive on one.
If feeding a natural diet is a priority for you, then z/d isn’t the best choice. You can talk to your vet about alternative hypoallergenic diets.
However, remember that plenty of dogs thrive on z/d. If it is the only diet that works, it’s probably better for your dog than the pain and stress of chronic ear infections.
Photo: Checkers has no known history of ear infections. But he has fantastic ears.
My kitten of 10 months will not eat dry cat food.
What can I do to get him to eat it?
Dolores
Kingstown
An old adage holds that one can lead a horse to water but one can’t make it drink. Cats are not horses. One can neither lead them to water (or food) nor make them drink (or eat).
Some cats develop strong food preferences. These cats may resist diet changes. In my experience, the best way to transition cats from one food to another is to do it very gradually. Dolores, try mixing a small amount of dry food in with the wet. If your cat eats the mixture, you can increase the proportion of dry food a bit each day. After several days, you may have switched him to dry food without him realizing it.
Or, you may not have. Some cats don’t fall for the trick. If your cat is in this group, you may want to try other brands of dry food. Or, you could continue to feed wet food and dedicate a few minutes of each day to brushing his teeth to combat dental disease (wet food promotes dental problems more rapidly than dry food).
I should point out that in the case of the health benefits and risks of dry food v. wet food, the jury is still out. Wet food has been linked to dental disease and hyperthyroidism (so have home made diets). Dry food may be linked to obesity.
You have questions. Veterinarian Eric Barchas (pronounced bark-us) has answers, plus stories from the vet’s office, commentary on pet news and more. This blog is brought to you by Dogster, Inc., makers of the hydrant-famous Dogster and the unnecessarily feared Catster. You can ask Dr. Barchas a question. If he can answer it he will.
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I have a nine-month-old mix — we got her at a rescue center and they do not know for sure her breed. We were told that she would weigh between 25 and 35 pounds (by our vet). Well at 55 pounds of solid dog I have a question – How many times a day should we feed her and how much? The vet thinks she has the following breeds mixed – Husky, Welch Corgi, Lab and Pit bull. She has short hair and seems to shed about every 4 months.
You have questions. 