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Providing dogs with vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional components is important to their health and well-being. The best way to do so is by feeding a high-quality complete and balanced diet. Supplementing dog food often upsets the balance and may lead to a variety of health problems.
People supplement their dog's diet for different reasons. Some of these reasons might include:
It is important for concerned pet owners to realize that a quality dog food is carefully formulated to meet the caloric needs of the animal. In addition, the food provides the essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals specific to the nutritional requirements of dogs. Quality foods are complete and balanced for a specific life stage or lifestyle. By adding table scraps or other supplements, the delicate nutrient balance can be disrupted.
The interaction between different minerals is very complex. Fortunately, this is an area of nutrition that has been the focus of extensive research throughout many years. Research has shown that not only are the individual levels of minerals in a diet important, but so is the proper balance. An excess of one mineral may affect the absorption of a second, and lead to a deficiency in that second mineral.
One common supplement is feeding additional meat. However, because meat contains 20 to 40 times more phosphorus than calcium, adding meat to a balanced diet will upset the calcium to phosphorus (or Ca:P) ratio, which is important for proper bone development and maintenance. This may prompt the animal's body to absorb calcium from the bones in order to reach the right balance. This is often the case in older animals that experience tooth loss due to the resorption of bone from the lower jaw. Ca:P ratio should range between 1.1 to 1.4 parts of calcium for each 1 part of phosphorus.
Excess amounts of calcium have been associated with several bone diseases affecting growing puppies. Owners of large-breed puppies in particular believe that their puppies require extra calcium for proper development of large bones. Adding yogurt, cottage cheese, or calcium tablets to the pup's diet will only upset the body's delicate mineral balance. Remember that large-breed puppies will consume more food and receive the calcium their bodies need by eating the recommended portions. The best way to support a normal growth rate is to feed growing dogs adequate—but not excessive—amounts of a balanced diet, using a portion-controlled regimen.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulates the pet food industry and has established certain nutritional requirements for dogs and cats. These requirements are published annually in the AAFCO Manual. Only pet foods that have met the strict testing criteria established by AAFCO can carry the 'complete and balanced' statement on the label.
A puppy nibbling on your fingers may seem cute and harmless, but when he grows up, biting can become a hard habit to break. Join Expert Pet Trainer Kathy Santo as she explains the reasons puppies bite and what you can do to change their behavior.
Hi, I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and today we're going to discuss the dangers of allowing puppy biting, the importance of playing correctly, and how to stop the unwanted biting behavior.
It's normal and even cute when your puppy nibbles and lunges at your hands. Since your puppy has been exposed to only other puppies in the litter, who naturally play with biting and mouthing, it would make perfect sense why he would assume that playing with you wouldn't be different. But as puppies' teeth grow, and their bodies become stronger, what was once cute nibbling eventually turns into uncomfortable, or even dangerous, rough play and bites.
Since biting is an unacceptable type of play, it's important to teach your pup how to enjoy playing games with toys instead of your hand. Playing is a healthy, natural activity that helps build the bond between you and your puppy. This also affects your puppy's train ability-- sitting, waiting, learning tricks, not pulling on the leash, even to stop biting.
Before teaching your puppy not to bite, it's important to train your puppy to decrease bite pressure. Allow your puppy to begin mouthing and nibbling at your hand. When he bites down hard, yell 'ouch,' so he's startled and stops for a second. Continue allowing him to mouth your hand, making sure to speak up every time he bites too hard, so your puppy can learn your threshold for what is acceptable and what isn't.
Once your puppy understands your feedback about the strength of his bite, you can begin to reduce biting. The best way to teach your puppy not to bite is to redirect him to a toy or a chew bone. Simply give your dog a firm 'no,' and replace whatever he was biting with something he is allowed to chew.
If your puppy is three to six months old, there is a good chance he may be teething, so he might be trying to reduce discomfort by chewing. Try giving him an ice cube to chew on. It'll numb his gums and help alleviate the pain.
My favorite trick to get puppies to stop biting is to exaggerate, and pretend they've injured me, their friend. By pretending their nip actually hurt you, by pulling your hand away, yelling 'ouch,' and stop playing, you're replicating what other litter mates would do if another puppy were to cause them pain.
Managing and controlling puppy biting problems can be a major challenge for dog lovers. Puppy biting or nipping starts out as a bit of fun, but needs to be controlled quickly to avoid ongoing problems. Training your dog depends on a good relationship built on love and trust. It takes time to build a working partnership, and the more time and patience you have with your puppy from day one, the more obedient he'll be. Dogs want to please.
I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and I hope you found this as helpful as you welcome your new addition to your family.
