How to feed the Pekingese?

The appearance of a small Pekingese in the house is not only a joy, but also additional worries. First of all, they are associated with the organization of its nutrition, which should correspond to age, individual characteristics, as well as the condition of the animal.

Pekingese, despite their small dimensions, are distinguished by excellent appetite. The amount of their nutrition must be controlled from an early age, since dogs of this breed are prone to obesity, which can lead to various complications.

Feeding a little puppy is different than eating an adult Pekingese. Up to a month old, puppies feed on mother's milk, which contains all the necessary nutrients. Typically, one puppy needs 15–40 g of milk, and the frequency of feeding is determined by the puppies themselves as needed.

When puppies reach a month of age, the diet begins to change. With growth, their need for food increases, and only mother's milk is no longer enough. At the same time, they begin to gradually wean from breastfeeding.

At the age of 1-1.5 months, puppies begin to be fed. One of the feedings is replaced with liquid milk porridge, cottage cheese, and minced meat from lean meats.

Minced meat can be replaced with meat. To do this, clean the top layer from raw and pre-frozen meat and warm at room temperature. For prophylaxis against parasites, it is recommended to sprinkle meat with boiling water. At this age, the puppy recommended cottage cheese for baby food, and liquid cereals from hercules or crushed rice, diluted with milk.

At the age of two months, is added to the diet minced meat from boiled meat, lactic acid products (kefir), boiled vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, zucchini). The daily volume of food also increases: it is about 180 g. You can feed small Pekingese and canned food for puppies of small breeds.

New food is given with an interval of several days in order to control the puppy's reaction to unusual food. The daily menu of two-month-old puppies may consist of the following products:

• curd diluted with milk - 80 g;
• liquid milk rice or buckwheat porridge - 150 g;
• chopped lean meat - 70 g.

At the age of three months, the puppies are weaned from their mother and they change their place of residence. At first (approximately 2 weeks), new owners should not change the food of a pet, retaining the previous menu. But puppies already need more variety, so new food is gradually included in their diet.

Puppies add to the menu a yolk of boiled or raw eggs, as well as chicken meat. During this period, the percentage of meat increases and is approximately 50-70%. This month, third feeding is gradually ruled out, and servings are increased by approximately 30 g.

For a 4-month-old Pekingese, a sample menu for the day might be:

• oatmeal (80 g), milk (20 g);
• boiled chicken or turkey meat without skin (70 g);
• rice porridge cooked on water or broth, yolk;
• low-fat minced meat from boiled meat (70 g).

In the period from 4 to 6 months, the little Pekingese prioritizes certain products. The growing puppy eats with pleasure and quite a lot. He needs a large amount of sour-milk products (kefir, fermented baked milk, natural yogurt, yogurt), cottage cheese, low-fat meat in raw and boiled form, boiled offal (liver, kidneys, heart), boiled pulp (boneless) of sea white fish.

You can diversify the menu with cereals, vegetables. During this period, it is also possible to gradually transfer the animal to dry food, which is pre-softened in water. In this form, it is given up to 7-8 months of age. Only after 8 months, when the change of teeth is completely completed, can you combine dry food and soaked in a ratio of 1: 3.

From 6 months of age, a grown pet can already be given the same foods as an adult dog. Milk is left in the diet if the puppy assimilates it well. It is allowed to treat it with fruits, but not very sweet and juicy. At this age, the daily menu may be as follows:

• first feeding - milk or kefir (40 g) and any porridge (100 g);
• second feeding - any meat (100 g) cut into small pieces, porridge (70 g);
• third feeding - meat (90 g), porridge (50 g), vegetables (50 g) and fish oil (0.5 teaspoon).

In the following months, the pet is fed, adhering to the same diet, and by the 9th month it is necessary to refuse one more feeding and switch to two times. At this time, the daily diet may consist of:

• dairy products (100 g), bread and butter (1 slice), any porridge (70 g) and fish oil (0.5 tsp) - the first feeding;
• any meat (100 g), cereal (70 g), vegetables (70 g) and fish oil (0.5 teaspoon) - the second feeding.

The age of puppies directly affects the frequency of their daily feeding:

• 1-3 month old puppies are fed 5 or 6 times a day;
• at 4 months - 4 times;
• at 5-8 months of age already 3 times;
• from 9-10 months they begin to gradually transfer to two meals a day, as in an adult dog.

The peculiarity of Pekingese dogs is their small size. However, this does not mean that their nutrition should be less nutritious. Pekingese, like dogs of other breeds, need a whole set of proteins and fats, carbohydrates and trace elements, as well as vitamins. Protein is required for the formation of muscle tissue, to regulate the work of cardiovascular activity, the muscular system and strengthen immunity.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy, and fats are necessary to ensure the proper balance of hormones and affect the quality of the coat. Vitamins and minerals are needed for the normal functioning of various systems and organs.

First of all, it should be noted that the Pekingese eat and love. They are happy to use such products:

• any kinds of meat and poultry (veal and rabbit, beef, chicken and turkey);
• boiled offal (kidneys and heart, liver and lung);
• boiled sea fish;
• raw minced meat from lean meat;
• cottage cheese, milk and eggs;
• cereals (cereals, rice, buckwheat, millet);
• boiled and raw vegetables (zucchini and broccoli, cauliflower, beets and carrots);
• fruits (apples, pears, apricots, peaches) and greens (salad, sprouted oats and wheat).

The Pekingese are great food lovers; they will never give up treats. Please note that not every product can be given to them. Pekingese banned such products.

• Any beans and potatoes, as they contribute to increased gas formation in the intestines.
• Fatty lamb and pork - the animal’s stomach does not digest such meat that can cause problems in its operation. This applies to any other fatty foods.
• Confectionery (chocolate, sweets) and sweet flour products. They can be replaced with not very sweet fruits.
• Smoked meats, sausages, because they contain dyes, spices, salt, preservatives, which can cause allergies in dogs.
• Mushrooms, soy and products containing it.
• Also, you can’t feed your pet with grapes (raisins), citrus fruits, cocoa and coffee, semolina.

It is also important to note the features of feeding an adult pet at home. They consist in compliance with these rules.

• Pekingese is fed twice a day and preferably at the same time.
• The place where the dog eats should be constant and unchanged. Water should always be fresh and accessible to the dog.
• You can not force the Pekingese to eat, if he does not want, it is better to postpone the feeding next time.
• Food should also always be freshly prepared and warm, rather than cold or hot, as such food can harm the pet's digestion.
• It is not recommended to offer Pekingese liquid soup, since it is difficult for them to eat because of the physiological structure of the muzzle.
• Salting food is also undesirable, especially meat. Salting other foods is possible only in very small quantities.
• The main part of the diet should be meat and offal (50%), and the other half is cereal with vegetables.
• You can not often treat your pet with treats, otherwise the dog will get used to them and will not eat the usual food.
• Periodically, the Pekingese are given special complex vitamins.
• The amount of the daily diet is determined in this way: for one kilogram of the animal’s weight, 70 g of food. So, with a weight of 5 kg, a dog should eat 350 g of feed per day.

Adult Pekingese nutrition can be natural, dry and mixed. Natural feeding consists in daily menu preparation and cooking from various natural products. It is supplemented with vitamin complexes for the Pekingese.

The peculiarity of dry feeds is that they already include all the necessary nutrients, including vitamins. Mixed feeding involves the alternation of natural food and dry food.

With the natural feeding of Pekingese, one must observe the following proportions of his daily diet: meat and offal - from 50 to 70%, cereal cereals - from 15 to 40%, vegetables - from 15 to 25% of the total amount of food.

The ratio of protein to vegetable feed should be 2: 1. The source of protein is a variety of meats, fish, dairy products and eggs, and plant foods are represented by various cereals, vegetables and fruits, herbs and vegetable oil.

An adult Pekingese can be offered such a menu for the day: meat (veal, chicken), boiled offal (liver, heart) - 70-100 g, cottage cheese - 40 g, rice or other porridge - 50 g, vegetables - from 10 to 40 g. This daily rate is divided into 2 parts and fed 2 times a day.

Canned food can be made from natural products. Any meat (beef or poultry) needs to be minced in a meat grinder, combined with vegetables (fresh cucumber, zucchini, carrots or pumpkin), chopped very finely, add fish oil, yeast (feed), bone meal and vitamin complex. The mixture is divided into separate portions and placed in a freezer. If necessary, canned foods are thawed, and then cereal cereals are added to them.

When compiling a diet for your pet, you should also take into account the individual characteristics of his body (temperament, degree of mobility and activity), as well as features of the metabolic processes, and in accordance with them, adjust the norms of his nutrition. If the dog has lost weight (and this is not associated with the disease), then the norm should be slightly increased, and if the pet is getting fat, then, on the contrary, reduce.

Pekingese nutrition during pregnancy and after childbirth is also important. When feeding a dog with dry food, you do not need to transfer it to natural feeding while carrying puppies. It is only necessary to replace the usual feed with a special for pregnant Pekingese. However, experts advise at this time feed the dog a small amount of natural food.

In the first half of pregnancy, the dog does not show any special changes in needs. Therefore, its diet usually does not change. Intensive growth of nascent puppies begins in the fourth week. Since that time, the volume of a single serving becomes about 15% more every week.

By the end of the second half of pregnancy, the daily rate of the pet increases by one and a half times. At the same time, the frequency of feeding is increased: first 3 times, and by the end of pregnancy - 4 times a day.

With natural feeding, meat products (veal, rabbit, fresh scar) occupy a large amount in the diet and are supplemented by boiled liver, heart and other offal, which give 2-3 times a week. It is useful to feed a pregnant dog with fruits (apples, pears), pumpkin, vegetables (zucchini, carrots).

After birth, the Pekingese diet changes. A feeding dog is given food about 7 times a day. Food must first be crushed to gruel, mixing meat with vegetables. It is desirable to feed her during this period with chicken, boiled liver and heart. It is not recommended to give fresh vegetables, they must first be boiled.

First, a lactating dog is given food often, but in small portions. Gradually, the frequency of feeding decreases to 5 times a day, and only after a month the dog can be switched to normal feeding.

Pekingese usually live from 12 to 15 years. 8-year-old dogs are considered older. They need a reduced calorie diet, so the protein component in the diet is reduced. The basis of the diet is porridge.

For better intestinal motility, they need to add more vegetable and fruit fiber. Elderly Pekingese often have dental problems. In this case, natural food should be crushed, and soak dry food before feeding with fermented milk products or water.

The volume of the daily diet also needs to be reduced, and the frequency of feeding increased to 4-5 times a day.

You can feed the Pekingese not only with natural food, but also with ready-made dry food. The advantages of this type of nutrition are as follows:

• dry food is properly balanced and contains all the necessary nutrients and vitamins;
• there is no need to cook food and waste time;
• it does not deteriorate; it is convenient to take it with you on trips;
• no need to calculate the quantitative content of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and the daily norm: it is indicated on the package.

When feeding Pekingese with dry food, you must adhere to such rules.

• You need to feed the dog with only one type of food, without mixing it with others and without changing it. A sharp change in one type of feed to another can cause allergies and digestive disorders.
• When feeding such food, you need to take into account the breed of the dog, its age and degree of activity.
• Puppies can only be fed with food previously soaked. To do this, you can use kefir, fermented baked milk or just water. It is strictly forbidden to use boiling water and milk.

Dry puppy feeding should also be carried out correctly:

• clearly adhere to the recommended packaging standards;
• before two months of age, dry food should be fed 5 or 6 times a day, from 2 to 4 months - from 3 to 4 times;
• the transition to dry food should be carried out gradually, it must be given only previously soaked;
• It is necessary to provide puppies with constant and unlimited access to fresh water.

All dry feeds are divided into such classes.

• Economy - This type of food is made mainly from legumes, contains a lot of salt and does not contain vitamins. This is a poor quality feed that is not recommended by the Pekingese.
• Premium and Super Premium - These types of finished feed are of high quality and are quite suitable for the Pekingese.
• Holistic - These feeds are for dogs with various diseases.

For Pekingese you need to buy food intended for dogs of long-haired breeds. In addition, it should be remembered that this breed is predisposed to allergies, so it is better to purchase super-premium feed. They are characterized by a high content of meat component (50-80%), vegetable, berry and herbal supplements.

Among the popular types of food for Pekingese are suitable Acana, Piccolo, Belcando, Orijen, Pronature, Now Natural holistic, Golden Eagle. Among premium feeds, brand feeds are recommended. Royal canin, Hapy Dog, Hills. The assortment of dry food is very large, some of their types are universal, designed for any breed.

There are feeds for sterilized animals, for puppies and adults, for the elderly, for pregnant women, as well as obese dogs.

When choosing a finished feed, you need to pay attention to such factors.

• You need to choose only high-quality feed, excluding products of the economy class.
• The composition of the feed is very important. Proteins should not be represented by offal, but by meat, carbohydrates - by oatmeal and rice, but not by potatoes or wheat. Fiber and the necessary daily amount of trace elements and vitamins must be contained in the feed.
• Food should be selected in accordance with the age of the Pekingese. For puppies of different ages, there are certain types - food for puppies up to one month, from 1 to 3 months, up to 6 months.
• For pets with any disease, you need to choose specialized feed.

The main condition for feeding dry food is to provide the dog with plentiful drink in constant access. In addition to dry food, there are other types of prepared food: semi-moist - canned meat with vegetables and cereals, as well as pastes; wet - various stews with pieces of meat in the sauce. They are used mainly for treats in the form of goodies.

Veterinarians and breeders with extensive experience in breeding Pekingese give such recommendations.

• At a time when the puppy's children's undercoat changes to adult coat, it is necessary to include, in addition to fish, algae and mollusks in the diet. However, it must be remembered that at an earlier age (up to 6-8 months) they should not be given.
• To provide your pet with vitamin C, it is useful to include parsley and lettuce in the diet.
• Whatever the type of feeding the dog should not be overfeeding. Excess weight will lead to disruption of the heart, affect the function of the stomach, cause shortness of breath. If you are overweight, you should reduce the portion size and include more vegetables in your food.
• Veterinarians advise not to feed the pet with buckwheat porridge too often, as this can provoke the occurrence of urolithiasis.
• It is not recommended to feed Pekingese pollock. It contains elements that can harm the health of the animal.
• If the Pekingese did not eat all the food, then he ate. The feeder must be removed before the next feeding. This will prevent the pet from overeating.
• When feeding ready-made food, Pekingese can be given fresh vegetables and fruits as a treat, but their volume should not be higher than 20% of the total daily rate of dry food.

The owner himself must decide what type of food to choose for the pet. The main indicator that a dog eats properly and its diet meets all the requirements is the well-being of the Pekingese. If he is cheerful and active, his coat shines, then the food is organized correctly.

With an improper diet, some changes in the appearance of the pet are observed: the hair loses its luster and becomes dull and even falls out, the dog walks lazily and hard, is gaining weight or it has signs of allergy in the form of "crying" eyes. In this case, you need to consult a veterinarian and the appointment of a special diet.

About the Pekingese diet, see the next video.