How and what to feed a poodle with?

The poodle is one of the most fun and popular dogs in the world. In order for the animal to maintain vigor, fully grow and develop, it is very important to provide him with a balanced diet containing all the vitamins, micro and macro elements important for him, as well as the required amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Before making an optimal diet for your poodle, you should learn about several important factors.

• The digestion process in dogs is very different from human. For example, the appearance and color of the product does not matter for animals, but the smell - yes, in it dogs have the ability to highlight a huge many faces.
• The poodle's body digests all the food eaten much faster than the human, even despite the fact that the feed enters the stomach almost raw.
• The gall bladder of animals does not secrete enzymes that promote the breakdown of lactose and starch.

It is very important to provide the dog with sufficient nutrients. For every kilogram of pet weight per day you need:

• proteins - 4-5 g;
• carbohydrates - 13-15 g.

Proteins are the main building material of organs and cells, poods assimilate them from animal food in full, which cannot be said about plant matter - from it the body of a dog can absorb no more than half of the proteins.Unprocessed food particles have an adverse effect on the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, causing severe colic, increased gas formation, severe inflammation, diarrhea and gastritis. In addition, an environment is created in which the acidity of the gastric segment decreases, in these conditions, animals become especially vulnerable to infection with helminths.

The share of meat products should be about 70%, the following types are allowed.

• Meat - it is best to use beef, veal or chicken, usually they are given fresh to dogs, it is advisable to pre-freeze the product. For poodles, meat is cut into small pieces or grinded in a meat grinder.
• Offal - Liver, heart, spleen, lungs and stomach are good for dogs. These foods are low in protein, but they are rich in connective tissue, which in small quantities is important for dogs. Products are given only boiled, adding to the main meat feed.

In addition, the following ingredients should be included in the poodle menu.

• Dairy products - kefir, low-fat cottage cheese, cheese.
• Eggs - necessarily hard-boiled, as raw protein often causes allergies in dogs.
• Plant products also important for dogs of any breed, and poodles are no exception. Such food is a complete source of vitamins and essential carbohydrates.
• Dogs get all the necessary energy from cereals, it is best to add buckwheat and brown rice to the menu. If you have the opportunity to feed your pet only ordinary rice, then before cooking it needs to be washed several times until clear water to completely get rid of starch, since it is not digested in the dog’s body. Cereals are cooked to a friable state.
• The source of vitamins and fiber is vegetables, therefore, it is advisable to add chopped zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, cucumber and bell pepper to meat and cereals. Dogs are very willing to eat an apple with gooseberries, and it will also be useful to introduce dill, parsley, lettuce and spinach into their diet.
• Vegetable oil should be added to the poodle feed - sunflower or olive, pumpkin or flaxseed are useful in small quantities.
• It’s very important that the poodle has constant access to clean water, preferably filtered or bottled - an adult dog needs about 2 liters of fluid per day.
• When feeding with natural food vitamin-mineral complexes should be added to the diet.

Until a month of age, young puppies feed mainly on mother's milk, however, after 1.5-2 weeks you can start feeding a young poodle, cow milk with the addition of chicken yolk is best for this. At the 3rd week they begin to give minced meat, and at the 4th cereals and vegetables are introduced, while starting with small doses and gradually increasing the proportion of these products in the pet's menu. At 2 months, puppies are finally weaned from their mother’s milk, by this time they can already feed on their own.

Before reaching the age of three months, animals are fed five times a day, up to six months - four times, up to eight months they are offered food three times and gradually reduce the number of feedings to two times a day.

Breeders should know that poodles are dogs that do not have a predisposition to gluttony, they are active and mobile, but at the same time pets are quite picky in food. Do not follow their lead, for example, if the dog refuses cottage cheese, do not rush to cook porridge, just remove the plate, wait for the next meal and offer the same food again.

The norms of food consumption for an adult poodle are:

• for dogs of large breeds - 900-1000 g;
• for small ones - 600-800 g;
• for dwarf ones - 500-600 g;
• for a toy poodle - 300-400 g.

For pregnant bitches, the feeding standards are different:

• in the second week, the volume of products is increased by 1.5 times;
• from 3 to 6 weeks - 2 times;
• to the end of gestation - again 1.5 times.

During feeding, in the first 10 days, the portion size is increased by 2 times, and from 3 to 5 weeks - by 3. Puppy poodle is fed with balanced foods with a high liquid content (warm low-fat soup, liquid porridge, sweet tea).

No need to feed an adult dog from the general table - this diet may be too heavy for the pet's body, and also not balanced enough to ensure the full supply of useful micro and macro elements. This can negatively affect the growth, as well as the development and physical condition of the poodle.

Do not forget that there are "loose" dog breeds that require a large body weight, they include St. Bernard, Newfoundland and some other varieties. Poodles do not belong to this category, these are elegant animals along with dogs and pinschers. In accordance with existing standards, they should not have a sagging abdomen and too much weight.

If you notice that the dog’s body weight has begun to increase, then you should remove cereal products from the menu, once every 7-10 days you can arrange fasting days, at this time you should limit the diet to meat products with the addition of vegetables. Any nuts can be given to the animal as a treat: large dogs are offered 2 things per day, small ones - 1, and dwarf ones - only half. Dried apricots, prunes, raisins and some other dried fruits are very useful for animals.

Due to their busyness, some breeders prefer to use store-bought feeds for their dogs, in which case it is extremely important to choose a trusted manufacturer. It is advisable to give preference to the composition of the premium or super-premium. Mixtures should be purchased in specialized stores or veterinary pharmacies, always in closed containers. According to the reviews of breeders and the advice of veterinarians, Royal Canin, Pro Plan and other feeds of this segment are considered the most balanced for animals.

Of course, the cost of such food is high, but the food is made in accordance with the recommended standards for the content of BZHU, for the production they use real meat products and add vitamin and mineral complexes, do not include any preservatives. Cheaper products, for example, Chappi, are undesirable for poodles - the fact is that in their manufacture they do not always comply with the regulatory ratios of the ingredients. Thus, the amount of complete animal protein may be lower than recommended.

In general, ready-made food becomes an excellent outlet for breeders who monitor the health of their poodle, since in this case there is no need to independently calculate the calorie content of foods and add vitamin and mineral components to the food.

When organizing the feeding of a poodle, one should know about products that are contraindicated for animals.

These include the following ingredients.

• Pasta, bread and other bakery products - they cause indigestion and lead to indigestion.
• Any fried, spicy, smoked and fatty foods - It leads to gastritis and ulcerative conditions.
• Tubular bones - dogs cannot grind them with their teeth, therefore sharp edges can cause serious injuries to the esophagus and stomach of the animal.
• Legumes as well as potatoes - cause increased gas formation in poodles.
• Any sweets, including sweets and chocolate. These products do not have any nutritional value, but with a high probability they will lead to problems with teeth, cause impaired liver function and can cause rotting of the eyes.
• Milk - in the body of dogs that have reached two months of age, whole milk is not digested, so the inclusion of this product in the menu is justified only for very young puppies.
• Sausage, sausages and ham - we are talking about store products. As a rule, they contain preservatives and other synthetic additives that are harmful to the poodle's body.

Regardless of which food you decide to use for your poodle, there is A few rules to keep in mind when organizing your pet’s feeding.

• Poods are distinguished by a rather high withers and sternum exit, which is why it is difficult for animals of this breed to feed from a bowl standing on the floor, unless, of course, your dog can eat from a prone position. It is best to place the saucer with food on a small stand or hang it on a hook so that it is located approximately at the level of the pet’s chest.
• It is necessary to offer animal food at the same time of the day and strictly in a certain place.
• If several pets live in the apartment, then each of them must certainly have their own saucer, otherwise conflicts will arise between them. It will be useful to establish a “ritual” of feeding in the house, for example, a certain sequence of distribution of bowls and food.
• All half-eaten food residues should be removed immediately and the bowl thoroughly washed even if the dog’s food has not been completely eaten.
• Feeding a poodle should not be combined with meals by family members, and it is not necessary to impose animal feed at the moment when you are preparing dinner for your loved ones.
• In one feeding it is forbidden to combine dairy and meat food - in this case, neither one nor the other product is fully absorbed.

To learn how to feed a poodle with natural food, see the next video.