Do I Need To Give My Dog Different Food Every Day
No. Dogs actually have fewer taste receptors compared to humans. That means they have less of an urge to eat something different every day. So your dog will not get bored of eating the same food every day. However, that doesnt mean that dogs wont appreciate another recipe now and then. Most dogs really enjoy new flavours and especially new smells. Luckily for your dog, we have lots of recipes that you can switch between.FACT: Dogs are actually much more interested in their foods smell than its taste. Thats why they get so excited about food made with tasty, natural ingredients. Kibbles made with fresh meat, fresh fish or fresh veg arent just healthier, they also smell and taste extra delicious!
What Should I Feed My Dog
There are so many pet foods on offer, it can be difficult to pick one. Here’s our top tips for selecting the right pet food for your dog:
- Buy a commercially available dog food rather than making one at home, as its really difficult to give your pet everything they need in a homemade diet.
- Look for a food that is labelled complete, which means it has all the recommended nutrients that your dog will need.
- Make sure the food is designed for your pets life stage for example a puppy food, adult food or senior food. If your pet has any extra requirements make sure the food is suitable for this, too.
- Look for a manufacturer who is part of the Pet Food Manufacturers Association . They voluntarily meet extra requirements.
- Veterinary staff will have a good idea of which brands are well established, high-quality and do the right checks, so ask your vet or vet nurse for a recommendation if youre not sure.
There are some things that can just come down to personal choice when it comes to pet food.
You can stock up on a variety of food, including specialist diets and age-appropriate dog food, from our online store. Any purchases you make will also be supporting the work we do to help poorly pets in need!
Human Foods That Are Toxic For Dogs
- Nuts & Almonds
Theoretically, they should be safe to consume in small amounts. However, they can prove quite difficult to digest for your dog and may even cause symptoms like vomiting, choking and difficulty breathing. They also contain a high amount of fat and protein which could lead to significant weight gain and heart problems. For those reasons, its best to completely stay away from these or at least severely limit them. Macadamia nuts should be avoided at all times. Just a few of these can make your dog sick with vomiting, muscle weakness, and a temperature.
- Lemons & Limes
Psoralen is a substance contained in lemon and lime skin. Its hard to digest for your dog and can cause him to vomit and have diarrhea. Consuming even larger amounts of psoralen will lead to severe symptoms like liver failure and muscle tremors.
- Coffee and Tea
Make sure your dog doesnt ever drink these, as caffeine is extremely dangerous for your dogs heart and nervous system.
- Chocolate
The theobromine in chocolate can cause vomiting and diarrhea, seizures, and heart issues.
- Avocados
These bad boys might seem completely harmless but they contain a dangerous toxin called persin. While dogs might be more resistant to persin than other animals, all parts of the avocado plant can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
- Processed food
Chocolate, ice cream, candy, soda, and other human junk foods are not for dogs. You really shouldnt even call this human food. Keep it away from your dog and yourself.
- Alcohol
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But Isnt Variety Good For Your Dogs Health
You dont have to stick with one dog food all the time. Most people will change dog foods for various reasons from time to time. Certainly, variety is good for your dog when you are cooking for him or providing a raw food diet where you are trying to balance out his nutrition over the course of several days. But commercial dog foods are supposed to guarantee that every meal you feed your dog provides complete and balanced nutrition if they are AAFCO-approved for adult dogs or all life stages. You should not have to feed your dog a variety of dog foods in order for him to achieve good health under these circumstances, especially if you are feeding a good quality food. This is particularly true if you are feeding a dog food that has achieved AAFCO approval through feeding trials.
Nutritional Imbalances Are More Likely When A Dog Always Eats The Same Food
While most dog foods are formulated to be completed & balanced, the reality is that no processed commercial food can provide for all of lifes dietary needs from puppyhood to the senior years.
Just like you and I crave different foods at different seasons in our life, a dogs body will require different nutrients at different times.
In the last 6 months, the FDA has discussed the possibility that popular grain free diets may even be contributing to dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. While we dont yet have all the facts, the issue does seem to relate to a lack of taurine found in legume or potato based foods. Yet another reason to rotate.
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Why You Should Consider Both
Now, I hope you dont think Im recommending canned food over kibble because Im not.
There are times when feeding either one or the other may be the better choice for you or your dog. However, there are also times when mixing the two together a feeding method known as topping makes an especially tasty choice.
Your Guide To Rotating Your Dog’s Food
May 12, 2021
Many canines look forward to their daily bowl of kibble, bounding eagerly to the kitchen when they hear the kibble hit the bottom of the bowl. But should dogs eat the same food every day? Even if they seem to enjoy the usual, its actually good for your dogs health to switch it up. As long as you feed him the right diet and understand what your dog needs, you can do this without upsetting your dogs system.
When you see the words Complete and balanced nutrition on the bag of kibble, it can be confusing. You may think, if its complete and balanced, just like the next bag, feeding him the same thing should be OK, right? Technically, theres nothing wrong with feeding your dog the same food every day.
However, in the following, well explain why your pet benefits from variety, and how to incorporate variety the right way.
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How Much Should Adult Dogs Eat
Dont let your dog trick you into more mealtimes with adorable puppy dog eyes. Most dogs only require two meals a day, but if you catch your dog begging, an occasional healthy treat can help.
The trick is to make sure youre not feeding your dog more than is recommended. Food labels can be misleading or confusing. Generic feeding charts may over-calculate how much to feed a dog, or use outdated information.
To determine how much food to feed your dog, you should start by knowing your dogs estimated adult weight. Most large breed dogs will weigh between 50 to 150 pounds, while small breeds weigh under 20 pounds. Knowing the weight of your dogs same-sex parent can also be an excellent guide.
From there, you can use the estimated weight to determine how many calories dogs need per day.
How To Start Rotational Feeding & Minimize Digestive Upset
Many dog owners are concerned about changing their dogs diet because it could lead to digestive upset.
If your dogs stomach is easily upset, their gut micro-biome may not be in very good shape. Imagine if you ate the same food every day for years, and then all of a sudden changed something. A non-varying diet, while giving your dog consistent bowel movements, may have conditioned your dogs digestive system to only accept one kind of food.
Adding in probiotics to your dogs existing diet before you make a change can be very beneficial. In addition, always start with a small amount of any new food, adding it into the existing food. Never change their diet all at once.
For many dog owners, keeping the same commercial food but rotating in fresh ingredients is a better option for rounding out your dogs diet. Some of my favorite food add ins are raw or cooked eggs, carrots, green bean, and blue berries. The more color the better!
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Heres What I Do For My Own Dogs
Many of you already know that I prefer and highly recommend feeding dehydrated dog food formulas. These types of foods are the base of my dogs daily diet.
They eat Grandma Lucys and The Honest Kitchen and I rotate between the two each day. I also recommend feeding dogs raw and including it in with the variety of foods youre feeding daily.
My dogs used to eat Answers prepared raw food each morning, but I now prepare my own raw. If your schedule is a little tight, feeding a prepared raw might be a better option for you.
This just means that the manufacturer has already added all the necessary vitamins and minerals to the raw food, so that you dont have to like you would if you were preparing a raw diet for your dog yourself.
Then after dinner each day, I give them something different as well. An example would be a scrambled egg with a little sardine . Or, depending what we have for dinner, I even give them A LITTLE left overs. Nothing fried, greasy or fatty EVER!
You should practice clean eating for your dog.
People have this misconception that dogs shouldnt eat human food. Im not quite sure where that came from, but Im positive that it has a whole lot to do with the large dog food manufacturers and marketing tactics. Regardless, its just not true.
You can and should give your dog a variety of different foods and of course you should ALWAYS rotate the protein . I also give my own dogs a tablespoon of Vinegar each morning with their raw food.
Should You Rotate Dog Food To Give Your Dog More Variety
Most dogs are happy eating the same food regularly. If you wish to add some canned food or a little homemade stew to their food to make it tastier, thats fine, but dogs usually dont like a lot of change. Changes in your dogs food often lead to an upset gastrointestinal tract with diarrhea or vomiting. If you change foods often you can keep your dogs GI tract upset on an ongoing basis which will lead to other health problems. Of course, it is possible that if you change your dogs food continually he may get used to the changes and adapt to them, but only after a lot of upset stomachs. Some dogs will continue to have gastrointestinal problems when you change foods.
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Dogs Get Bored Too Switch Up That Food
Ever eat the same thing four times in a week? You know, you made a big bunch of stew and you dont want it to go to waste so it seems like you are eating stew for lunch and dinner all week long? By the end of the week you are about sick and tired of stewprobably you cant imagine making it again any time soon. Who can blame you? Why should your
Dogs get good and TIRED of eating the same thing day in and day out!
Occasionally, calls come in asking if we have changed our recipes, if something could be wrong with the food, what on earth has changed??!! Invariably the answer is No, No and Nothing our product is consistent and the same batch after batch after batch. Why do they ask such things? Invariably they are facing a dog who has refused to eat the exact thing that they HAD been eating for a good amount of time months, sometimes years. What doesnt seem to occur to anyone is that perhaps their dog is just BORED!
While you dont have to serve rack of lamb, adding something a little different cant hurt try beef or tripe if you normally feed all chicken for example
Greater Bioavailability Of Amino Acids
Why do dogs crave meat? Meat has critical amino acids that build your dogs body and make it functional. Amino acids provide the components of muscle and hair follicles while also giving his red blood cells the right stuff to fight off infection.
Even though dog diets are formulated to meet specific guidelines and provide the right balance of macros , not all animal proteins are alike.
Its true that each animal protein is considered a complete source of protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids your dog needs to maintain a healthy diet. But as the chart in this piece from Pet Food Industry shows, the bioavailability of each amino acid varies depending on protein source. By serving your dog a variety of animal proteins, his body will absorb more of the good stuff he needs.
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Help For Dogs With Dietary Problems
Have an overweight dog that needs to lose weight?
The moisture content of canned dog food can make the same amount of nutrients occupy more volume. So, your dieting dog can feel fuller faster.
And what about older dogs?
Seniors are frequently afflicted with chronic dental problems that can make chewing dry kibble difficult even painful. So, canned dog food can be the perfect solution.
Why Is Diet So Important
Every year vets across the country see lots of overweight dogs, who often develop other conditions because of their size. Being overweight is really harmful for your dog it can stop them from being as active as they need to be and lead to all sorts of problems. PDSA run our annual weight loss competition, Pet Fit Club, to help overweight pets get back in shape.
However, prevention is better than cure. Along with the right exercise, diet can go a long way to helping your dog stay in the best shape. If you think your dog might be overweight, read our advice on obesity on our PetWise Pet Health Hub:
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So Why Has My Dog Stopped Eating Their Food
Some dogs are a little fussier and can get a bit bored from time to time. There is the potential for some to turn their nose up at their regular food in favour of something else. This could be because they tried something else they liked and that was taken away. Rotating different flavoured food can help encourage them to eat again. Pouring a little homemade bone broth over kibble can also make their tastebuds tingle.
But, dont overlook the possibility of a loss of appetite due to other factors including medical reasons. If they continue to refuse any alternative foods and show other signs of lethargy or sickness, go and see your vet.
Try Offering Your Dog Different Flavors
Dogs are just like us and enjoy different flavors and taste. Maybe they got bored of the same old chicken-flavored kibble they have been fed for most of their life. Diversifying the flavor of dog food may help your dog enjoy his dog food a lot more. Get small packets of dog kibbles in different flavors and see if that helps your dogs appetite.
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Feeding The Same Food Day After Day Limits Nutrition
Imagine eating corn, rancid fat and chicken wings every meal of your life, with the same mix of cheap vitamins and minerals added. Its a lot like eating the same breakfast cereal for every day. Nutritionists urge people to eat a variety of foods, both for improved nutrition and also to prevent allergies. Its no surprise that dogs need variety too. Ever wonder why your dog has a food allergy? Skin problems from allergies and food sensitivities in dogs are at epidemic levels.
But variety can cause gastrointestinal upset in dogs, right?
Not really. In the short run, maybe thats true. Nutritionally-deprived animals have sick guts. In fact, intestinal upset when switching foods is a sign your dog needs more variety. Once good nutrition has healed a dogs gut, your dog can eat different foods every meal just as people do. Just switch foods gradually over several weeks while your dogs gut heals.
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My Dog Gobbles Up His Kibble: Now What
Even if they greet the bowl with amped-up enthusiasm, dont be deceived. If hes hungry and the usual kibble is there, hes going to eat it! For the sake of experiment, try a diet with different animal protein. You may be surprised how quickly they take to it and how much more exciting dinnertime can be.
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Tempt Your Dogs Palate By Upping The Animal Protein
Filling your dogs bowl with a meal where the meaty goodness of animal protein plays a starring role is sure to tempt his palate. With the NutriSource Element Series, meat appears in the first five ingredients, offering a high-quality, bioavailable meal that your dog will love from the first sniff to the last bite. In each serving, 83-90% of the protein comes from meat, which is sure to excite your dog around meal time!