The health and mood of the dog depends on the nutrition of the dog. Dogs are forced to eat what their owners give them. But do you always feed your four-legged friend right? St. Bernard is an unusual dog - large, strong, with a beautiful length of hair and therefore requires special attention and caring attitude.
Instructions
Step 1
When purchasing a puppy, ask the breeder what they fed him and stick to the same diet at least for the first time of your pet's life.
Step 2
Feed the St. Bernard from a stand, the height of which will increase with the growth of your pet. The bowl should be located at the level of the animal's chest - this will provide him with comfort while eating, and will also contribute to the formation of correct posture.
Step 3
Train your dog from an early age to eat in the same place, from the same bowl or pan (wide enough, since the dog has a large muzzle and a narrow bowl during the meal process will give it inconvenience).
Step 4
Be sure to reheat food, it should be warm, but not hot. This will help protect the animal from possible digestive problems in the future.
Step 5
Make sure your pet doesn't overeat:
- if after feeding the dog's belly greatly increases - you need to reduce the feeding rate;
- if the dog continues to actively lick the bowl after eating, the portion should be increased, since the St. Bernard does not gorge itself.
Overeating leads to deformation of the spine and limbs and makes the dog heavier, making it sluggish and sluggish. Constant malnutrition leads to thinness, frequent molting, decreased immunity and, as a result, to various diseases.
Step 6
Please note that the frequency of feeding a dog varies significantly with age:
- puppies 1, 5-3 months old should be fed 6 times a day (for a puppy one and a half months old, the volume of food should be about 1-1.5 cups per feeding). Depending on age, the daily and one-time food volume should increase, - 2-3 month old puppies - 5 times a day, - 3-4 month old puppies - 4 times a day, - at the age of 4-10 months - 3 times, - from 10 months - 2 times.
Adult dogs (especially in the hot season) should be fed in the evenings - once a day.
Step 7
The amount of food consumed by the dog increases with age. So, for example, the amount of meat given to puppies at the age of 1, 5 months to 1 year varies from 150 g to 600 g, sea fish - from 200 g to 500 g, calcined cottage cheese from 70 g to 400 g, porridge - from 80 up to 250 g, vegetables - from 50 g to 200 g, fermented milk products - from 100 g to 500 g per day.
Step 8
Add enough raw meat, cut into pieces, or other organ meats to your St. Bernard's food. For a puppy, the norm is 150-200 g per feeding, for adult dogs - 500 g.
Step 9
Be sure to add mineral supplements, vitamins and calcium-containing preparations to your pet's food. The puppy needs vitamins A, E, D - these are growth vitamins, they can be bought at the pharmacy in liquid form (it is easier to give them to the dog). St. Bernard is a large animal, so its skeleton needs constant calcium support throughout its life. To do this, the diet should contain lactic acid products, cottage cheese, fresh vegetables, boiled eggs, and sea fish every day.
Step 10
You can organize a mixed feeding of a St. Bernard puppy. You just need to take into account that such feeding has been the subject of controversy among veterinarians for more than one year, who cannot come to the same opinion about the benefits or harms of mixed feeding and feeding only with dry food. For mixed feeds, feed the puppy calcined cottage cheese in the morning and scalded raw meat at night. In this case, a calcium supplement should be added to the puppy's diet (on average, about a third of the daily value, which is usually indicated on the package). The nuances and details of such feeding should be clarified with specialists: veterinarians and dog handlers.
Step 11
The transition to dry food (with a similar choice of the feeding regime) from feeding with natural products should be done gradually, at least for a week, replacing the dry food one by one feeding. The size of the recommended portions should correspond to the norms indicated on the food packaging. At the same time, it is necessary to give the pet the opportunity to have constant access to clean drinking water.
Step 12
Give an adult St. Bernard raw bones and cartilage that contain not only calcium but other minerals as well. Bone gnawing also helps cleanse the teeth and strengthens the gums. Puppies should be able to chew on tied tendons, usually sold in specialty stores as dog bones.
Step 13
Do not give your dog at any age tubular bird bones, bones from fish, confectionery, which can cause allergies.
Step 14
Lightly add some salt to the food for your dog, but significantly less than yourself, so as not to make her constantly feel thirsty.
Step 15
Change your drinking water every day. A bowl of water should always be in a place accessible to the dog.
