Image courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org/
Don't you just love treating yourself to a cup of a hot tea or
some soup when winter comes knocking on the door? Well, it's not
just you, even dogs can find comfort in warm food during the cold
season. Let's take a look at how you can help your pet stay warm
this winter with the right food.
Is warm food good for your dog?
According to pet specialists, dogs digest their food similarly to
how humans do. According to pet experts, it can be inferred from
this that dogs can also benefit from the same benefits as humans
do when they consume warm food. When any food is consumed, the
body brings its temperature to the internal temperature before it
is ready to be digested. Simply put, that means the body can
directly move to the digestion process of the food is already in
a warm state while it is consumed. This means lesser energy is
expended in the process. So how does warm food affect dogs? Of
course, you should know that there is more to warm food than the
instant source of comfort that you get when it goes down the
throat. Warm foods can help enhance the circulation of blood.
Usually, the blood stays concentrated mainly around the trunk of
the body in order the keep the internal organs warm, when it is
under cold conditions. When warm food is consumed, the blood is
no longer concentrated in just the trunk of the body and is
allowed to flow to the ends of the body. It, in turn, helps stay
warmer.
How to incorporate warm food into your dog's
diet?
Just heat up the usual food that you give your dog kibble or canned
food with warm water. In case you use freeze-dried dog
food, mix it with some warm food, before you feed your dog. Just
make sure that your pet does not have frozen food during winter.
Be sure to refill your dog's bowl with water often. Your dog
needs to have a sufficient intake of fluids during winter. You
can also get heated bowls from your pet store to make sure that
your dog has warm water when it gets thirsty. If your dog's
appetite is not so great during the cold season, then warm food
might help. Warm foods naturally give out aromatic vapors that
instantly kick up the appetite. Of course, if your dog is the
outdoorsy active type, then you want to make sure that it also
gets an adequate amount of calories in its diet so it can stay
warm. If your dog is not very active during the cold season then
you want to stick to low-calorie treats.
Top 5 Winter Nutrition Tips for a Healthy Dog
When winter rolls around dogs, like their owners, may change
exercise and eating habits because of the weather. In fact, It
takes more calories to keep dogs warm in chilly temperatures. And
while some dogs enjoy wearing sweaters and eating bigger meals,
others hate dressing up. Small breed dogs often have trouble
munching enough nutrition to stay healthy.
At the other end of the spectrum, dogs can turn into couch
potatoes when they get less exercise. Less exercise translates
into more poundage, and a fat dog is not healthy. Here
are 5 winter nutrition tips to help your dog stay
healthy.
Increase the Calories
For dogs that spend a lot of time outside, increase the amount of
food they eat. You can do this by switching from one meal a day
to two or even three small servings. Adding a drizzle of warm,
no-salt chicken broth to dry food such as Zignature Turkey Dog
Food or Rachael Ray Nutrish Beef Pea
and Brown Rice often increases food intake by about 10
percent, or feeding a puppy ration to adult dogs can increase the
calories. Or simply change the food to a more calorie-dense
โsuper-premiumโ food that
is the equivalent of canine rocket fuel.
Reduce the Amount
When your dog has a poundage problem during the winter, reducing
the amount of food can keep their waist trim. This may be as
simple as curbing the treats or switching to healthier
low-calorie treats instead. You will need to measure the amount
of food you put in the bowl and meal-feed instead of filling up
the buffet for all-day grazing.
Choose Diet Food
You also can switch pudgy pooches to a weight-reducing food. Like
humans, weight loss in dogs must be gradual and dogs wonโt enjoy
the process if theyโre hungry all the time. Be aware that
different brands wonโt have the same amount of calories and that
a โdietโ food from one might even have MORE calories than the
โregularโ food from another brand. Diet food can only be counted
on to have fewer calories compared to that same brandโs โregularโ
diet.
Provide Supplements
Most commercial dog foods such as Wellness Complete Health
Natural Grain-Free Dry Dog Food Puppy Chicken &
Salmon provide claims that they are โcomplete and
balancedโ for a dogโs specific life stage. But some dogs still
benefit from a supplement that helps them with digestion, for
example or that aids with creaky arthritic knees.
Consider glucosamine or
chondroitin supplements if your dog's joints could use
an extra boost.
Change Diets Gradually
Itโs great to adjust your dogsโ diet during the winter to help
them get the best nutrition possible. But switching the diet too
abruptly can lead to diarrhea or vomiting, or simply prompt your
pooch to snub the bowl. Instead, offer new foods slowly. Mix the
new with the old food 50/50 for the first several days, and then
gradually increase the new and decrease the old. Do this over a
period of a week to ten days to reduce the chance of problems.
Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant, consultant
to the pet care industry, and award-winning author of 23 pet care
books.
This information is for informational purposes only and is not
meant as a substitute for the professional advice of, or
diagnosis, or treatment by, your veterinarian. It has however
been reviewed for accuracy by Dr. Joe, a board-certified
veterinary nutritionist and graduate of Cornell University's
program for Veterinary Medicine.
