How many calories does a dog need to maintain body condition daily?
Anywhere between 1,100 and 4,000 kcal/day. Because of this, individual feeding situations must be taken into consideration and quantity fed must be based on maintaining body condition. The average dog will require roughly ,1400kcal/day.
What will happen to my obese dog?
Studies show that limit feeding your dog increases life span. Obese dogs can expect to live 2-5 years less than average.
Obesity leads to dysfunctional hearts, livers, kidneys, immune systems, skeletal abnormalities, diabetes and other problems. They are no different from humans!
What is considered good shape for my dog?
Proper body condition for your dog is defined as having an hour glass shape when viewed from the top. Ribs should be palpable but not visible. They should have a smooth top line with vertebrae and pelvic bones covered in muscle, with limited fat. When viewed from the side, abdominals should be tucked.
Can I feed my dog table scraps?
NO. If you would like to treat your dog, feed dog treats or biscuits. Only use treats with a similar nutrient profile to a complete dog food. High sugar and fat treats should be avoided. These foods should NEVER be fed to a dog: chocolate, grapes, raisins, garlic, onions, alcohol, bread dough and raw yeast, macadamian nuts and avocados...and easy on the cookies!
Should I feed my dog a vitamin – mineral supplement?
NO. The Great Canadian Dog Food has been fortified with a balance of vitamins and minerals. Overfeeding certain minerals and vitamins can be detrimental to the health of your dog.
Should I feed my dog dry dog food or canned dog food?
Dry dog food is much more cost effective and there are benefits for the dog’s teeth and digestion. Canned dog food is made up of between 70-75% water on average. Per unit of dry matter, it is much more cost effective to feed a dry dog food – and arguably safer. Feed a canned dog food product only if your dog has serious dental problems impairing their ability to eat an extruded pellet. Wetting a dry dog food can also alleviate this.
My dog treats say they are formulated with vitamins and minerals, does this mean I can feed them as the sole diet for my dog?
NO. Although some treats may claim to be produced with vitamins and minerals, they are not necessarily formulated with all the nutritional requirements to maintain your dog. Plus, this would be very expensive!
I feed my dog BARF (Bones and Raw Food) or a Homemade meal. Is this OK?
NO. Your dog may not be getting what it requires from a vitamin and mineral standpoint. It is also easy for them to over eat on these types of diets. A dry dog food is the best way to get your dog what they require, whether in a puppy, maintenance, working or lactating stage. Feeding dry dog food is considerably safer from a contamination standpoint. Only buy dry dog food from a reputable supplier.
My dog is in good condition, middle aged, and is not very active. What should I be feeding?
You should be feeding a dry dog food with 18-22% protein and 6-10% fat. We would recommend The Great Canadian Dog Food 22-10.
My dog has over 3 hours of work each week where she is active. She is also out in the cold alot. What should I be feeding?
You should be feeding a dry dog food with 21-26% protein and 8-15 % fat. We would recommend The Great Canadian Dog Food 22-10 or 26-15.
My dog gets over 8 hours of exercise each week and some cold exposure. What should I be feeding?
You should be feeding a dry dog food with 24-30% protein and 12-20% fat. We would recommend The Great Canadian Premium 26-15 or Performance 30-20.
My female dog (bitch) is pregnant. How should I be feeding her?
You should be feeding a dry dog food with 25-30% protein and 12-20% fat. We would recommend The Great Canadian Dog Food 26-15 or 30-20. Feed for normal body condition at breeding, and increase feeding slightly (1.5X) during the last 1/3 of pregnancy. Feed 2-4 meals per day to promote steady metabolism. Always provide fresh water.
My bitch is now lactating, how should I adjust her feeding?
At this point, the diet should not change. She should be receiving the same diet as she was in her gestation stage. You should be targeting 2-3 times the normal feed requirement for maintenance. This may vary depending on body condition and number of pups.
DO NOT SUPPLEMENT CALCIUM AND PHOSPOROUS WITH COMMERICAL FORUMLAS.
She will need most of her energy 3-4 weeks into lactation. By 4-5 weeks, begin reducing food. By weaning, she should be at 50% of what she was consuming at peak.
It is normal for her to loose weight in lactation, but be careful not to underfeed.
Early puppy stage information available upon request. (contact us) . Our Premium 26-15 is designed to be fed to puppies, has a smaller kibble, is very palatable and supplies all the nutrients a growing puppy needs without any other supplementation.
I have a puppy I just bought and he is 8 weeks old. How should I feed him?
Large and giant breeds reach mature body size at 12-18 months; small and toy breeds at 7-12 months. It is wise to maintain the food your puppy was on and if you want to change, do so gradually over a week. Look for a pet food that states "For all life stages or Puppy". These products have all the nutrients a puppy needs. We recommend Great Canadian Premium 26-15. The kibble is smaller, more dense and extremely palatable. It has everything a growing and active dog needs.
My dog has allergies to Pork and/or Corn. Can you help me here?
An alternate formula is available for your dog provided that they have allergies derived from pork or corn. We would recommend The Great Canadian Dog Lamb & Rice.
I hear grain is bad for dogs. Is this true?
Absolutely not. Dogs are actually omnivores and have a requirement for grain sources. They eat everything, as some of you know,not just meat! Corn is not filler but rather an excellent source of carbohydrates. Raw corn and even ‘corn on the cob’ that we eat is not digestible which is why we use extrusion to heat them at very high temperatures. This process then makes them highly digestible. All grains we use are cooked in our own state of the art extrusion facility. We believe the pet food industry has blown grain way out of proportion in order to market their products as different from the competition.
At the Great Canadian Pet Food Company, we formulate for what is best for your pet and not the marketing team!
My dog is getting old. He is slowing down, and not as active as he used to be. Should I be changing the way I feed?
YES. Research shows as dogs get older; they should be switched to a slightly lower protein and fat diet, but monitor body conditioning and activity level. We would recommend The Great Canadian Dog Food 22-10 or Lamb & Rice. Watch their body weight and do not let them become overweight.
Why do you formulate your dog food with Pork & Poultry Meals?
Poultry meal is the number one choice in pet foods because of its amino acid profile. Pork meal is introduced into the formula to provide even more complexity to the amino acid profile of the dog food. Poultry meal adds cost to the price per kilogram of the dog food, but provides an excellent nutrient balance.
Should a protein source (meat) be the number one ingredient in the pet food?
NO. As long as it is in the first three ingredients, as the first three ingredients are generally used in fairly close to the same amounts.
My dog is showing signs of allergies. Is it the food?
Possibly. Only 5-10% of allergy cases are a result of their food. Most common allergies in dogs are beef, dairy and wheat. A misconception is that food allergy symptoms involve the intestinal tract when it is the skin that suffers most with a food allergy. Primarily, the dog will scratch his face, feet, ears and bum and try to chew his paws. Vomiting, diarrhea and belching may be present and all symptoms can vary in degree. It is hard to distinguish between food allergies and other allergies but these additional symptoms would definitly point more to a food allergy: Recurrent ear infections, moderate or severe skin problems in a young dog, allergy symptoms year round that begin in winter and very itchy skin that does not respond to steroid treatment.
Follow veterinarian recommendations for identifying a food allergy and switch to a dog food that has a low occurrence of allergy related problems. We would recommend The Great Canadian Lamb & Rice.
When I change my dog food to The Great Canadian Dog Food is there a procedure to follow?
Yes, you should do a gradual change over and it is usually done over seven days. The first few days, fee ¾ of the old food and ¼ of The Great Canadian Dog food. The next few days, feed ½ of The Great Canadian Dog food and ½ of the old food. By the end of the week, feed 3/4 of The Great Canadian Dog food and finally all of it.
My dog is fussy and I have to change her food often. Is there a way to break this habit?
Yes, you can keep the current food being fed in her bowl for up to four days. Have water readily available and usually instinct will kick in and she will eat what is put in front of her. If your dog continues not to eat then consult with your veterinarian.
Who is looking after the safety and quality of pet foods in Canada?
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). They follow AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) regulations.
The Great Canadian Pet Food Company is HACCP certified (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). This federal program is designed to insure human food safety.
We are regularly monitored through these programs and agencies and are happy to report that we have excelled in all our inspections.
