dog nutrition

GranataPet stands for nature-oriented, species-appropriate and balanced pet food. Therefore we would like to accompany you not only with our products, but also provide you with valuable information. In the following you will find some basic facts about dog nutrition. Further information can also be found in our FAQs.

 

Dogs can be fully fed with high-quality dry food as well as with high-quality wet food. In both cases it is important that the food does not contain any grain, as the dog's digestive system is not designed to digest them. 

When chewing the croquettes, your dog's teeth are cleaned. On the one hand, the salivation is stimulated, which results in less plaque and on the other hand, less residue remains in the spaces between the teeth. 

For the environment, the feeding of dried fodder is much more beneficial, as less packaging waste is produced. Depending on size, one bag can last for a month or even longer. In contrast, a wet food can should be used up within 1-2 days after opening. 

Dried food is an energy concentrate - which means that calories and nutrients are abundant in a small amount of food. Wet food, on the other hand, contains up to five times as much water, which means that the calorie count is lower for the same amount compared to dry food. It is therefore particularly important with dry food to determine and maintain the correct amount of food in order to avoid both overweight and underweight.

On the other hand, dried food is also particularly effective when a targeted weight gain or loss is required. For neutered dogs we offer a special, low-calorie Sterilised dry food for gentle weight control, while our dry food for puppies is particularly rich in high-quality protein.

 

As mentioned above, wet food contains up to five times more water, so your dog will absorb a greater amount of fluid through the food alone and therefore have a lower additional fluid requirement. Dry food contains less water, so your dog will need to drink significantly more water.

Due to the high water content in wet food, your dog does not have to drink as much and remains constantly hydrated. Especially for dogs that are prone to urinary calculus, feeding wet food is therefore recommended.

In most cases the acceptance of wet fodder is higher than that of dry food. This is partly due to the fact that the natural aromas can develop better thanks to the high water content and the soft substance, which is much closer to a prey in nature, makes the feed more attractive.

Never leave wet food open for more than a few hours. If your dog has not eaten all of it before the next meal, you should dispose of the leftovers, rinse the bowl thoroughly and only then put the fresh meal into the bowl. Opened wet food packages should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container - but again, no longer than three days at most. Before you feed the food from the refrigerator, you should warm it up again, as dogs do not tolerate cold or chilly food well.

Fill the feeding bowls according to the respective feeding recommendation on the package, ideally you divide the daily ration for puppies into at least 3-4 portions. After a few weeks you can already switch to feeding twice a day.

For this purpose your dog would like a bowl of water (the water does not have to be completely fresh and above all not cooled - dogs like the water to be slightly "stale" and at room temperature), renewing it once a day is sufficient. It is useful to have at least two bowls for solid food at home. This way you can clean one bowl in peace while you feed from the other. It is important that the bowls are stable so that your dog cannot spill the food and water.