The Dog Food Project
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras
A better food makes a big difference!

General
Main Page About the Author What Readers say Dog Discussions Forum
Commercial Dry Foods
Introduction Label Information 101 Identifying better products Ingredients to avoid Product List
Specific Product Groups
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Articles
Meat vs. Meat MealNew! Choosing the right food Feeding Puppies Feeding Senior Dogs Canine Obesity Is too much protein harmful? Grading kibble - easily? "Five Star Foods"
Other Diet Topics
Questions on Diet Myths about Feeding The Yuck Factor Where the money goes Natural Supplementation Menadione (Vitamin K3) Nutrient Requirements Links & Resources
Nutrition Primer
Nutrient Overview Water Protein Fat Carbohydrates Fiber Vitamins Minerals Essential Fatty Acids Probiotics

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Nutrient Requirements of Dogs

The one single reason many people are afraid to feed a home prepared diet, even if they believe that overall their dogs would benefit from it, is the insecurity about what nutrients are required in what quantity to keep them healthy.

Resources and guidelines for this do exist, such as for example provided by the National Reasearch Council (NRC) in their new 2006 book Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats.

There are also excellent analyzing tools available online, like nutritiondata.com for instance, of which you can make use to compose a feeding plan you can feel comfortable with.

If you are a regular reader, you will know that there used to be reference table on this page, displaying the minimum nutrient requirements for adult dogs per kilogram of body weight, taken from the now outdated version of "Nutrient Requirements of Dogs" published by the NRC in 1985.

The new publication no longer expresses nutrient requirements as a linear increase per kilogram of body weight, but in a curve based on total body weight and as minimal requirements as well as daily recommended allowances. Due to this a static table with amounts that are simply multiplied with the individual dog's body weight no longer makes sense.

If you would like to obtain this nutritional information for your dog, I will be happy to provide it for you as part of a detailed consultation through my service site.

For reference, the old 1985 values are still available here.




Canine Nutrition Consulting

Due to current concerns about the food recall, 50% off basic consultations on canned and dry food!

Available options include recipes for home prepared diets, cooked and raw, individually designed and balanced for your dog, according to the newest nutritional guidelines of the National Research Council (2006).

Check out BetterDogCare.com and contact me today for a consultation.