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Spitz is a breed that has become widespread in recent years due to its spectacular appearance and good-natured character. But a dog will never look beautiful if you don’t take care of its coat and choose the optimal diet for your pet. What to feed your Spitz?
Your pet must receive the substances it needs. These are proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements in sufficient quantities.
15-20 minutes after feeding, the bowl with leftover food should be removed. This is done, firstly, to ensure that the dog’s food is always fresh. Secondly, the animal will quickly get used to eating at certain hours and will not be capricious: walking away from a full bowl in the confidence that the food will not go anywhere.
Food for the animal should be approximately room temperature or slightly warmer.
There are foods that are strictly forbidden to give to dogs. This is caused, first of all, by concern for their health.
Under no circumstances should you give your animal long bones, smoked and salted meat, or chocolate. Potatoes are allowed in limited quantities.
Special attention is paid to the nutrition of a Spitz puppy - this is the key to the fact that he will grow up to be a beautiful and healthy dog. Until the baby is 6 months old, “baby” food will be useful for him. These are low-fat: cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt, milk porridge.
For older people, porridge with water or meat broth is perfect. It is preferable to use buckwheat and oatmeal. They are quite filling and well digestible.
You also need to add vegetables to your pet's food. Not every puppy will want to chew carrots, but chopped raw and boiled vegetables should be included in the diet. Together with them, the baby will receive the necessary amount of vitamins and fiber. The intestines will work without failures, the weight will reach normal.
Meat and fish begin to be given boiled, cut into pieces, without bones.
When the puppy approaches 6 months of age, he can be offered beef cartilage. This will help your jaws become stronger.
After six months, the dog’s diet is finally established. Each owner has his own approach. Some people prefer to give their pet “natural” food, while others are strongly in favor of balanced dry food.
In addition, your veterinarian will prescribe vitamin and mineral supplements for your dog to ensure that his diet is completely balanced.
If the owner prefers “drying”, it is worth choosing premium food. They are given to the Spitz up to 80 g per day. Buy food specially designed for small breed dogs. It is completely digestible and very easy to use. In addition, you can choose food for dogs that are old or allergic.
With a mixed type of nutrition, “natural” is given at one meal, and “dry” at another.
It is unacceptable to feed your pet leftover human food, even if you think that smoked sausage or a piece of cake is a delicacy.
Any vitamin supplements should be approved by your veterinarian. An excess or deficiency of certain substances in the diet will affect not only health, but also the appearance and quality of the pet’s coat.
Dry food has many advantages. It is convenient, you can accurately measure the desired portion. Such feed is purchased as a reserve and is stored well. The “premium class” contains all the substances necessary for a dog, so the nutrition will be complete.
Proponents of natural food put forward their arguments. The animal's diet will be varied, it can be varied depending on the pet's preferences. In addition, the owners are sure that no “drying” can compare with fresh meat or cottage cheese.
An alternative could be a combined (mixed) diet. In this case, the animal can be given natural food in the morning, and dry food in the evening, and vice versa. Such nutrition, if the owner approaches the matter responsibly, can become the most harmonious and beneficial for the pet. It has one drawback. An animal that has tasted fresh meat may be reluctant to eat even elite dry food.
After giving birth, a Spitz bitch feels the need for high-calorie and easily digestible food. Her body needs to recover and produce milk to feed the puppies.
Bone meal and fish oil are used as additives. The bitch needs to be fed three times a day, the food should only be fresh. If the dog is weak, you need to add rice to the soup or porridge.
Those who prefer dry food can use food intended for puppies for their pet.
Important: the feeding of a nursing bitch should not be excessive in volume or excessive in calories. This can stimulate excess milk production and the dog will develop mastitis.
Proper nutrition is the key to your dog’s beauty and longevity.
The main point in the care and maintenance of the Pomeranian Spitz is nutrition. Excellent health, excellent exterior qualities, good physical activity and longevity of a pet directly depend on a high-quality diet and proper feeding regimen.
Puppies of small breeds of dogs, to which the Pomeranian belongs, grow more rapidly and acquire an adult appearance much earlier than their peers representing medium or large breeds.
This is interesting! Upon reaching the age of 8-10 months, the Pomeranian is visually already a fairly mature dog.
In order to grow a puppy to the size of a mature individual in such a short period of time, Spitz food must be very high in calories, with a high content of essential nutritional components.
For the first two weeks of their lives, Spitz babies need nothing but their mother's milk.. For various reasons - agalactia in a bitch, refusal of litter - artificial feeding may be required. To do this, you should use a milk replacer, purchasing it at a veterinary pharmacy, or prepare the nutritional composition yourself according to the following recipe.
Important! Ready-made milk formulas intended for children cannot be used to artificially feed a puppy. Galactose, which is contained in the mixes, can initiate the development of allergic reactions, diathesis, and gastrointestinal disorders.
The main rule should be regular and frequent feeding of the puppy. In the first 5 days, the baby is given a milk replacer every 2 hours, including at night. You need to focus on the fact that a newborn puppy in the first week of life is attached to the mother’s breast approximately 12 times a day. Then the number of feedings is reduced, gradually increasing the interval between them. At three weeks of age, the dog can no longer be fed at night. From the sixth day of life, the puppy begins to be fed with small portions of fresh cottage cheese or chopped boiled meat. A piece of such food is placed in the pet’s mouth. After the food is swallowed, observe whether digestive disorders appear. In the absence of undesirable reactions, they continue to accustom the little Spitz to feeding. At first, new food is given once a day, the number of complementary foods is gradually increased.
On the 18th day, in addition to dairy, cereal porridges cooked in broth can be introduced into the puppy’s diet. At the 4th week, the baby's baby teeth appear. This means that the organs of the digestive system will already cope with the fermentation and breakdown of protein foods. Now the menu can include minced meat (finely ground minced meat) without adding fat and vegetable soups. From the 25th day, the Spitz should receive raw pureed vegetables (except cabbage and potatoes), for example, carrots, seasoned with sour cream.
A puppy between one month and three months old needs to be fed 5 times a day. The full menu must include:
Recommended porridges cooked with milk: rice, buckwheat, wheat. You can also give semolina and rolled oats, but in small quantities. To prevent constipation, your pet should get fiber. The source of ballast substances are raw and boiled vegetables; they are given finely pureed. Like all babies, up to six months the dog will benefit from dairy products: low-fat natural cottage cheese with the addition of kefir or yogurt.
Important! At the age of 3-3.5 months, a small Spitz's baby teeth change, so dry food, if included in the diet, should be given after soaking it.
The following brands are worthy of the attention of owners who have chosen a ready-made food feeding system for their Spitz:
Bones, but exceptionally soft, spongy cartilaginous structure, without sharp chips, can be given to the puppy from 4 months. The ability to gnaw on them contributes to the development of the chewing apparatus and jaw muscles.
In order to accustom a grown-up puppy to an adult feeding regime, by the time it reaches six months of age, the pet is fed no more than 4 times a day.
Starting from six months, the number of feedings is reduced to three, and at the age of eight months, a teenage Spitz should eat twice a day, like an adult dog. A six-month-old pet can now be given cartilage and softened beef bones without fear. Porridges are prepared only in water, the range of cereals is expanded to include buckwheat: the dog’s immune system is already so strong that this product should not cause allergic reactions. Food is usually not salted.
In the puppy’s nutrition system, the amount of meat should be at least 50% of the total diet, and in portion terms they are guided by the ratio of 20-25 g of product per 1 kg of pet’s weight. Veterinarians recommend giving beef, chicken, turkey or rabbit meat previously blanched and cut into small pieces. If the dog likes sea fish, it must be completely cleaned of small bones or use ready-made fillets. Seafood - kelp, mussels, squid - can diversify the diet, but it is better to limit their consumption for puppies of cream and white colors in order to avoid darkening of the coat. There should still be enough fermented milk products on the menu:
Sources of vitamins and minerals in the diet are fruits - pears, apples, strawberries (given in doses), chokeberries, cranberries, watermelon, nuts. This is what an approximate natural menu for one day looks like for a Pomeranian Spitz of the Puppy age category.
The volume of one serving is determined individually and depends on the constitution of the pet and its growth rate. If the puppy does not completely eat the contents of the bowl, but chooses only tasty morsels from it, the portion should be reduced. Since Pomeranians have a tendency to become obese, which inevitably entails a number of health complications, it is important not to overfeed the puppy. You should not systematically snack between meals, so as not to provoke the formation of this habit that is harmful to Pomeranians. But as a reward during training, you can treat the dog with a piece of your favorite fruit or cheese.
The Pomeranian is an incredibly charming dog. Her pretty facial expression, fur that forms a shaggy ball around the dog’s body, and good-natured character make the Spitz more popular day by day. This resilient companion dog is winning the hearts of fans, causing more and more people to bring home the furry wonder. In order for a Pomeranian to grow into a handsome man, proper feeding is important.
The Pomeranian Spitz is a miniature dog that belongs to the decorative family. Like any compact pet, the Pomeranian has a very active metabolism, accompanied by an excellent appetite.
As a result, the Spitz can quickly gain weight. Considering the miniature size of the dog, even an extra 200-300 grams will be critical for the dog’s cardiovascular system, cause shortness of breath and create extra stress on the joints.
Pomeranians have a very active metabolism, which can cause them to gain excess weight.
The Pomeranian Spitz has another feature, also associated with a rapid metabolism. Glucose, which is the source of energy for all cells of the dog’s body, with this metabolism quickly leaves the blood and enters the cells. In this case, if the dog has not eaten for a long time, symptoms of hypoglycemia develop.
Important! Weigh your pet often and mark the weight on a calendar. As soon as a large weight gain becomes noticeable, the Spitz is in danger of going on a diet.
Low blood glucose levels primarily deprive the brain of nutrition. The puppy (and the state of glycemia is the lot of very young Pomeranians) becomes drowsy and lethargic. If a puppy falls asleep in this state, it will be extremely difficult to wake him up.
First aid in this case is to inject glucose from an ampoule or you can give the puppy some sweet water to drink. In order to avoid hypoglycemia, you need to carefully monitor whether the dog has eaten. This is especially a problem if there are several puppies, and some of their babies may be left without food due to shyness.
Do not take the puppy away from its mother before 6 weeks, or better yet, wait until 10 weeks for vaccinations.
When picking up a puppy, do not forget to find out what the baby is used to eating from the breeder. For the first week, keep the same diet so that your Pomeranian is less nervous about changes in his furry life.
Given the tendency to be overweight, feeding should be frequent and in small portions. Feeding your Spitz less than 2-3 times a day is dangerous. In this case, it is better to leave your pet a feeder with dry food.
Pomeranians are not particularly picky about their diet. In childhood, when switching from mother's milk to regular food, Spitz babies may have digestive problems.
But they pass quickly if you know how to feed your pet correctly:
Deciding how many times to feed your Pomeranian depends on the dog's age. Puppies, starting from three weeks, will receive complementary foods in the form of minced meat in addition to their mother's milk. A one-month-old puppy, if it happens to be separated from the bitch, will eat 5-6 times a day.
Diet of a one-month-old Pomeranian puppy:
When the baby Pomeranian grows up, it’s time to decide what to feed him at 2 months. It's simple - continue the diet of your one-month-old puppy.
Five feedings a day will be enough:
At 3-5 months, Pomeranian Spitz puppies are already able to eat pieces of meat added to rice or buckwheat.
The need for milk gradually decreases. A serving of milk porridge is replaced with yogurt and porridge with meat broth. There is no point in feeding such a grown-up puppy more than 4 times - he must gradually get used to the adult regime.
Important! At this time, the baby Spitz's teeth fall out, so if he receives dry food, it should be soaked or replaced with canned food.
From six months and older, a Pomeranian puppy eats almost like an adult - 3 times a day. He rarely gets milk porridge, only if the Pomeranian has a special passion for it. The basis of the diet is meat.
Here are the products that make up the menu for a grown-up Spitz:
There are several types of dog feeding:
Dry food is quite easy to use. With its help, even a child can keep the dog well-fed. This food can be left in a bowl during the day without spoiling. If you are planning a trip, you can buy a small pack and take it with you without exposing your dog to hunger.
Feeding ready-made dry food is perhaps most preferable for Pomeranians. A large selection of them today will allow you to find food suitable for any dog - even a large allergy sufferer. Not all food is the same, among them there are better and less preferable ones. It is important to carefully choose what kind of food to start feeding your Pomeranian.
Premium class:
These are the most common feeds. They are not expensive and are available. Premium food contains vitamins and minerals, so there is no need to add them separately to the diet. However, the percentage and quality of meat products in these feeds leaves much to be desired; these are usually by-products and meat production waste.
In the first place, premium food contains cereals and cereals. Often there is corn, soy, and flavorings. The composition is usually not detailed; products are listed without percentage parts. It is permissible to use such food, but only for a young and healthy dog, if there is no other alternative.
Super premium class:
These foods are much better in quality than premium ones. Super premium food has no flavorings, a high percentage of meat, and the meat products themselves are of high quality. Corn and soy are not allowed in such feeds. If you carefully examine the composition, the percentages of all components will be indicated there.
Holistic class:
Brit, Almo Nature, and Eukanuba foods have a holistic line. These are the most modern feeds, they do not contain grains. The meat ingredients of this food are of high quality and are positioned as being obtained from free-range animals, such as chickens.
Contains no flavorings. These foods are more expensive than the previous two groups, however, a large percentage of meat makes holistic foods highly digestible and requires much less of them to fill up.
The choice of food from one of these classes is individual – not all foods are suitable for all dogs. Considering the tendency of young Spitz dogs to hypoglycemia, do not force your Spitz to eat food that he does not like, the dog will simply go on a hunger strike and may suffer. It is worth purchasing a product from a different brand that your pet will eat with pleasure.
Dry food swells and is digested in the dog’s stomach. Therefore, when feeding dry food, the dog should always have clean and fresh water. Checking the dog's water availability should become a habit for the owner.
The famous Purina One, Pedigree, Chappi are economy class foods. They are undesirable for Spitz nutrition, as they have a poor quality composition and cause diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Natural food is chosen by owners who are responsible for the dog’s health. They are willing to spend a lot of money on quality products and time to prepare a dog's dinner.
When choosing natural feeding, you should pay special attention to the freshness of the products - meat and milk should not arouse suspicion.
Cooked porridge should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than three days, which means it is necessary to constantly prepare fresh food.
We must not forget about vitamin supplements to food, because even the most responsible owner finds it difficult to provide a Spitz with all the necessary vitamins from food.
Attention. Natural food is preferable for the smallest puppies; with its help, it is easy to accustom the dog to different tastes of foods.
This is the most unfavorable food option for a Pomeranian. Industrial food contains the necessary complex of vitamins and minerals, fats, proteins and carbohydrates that a small dog needs. If natural foods are added to such a diet: meat, cottage cheese, then over time the dog will experience an overdose of vitamins.
The Pomeranian will quickly begin to gain excess weight, which is dangerous to health. In addition, the combination of ready-made food and natural nutrition can cause stomach upset and chronic intestinal diseases in Spitz.
Whatever feeding your Pomeranian Spitz receives, you need to know what you should not feed it under any circumstances:
It is better to feed your Pomeranian after a walk than before - running with a full stomach is harmful to digestion. Spitz does not need a varied diet: dogs have fewer taste buds on their tongues than we do. Therefore, the dog will not mind at all if there is always the same, balanced food in its bowl.
After finishing the meal, remove the bowl of food. Even if the Pomeranian Spitz has not finished eating, you should not leave the remains of natural food. This will provoke the puppy to overeat. Monitor your dog's stool closely, especially when switching to a new food. If you have a tendency to loose stools, then you should change your diet.
A pregnant and lactating Pomeranian bitch should not experience hunger. Food and water must always be available to such a dog.
If the puppy receives milk, monitor the stool. Adult dogs almost always lose the ability to produce lactase, the enzyme that digests milk. The appearance of loose stools will indicate that the dog has grown and should no longer receive milk.
With the appearance of a charming one in the house, you definitely need to start creating the right menu that will help your pet stay healthy and cheerful.
There should be meat in his bowl every dayEven a novice dog breeder can choose the optimal food for a Spitz, remembering the only rule: the dog is a carnivore.
It is very important that your pet’s daily diet includes:
The benefits of including natural products in your dog’s diet can be listed endlessly. Food for a Spitz should be prepared taking into account simple rules.
1. The third part of the dish should be meat.
Due to the characteristics of the breed, you can give your four-legged friend beef, veal, horse meat, and chicken. The recipe for preparing the basis of the diet is very simple: the pulp is crushed into pieces (minced meat is less digestible!) and served raw or boiled. The serving size is easy to determine: per day the dog should receive about 25 grams of meat per kilogram of live weight.
2. Representatives of small breeds can only be offered “sugar” bones.
A puppy who has reached three to four months of age can be given thin ribs, vertebrae and other tubular bones, which will help the pet develop jaw muscles. Adults over five or six years old should not be given a solid treat; it is better to replace it with broth.
3. The dog should be given fish regularly.
Inhabitants of the water element are the best source of trace elements and minerals necessary for a small predator to develop normally. Sea fish can be given raw, but river fish must be cooked to protect the dog from helminths.
4. It is necessary to include fermented milk products in the “dog” menu.
Throughout his life, a four-legged family friend should consume calcium, which helps maintain spinal tone. You should regularly pamper your furry baby with curdled milk and use pieces of cottage cheese as a treat during training. But milk, contrary to popular belief, is not recommended to be given even to puppies: it is simply not digestible.
5. The percentage of porridge in the dog’s diet should not exceed 10%.
It is important to know that the dog’s body practically cannot digest pearl barley and millet, and semolina contributes to rapid weight gain.
One or two weeks, cooked as an omelette or hard-boiled, will be sufficient.
7. It is necessary to include vegetables stewed in sunflower oil and raw fruits in your dishes.
A worthy replacement for natural food is dry food for Spitz, represented by a wide range of premium mixtures. You can choose any one (“Royal Canin”, “pro plan”, “Orijen”, “Innova”, “Acana”, “vertex”, “feline”), but be sure to be marked “for small breeds of dogs”.
Proper nutrition for your Pomeranian is vital to its health. Feeding a Spitz should be balanced and dietary at all stages of its life. Because he has a weak stomach. What can you feed your dog besides dry food, what natural food to give, how often do Spitz dogs eat, what is harmful and beneficial for their proper development. Let's find out in this article.
Before bringing home a puppy for the first time, every owner should study the question of what is best to feed their pet. Feeding your Spitz incorrectly can lead to some health problems. A large portion size may cause him to become overweight.
You need to keep in mind that the food for an adult Pomeranian Spitz is slightly different from the menu for a Pomeranian puppy. Because baby can burn more calories, compared to its adult counterpart, it requires more food.
For example, a young dog or puppy needs more calories in their diet, since they are very active, move a lot and do not accumulate excess fat. And adult or elderly Spitz dogs, who are also rarely taken outside, lie down more and, accordingly, do not use up fat reserves and do not need a large amount of food. Although they love to eat. And in this matter, the owner should be persistent and not succumb to provocations when the pet begs for food or “treats.”
The amount of food your pet needs will depend on his age, activity level and individual metabolism.
It is better to give the dog the main amount of food in the first half of the day, about 2/3 of the total. Since the Spitz has the habit of sleeping after eating, having eaten heavily in the morning, he will rest for a long time while you are at work, and the supply of the eaten portion will last him until the evening.
Food for feeding should not be cold or very hot, it is better if it is at natural room temperature, approximately 18 - 20 C. And do not distract the dog during this process, for good digestion of food, you also do not need to stroke it, call it by name and etc.
It should be calculated based on the dog’s weight and activity:
Also don't forget about water! Fresh water should always be available.
A Pomeranian should have a , so weigh him regularly.
Puppies want to eat all the time, without restrictions. They continue this habit as they grow older. But anyway it is necessary to maintain intervals between meals and follow the following diet:
What to do if your Spitz won't eat dry food? Then the diet can consist of natural products or a mixed diet.
Natural food for a Pomeranian Spitz consists of the following mandatory products:
All products must be fresh and of good quality.
Dogs also need healthy fats, such as chicken and fish, which provide healthy acids. Omega-3, for a beautiful coat and healthy animal, you should give 1 teaspoon per day with food.
You should not give minced meat, as it sticks to the walls of the Spitz’s stomach and rots there without being digested.
For joints, ligaments and good formation of the pet’s skeleton, they are definitely needed. cartilage.
How to choose dry food? Ready-made feed formulations are good because they contain all the necessary ingredients, vitamins, minerals and trace elements that your ward needs. They have a dosed cup and a table of recommended dosage, in accordance with. Dry food prevents the formation of tartar. They are convenient for storage and for traveling with animals. And they save the owner’s energy and time. Yes, this is not a cheap pleasure, since Spitz dogs should be given premium or super premium class so that the baby develops fully. But, Pomeranians have virtually no health problems when eating dry food.
By the way, when we fed our Pomeranian with natural products, he periodically had health problems. For example, vomiting or. And after consulting with a veterinarian, it was decided to switch to dietary dry food. All problems stopped. Now our fluffy lives and delights his owners with his activity, eternal smile and tireless energy.
There are 3 types of ready-made dog food.
Premium varieties: Happy Dog, BioMill, Pro Pac, Doctor Alders and others. They contain a small amount of proteins: meat or fish; 50% grains and vegetables, but the rest of the composition contains ingredients that are poorly digestible by the stomach.
“Super Premium” class varieties a: Happy Dog, Hills, ProPlan, Royal Canin, Bosh, Nutro Choice and others. Their composition is similar to natural ones. They contain meat and fish, dried tomatoes, rice, barley, oats, balanced carbohydrates, proteins and fats of natural origin.
Varieties "Cholestik" class: Acana, Chicken Soup, Golden Eagle, Innova, Felidae, Canidae, Orijen and others. These types are obtained from environmentally friendly plant and protein products, without the addition of harmful components and hormones. These foods are most useful for the full development of the Pomeranian Spitz.
Be sure to consult your veterinarian! It must be borne in mind that due to a sudden change in the dog’s diet, digestive and stomach disorders may occur.
This method of feeding consists in the fact that the menu is divided into the intake of dry high-quality food and natural food. It is up to you to decide in what order to alternate it. And unless the Spitz has problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
What you should not feed your Pomeranian Spitz: