Is breed specific dog food necessary?

If you are a purebred dog owner, you are probably searching for the best diet for your canine companion. Every species, from the German Shepherd to the Labrador, is distinctive in some way.

You must take into account a breed-specific dog’s various genetic characteristics and nutritional requirements when feeding them in order to purchase the right food. The proper food can help these dogs live a healthy and happy life by meeting their specific dietary needs.

Choose a breed-specific food that satisfies your pet’s specific nutritional needs to give your purebred the best possible nutrition.

Take the cases of urinary stones in Dalmatians, skin issues in Golden Retrievers, and digestive issues in German Shepherds. By providing them with the necessary nutrients, it is simple to treat many of these conditions as part of their diet. Consequently, it is true that providing your puppy with breed-specific nutrition will have greater health benefits.

How Do I Choose the Right Food for My Dog?

When selecting kibble for your favorite furry friend, breed should be a factor in your decision, but it shouldn’t be the only one. Which kind of dog food is best for your furry friend will depend on a few different factors, such as:

Size

Age

Food sensitivities or other factors

Simply put, the size of your dog at maturity has a significant impact on the selection of dog food. Accordingly, dog food is typically divided into three groups based on the breed and general size of your dog:

Small breed dog food – For dogs who roughly weigh less than 20 pounds

Medium breed dog food – For dogs who roughly weigh between 20 and 50 pounds and

Large breed dog food – For dogs who roughly weigh more than 50 pounds

Breeds can be divided into various sizes so that their individual nutritional requirements can be better met. Depending on your dog’s size, there are some noticeable differences in their energy needs. Compared to larger breed dogs, smaller dogs typically have higher metabolisms. Larger breeds, however, might need larger portions to support their bulky bodies. You can ensure that your best friend consumes the proper amount of food for her particular frame by adhering to the feeding instructions on a size-specific formula.

While your breed’s average size is important, your dog’s age is also important. Puppies, adults, and seniors all have very different dietary needs. Puppies must be fed frequently with high-quality puppy food that is rich in protein and other nutrients to support their active development and maintain healthy energy levels.

Your puppy will eventually grow up and require adult dog food because her metabolism will have changed. The size of your dog and the time when they reach adulthood typically determine when this transition occurs.

Smaller breeds mature more quickly and can be switched between 9 months to 1 year

Medium breeds can be switched at around 1 year of age

Large and giant breeds can transition anywhere from 1 to 1½ years

When your best friend reaches old age, she’ll require a formula that will allow her to age gracefully. Senior dogs don’t require as much fat as younger dogs do, but they still need the same amounts of high-quality protein to maintain muscle mass and other vital body functions. A good senior dog food will have moderate amounts of fat and protein, as well as a combination of gentle fibers, to support an older dog’s active lifestyle and simple digestion. Like with puppies, your dog’s size can affect when they reach senior status.

Large and giant breeds – Around age 5-6

Medium-size breeds – Around age 8-10

Small and toy breeds – Around age 10-12

Benefits of Breed-specific dog food:

Shiny coat: Each purebred has a unique skin in texture and color. Breed-specific food helps maintain the shine and softness of your dog’s coat by catering to its need.

Better digestion: Certain breeds have a sensitive digestive system. For example, a German shepherd needs care for its digestive health. Hence, giving them food that is exclusively made for them will help in improving their digestion.

Suitable for Fast Eaters: Some breeds like Labrador and Siamese chew down their food at a breakneck pace, leading to digestive problems. Feeding them larger kibble sizes helps slow down the chewing speed, thus improving their digestive health.

Healthy skin: From sensitive to wrinkled skin, every breed has a different skin that acts as a barrier to keep them protected. Breed-specific dog food contains specific nutrients that support that particular skin type, keeping it healthy.

Kibble shape: One of the most vital benefits of feeding breed-specific food to your dog is kibble size. As different breeds have unique jaw structures and eating behaviors, the kibble size, texture, and shape of the food will vary as per their biting patterns and the sttructure of jaw.

For instance, small breed dogs need kibbles that are small in size, whereas large breed dogs like Labrador Retrievers prefer kibbles that are doughnut-shaped.

Promotes overall health: Breed-specific food contains ingredients specific to a particular breed that help aid the health issues of that breed to bring out their unique best. For example, food designed for large breed dogs usually has ingredients that support healthy joints, weight management, and healthy teeth.

When determining the amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, physical activity level and age are the more crucial variables. Macronutrient breakdown will also vary slightly between breeds.

Dogs don’t always enjoy chewing their food, so it makes sense that their stomachs would need to be prepared to do the job. With that in mind, keep in mind that the only biological difference between the digestive structures of different breeds is the size and length of the organs involved. The digestive system of small dogs, as well as all other breeds, is the same as that of large dogs.

A dog uses its stomach and intestinal tract, just like humans do, to completely digest food. However, whereas 70% of our digestion occurs in the intestines, dogs’ digestion occurs in the stomach instead. Accordingly, the stomach performs the majority of the labor-intensive tasks for dogs, and every breed has extremely high levels of enzymes and acids to break down food after it has been consumed.

Despite the fact that there are numerous medical treatments for these issues, it is always preferable to make dietary changes that address the underlying causes rather than using band-aids to mask symptoms.

We use real lamb, real chicken, real turkey, and real beef kidney because those are some of the best-digesting proteins for dogs. We rely on foods like sweet potatoes, peas, and blueberries for our carbohydrates because they all offer wholesome, long-lasting energy and reduce blood sugar spikes. Last but not least, the majority of the fat in our recipes comes from chia seeds and cod liver oil, both of which are considered superfoods and can be found in the produce section of the supermarket.

FAQ

Are breed specific foods worth it?

Ultimately, many common breed-related and diet-responsive health conditions cannot be treated with therapeutic diets alone, even though high-quality breed-specific diets may offer some benefits.

Why is Royal Canin breed Specific?

Breed-specific dog food has long been dominated by Royal Canin. That’s because they do it exceptionally well. They carefully and thoughtfully create each of their purebred food lines with the breed’s biology in mind to give them the nutrition they require.

Is Royal Canin really breed specific?

At Royal Canin, we believe that every dog is unique. In order to create precise nutrition for your dog, we conduct research on breed-specific traits and combine it with scientific and nutritional research from our network of experts.

Why is there breed specific dog food?

Breeds can be divided into various sizes so that their individual nutritional requirements can be better met. Depending on your dog’s size, there are some noticeable differences in their energy needs.