Website about dogs and mountains

Alimentation at pups

Pups, like children have special needs in alimentation during the growth period.
If you buy the pup from a breeder you should know with what kind of food was it feed and from what company, because the changing process from a brand to another should be done step by step.

The pups are active and grow up very fast, so they need special food to offer them energy, and foods easily digestible, for their organism to absorb sustenances. A pup needs little rations of food and more often (3-4 times/day). Its stomach it’s small, so the morsels should be for its little belly. The food should be all eaten to assimilate the whole spectrum of sustenances. It needs a well-balanced diet and a concentrated food.

Also its food needs variety, but this will be done step by step. As a child, a pup needs to accommodate with the new tastes slowly, because it is sensitive at changes and it risks to make dysentery.

At an early age it needs that its food to be have a bigger concentration of Calcium, Phosphorus and other substances which are raising its capacity of self-defense of the organism. As a pup it needs at a meal 3 rations of protein at 1 of carbohydrate, 1 of Calcium and 1,5 of Phosphorus.

It is good to give it fish, because it has A vitamin which helps it to grow up, and D vitamin which is fixing Ca in its bones. It will be great if you could give it once a day fish or a tea spoon with oil of sturgeon’s liver.

When it is a pup it needs a food with a bigger content in protein from meat. To digest better, you could water the dry food with warm water (40 C degrees)

Did you know?

In wildness, the female was getting to its pups flesh, but it was regurgitating it, before it gave it to pups, for the temperature of the food to arrive at about 39 C degrees.

Healthy food for all dogs

Naturally, dogs know that they need protein from meal for a stable health. Even they could tolerate also a food based on cereals, it is not the right food for them.

The main nutrients the dog needs are:

Protein – found in meal, dairy products,eggs, fish ;

Carbohydrate ;

Fat – which have animal and vegetable sources ;

Microcells: Ca, Mg, Na, Phosphor (F) – which are found in dairy products and meal ;

Vitamins – especially the liposoluble ones: A, D, F, E, K but also from B and C groupes.

As a pup, it doesn’t need too much food, for not getting fat, and when it will grow up to have problems, abnormality often met at big sized breeds.

The food quantity depends on its weight, and on the food’s type (dry or wet). Usually, on the back of the dry packs of food is a nutritional diagram,which is good to be read.

A dog, as a man needs a proper diet to arrive healthy and active. Many people try to prepare its food in house, but it is difficult even for a breeder do get a right nutritional balance. It is earier to accommodate your dog with special food for dogs.

The dog should be used with a regularly program of meals to prevent the obesity. If is doesn’t eat ll, take its bowl and put it back only at the next meal. You shouldn’t give to the dog snaks between meals, because, as to a child, you spoil its appetite, and could develop gastritis. Snaks for training should be given with maximum 1 hour before meal, and should have maximum 10% from the daily calories.

Don’t feed it from your hand, because it will get used like that, and will not eat anymore from its bowl.

Don’t give it food from your plate, even it is tempting when it makes a nice face like a wet with rain dog, because it will always want to receive food from your plate. And a dog used to eat anything anywhere will taste anything will find on streets.

Dogs shouldn’t be feed with junks from man meals. Things that you don’t eat, shouldn’t be eaten by your dog neither.

The bones you gave it to chew shouldn’t be boiled. Through boiling, the physical and chemical properties are modified, and the food will be impossible to digest effcient.

Accommodate your dog with your presence, when it’s eating. First try to move its bowl when it’s eating, or even take it. If the dog starts to snarl that means is sees you like a threat. So show it that it’s not like that. Everytime you get closer to the dog when it’s eaten try to pus something in its bowl. It this way the dog will see your presence as something good.

A dog will have a certain number of meals depending on its age:

until 4 months – 4 meals/day;
4-8 months – 3 meals/day;
8-16 months – 2 or even 1 meal/day.

Dry food / Wet food; Where to buy it

Usually people prefer to buy for their dogs dry food, because is cheaper and doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge. It doesn’t decay if it stays in the bowl more than 1 hour. Also dry food is good for detal health, because when the dog eats dry food it cleans itself its teeth. Dry food is easier to store, and the the concentration of sustenance is bigger.
But the dog needs also a food variety, that’s why people buy also wet food, which is easier to digest, but it’s not so good for dental health (the food stick by the teeth), it must be kept in the fridge and it decay itself if it stays more than 1 hour in the dog’s bowl.

The easier place to buy the dog’s foos is the supermarket: good prices, because the used ingredients are cheaper and low qualitative, so are hard to digest.

The pet-shops are the best places to buy your dog’s food. But they have bigger prices, instead they have more products and a specialist that can help you.

Premium food is expensive, but it doesn’t have synthetic dye, artifical flavors or chemical preservative

Sign of a good and a bad alimentation

You could notice if your doesn’t want to eat what you put in its bowl. It could not eat eat for a whole day. This could mean that it is full, which is not good because that means you give it too much food, so you should give it less the next day. If it still doesn’t want to eat you should go fast with it a vet.

Many times if you change the food for your dog, could cause it indigestion or diarrhoea. In this case you should give it fresh water for 2 days, than small rations of food.

You’ll know if your dog is healthy if:

It has flexible skin and shiny fur;
It has firm legs muscles;
It is full of energy and ready for work;
Its dejecture has normal shape and small volume.

Food banned for any dog

Chocolate – it has caffeine (so the dog will become nervous) and it is also very toxic.2. Sweets – if your dog prefer them to normal food, it could get ill (diabetes, malnutrition).3. Pig or chicken’s bones – they could shatter tehmselves in sharp knots and could cause constipation and allergic dermatitis and stomach and intestinal problems.4. Litter (especially the spicy one – salt, pepper, paprika) – they could irritate the stomach and intetinal mucous membrane
5. Pig flesh or raw prey – could remit parasites.

6. Stale or adulterated food – your dog could make serious toxicity diseases.

7. Foods fated for other pets – are nutritional dosed fot that animals organism.

8. Vitamins and nutritional supplement without vet advice – dogs should take these only if the vet said so… and exactly what the vet said otherwise they could have problems (for example too much Calcium could lead to the distortion of the bones).

Healthy food for old dogs

Old dogs have also special needs: nutritional supplement and daily proteins (to resists better to the diseases). They also need natural antioxidants to preserve the body’s cells. Glucosamine and chondroitin are also indicated for old dogs because these 2 prevent the arthritis.
LIFE’S LEVELS AT DOGS:
(for medium sized dogs)

It’s first year – the first 10-15 years to a man
It’s second year – a man at 23-24 years
And after that you put + 4 human yars at every dog year

We think that our dog is old if: is slower in movements, less active, it sleep more. But could also be signs of a disease and should be taken to a vet. For example the arthritis could cause inactivity. If the dog sleeps too much, this means that the dog has pains.

You also should know what is the life duration of you dog. Small sized dogs lives usually until 15-16 years, medium sized dogs until 10-13 years and big sized dogs 7-8 years.

Old dogs are more predisposed at obesity. They also start to have problems with knuckles. The master should notice what kind of food lead to fattening, and not to starve the dog. Its food should have less carbohydrates. If proteins convert in energy, the carbohydrates convert in fat.

But don’t eliminate all carbohydrates, because they have their role – they fight against the cold. So the fats are aslo good for skin and fur health, but not too much. Meals should have 10-14% fats for dry food and 4-7% for wet food.

Fight against the obesity

A fat dog is a sick dog!

As at people, at dogs aslo the obesity is a serious problem.

Causes of obesity:

the absence of the exercise ;

food delivered irregular ;

much more food than the daily needs.

And the obesity have varied risks:

kidney’s disease ;

heart’s diseases ;

liver’s problems ;

knuckle’s problems ;

aggravation of an arthritis ;

breath’s problems during the summer ;

diabetes.

The fattening means that the dog eats more calories than it uses.

The dogs are different: some of them eat what they need and let in the bowl the rest, some eat everything and they even ask for more even they are full. Some of them eat almost everything, some are more pretentious.

A dog which makes much exercise , an active dog will ask for more calories and will be less predisposed to eat more than the necessary. A lazy dog, which is staying all day long in the dining room, will eat more because of the boredom and the stress.

Castration and sterilization act also on hormones, and they lower the appetite of physical activity, so they need less calories and less food.

The obesity could be also caused by genetic problems: if one or both of the dogs parents were obese, than is a bigger chance for your dog to become obese.

Also there are some breeds predisposed to obesity like Dachshund, Labrador Retriever, Beagle, Cocker Spaniel, basset Hound, Collie Shepherd .

There are also some diseases that could cause the obesity:

Hypothyroidism – it is a disease of the thyroid gland, which causes the production of less hormones – so the dog shoul be feed less, because it will be almost impossible for it to lose weight ;

Pancreatic Insulin – this disease causes a production to high of insulin so it raise the appetite of the dog ;

Diabetes – which causes a lower quantity of insulin – and causes the same problem as the pancreatic insulin – raining the appetit of the dog, because the quantity of the hormones modifies;

Problems that could appear:

1. Tendon, knuckle and bones – because they have to sustain a bigger quantity. Hip dysplasia and arthritis are the most common, and the breakag of the tendon will make the dog to limp.

2. The heart – is overtaxed to pump more blood, and this could lead to infarct.

3. The breath – the fat from the chest reduce the space of extension of the lungs. Also the fat from the belly activate on the diaphragm, and let little space in thoracic cavity for lungs’ extension in the breath process.

4. Apathy – The dog is heavier so it has less energy and is less resistant.

5. The liver – The fat from the liver will not let it to function optimum.

6. The reproduction process – Many fat females have problems when they give birth, and need abdominal delivery.

7. The fur and the skin – the fat affect the fur’s look.

8. The digestive system – Fat dogs are more predisposed to constipation, and have more often bad winds.

9. Cancer – Fat dogs are more predisposed to cancer.

9. The immune system – Fat dogs are less resistant at viral disease and bacterial infection.

10. Life’s quality – Fat dogs are more sad, have less energy, can’t enjoy the life, which become for them a charge; and fat dogs live less.

The food is NOT a substitute of attention!

Romania has 3 dog breeds reognized by FCI – Fédération Cynologique Internationale and 1 breed recognized by the Romanian Cynological Association.

1. Mioritic Shepherd

2. Carpathian Shepherd

3. Bucovina Shepherd

4. Raven Shepherd

All of them are big sized breeds, powerful and rustic dogs, which were used, during the time, to protect and herd flocks, to guard houses and to fight with the potential predators (wild animals or thieves).

Mioritic Shepherd

Mioritic Shepherd is an old Romanian breed and descends from the dogs which accompanied the celtic tribes during the migration, 2400 years ago.

FCI Nr. 349/13.07.2005
FCI Classification: Group 1 – Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs); Section 1 – Sheepdogs
Life Span: 10-12 years
Standard Height: 25.35 – 29.25 inches (65.0 – 75.0 cm)
Standard Weight: 88.0 – 132.0 pounds (40.0 – 60.0 kg)

It is a big and powerful dog, with very expressive eyes; it’s not a heavy dog (it has to be nimble and fast in moves); its fur has 2 coats, very bushy and resistant, but easily to take care of it.

This dog is easily to train because is intelligent, submissive and want to be on its owner line. It’s the dog of only one master, very calm and well balanced, jolly, friendly with family and especially with children. It has no problem with the cat or other animals from the household, but is cautious with strangers.

Mioritic Shepherd is very beloved because of its imposing look and its courage. It is considered to be the only dog that can survive when the bear attacks. In Romania are about 7500 bears, 5000 wolves and 2000 lynxes and attacks at the sheepfold are frequent, so these dog have practice in fighting with wild animals. Mioritic Shepherd attacks its enemy through harassing, searching for its weak point. At sheepfold, these dogs must be resistant at effort, nimble, fast and very brave. They have to chase away the predators and make them giving up at attacking the sheep, cattle etc.

Its a great companion for the kids and a brave watchdog for the houses and herds

Carpathian Shepherd

Carpathian Shepherd is a breed careful selected from the Danube Carpathian region.

FCI Nr. 350/13.07.2005
FCI Classification: Group 1 – Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs); Section 1 – Sheepdogs
Life Span: 10-12 years
Standard Height: 23.4 – 28.47 inches (60.0 – 73.0 cm)
Standard Weight: 77.0 – 110.0 pounds (35.0 – 50.0 kg)

It is a big sized dog, powerful and with a strong skeleton. It looks like a wolf because of the shape of its body and its head and the colour of the hair. The fur has 2 coats: first one with soft and bushy hair and the external one with harsh, smooth and bushy hair. The colour is the sand one with different shades. It can have white spots on the belly and chest but not too big.

It’s an intelligent dog, cheerful, easily to train, submissive to its master, with a inborn guard instinct. It’s playful with children and is a great companion for them. It is one of the few dogs which is not pointing out health problems.

Bucovina Shepherd

Bucovina Shepherd is an old breed that took shape in the Bucovina areal and descends from the dogs used by Romans in Dacia and Moesia for guarding the flocks and for hunting.

FCI Nr. 357/19.05.2009
FCI Classification: Group 2 – Pinscher and Schanuzer – Molossoid Breeds – Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs; Section 2.2 – Mountain type Molossoids
Life Span: 10-12 years
Standard Height: 25.35 – 30.42 inches (65.0 – 78.0 cm)
Standard Weight: 149.6 – 176.0 pounds (68.0 – 80.0 kg)

It is a big dog with an imposing look, massive with a bushy tail. The fur has 2 coats: the underneath one has short hair and light colour, and the external one with smooth and long hair.

It is a cheerful and dynamic dog, but also well-balanced and with a character a bit independent . It’s not hard to train because it’s intelligent and likes to make pleasure to its master, but the owner should not forget about its independent site. It is friendly and playful with children, it needs a big space to move freely.

It is used as a companion dog on the mountains, a great watchdog (during the nights Bucovina Shepherd uses to patrol the propeties it is guarding), a good dog to herd and watch the flocks and a playful friend for children. It has a strong bark on a down tonality.

Raven Shepherd

Raven Shepherd, or Corb Shepherd (corb = raven in romanian) is a big dog which took shape in Meridional Carpathian and Subcarpathian areal. Its name comes from its fur which is black intense, as the raven colour.

FCI Classification: Group 2 – Pinscher and Schanuzer – Molossoid Breeds – Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs; Section 2.2 – Mountain type Molossoids
Life Span: 10-12 years
Standard Height: 25.35 – 29.25 inches (65.0 – 75.0 cm)
Standard Weight: 110.0 – 132.0 pounds (50.0 – 60.0 kg)

It’s a big and beautiful dog, powerful and not heavy (it has to be fast in movements). It’s fur has 2 coats with thick hair and at least 80% from its hair is black. It could have a white spot on its chest in a rhombus shape. During the summer, if it stays too much in sun, its fur can have reddish shades.

It is jolly and a playful companion for kids. It is intelligent and calm, submissive to its master and his family, and have a great courage towards the potential predators (lynx, bear, wolves). It is a good companion on mountains trips, nimble, a great watchdog for houses and herds. It has a very powerful and deep bark which can be heard from long distances.