Читать книгу The Complete Book of Dog Breeding - Dan Rice - Страница 46

It is poor economics to feed a bargain brand of dog food, hoping to cover its deficiencies with a cheap vitamin and mineral supplement. Do not arbitrarily supplement your breeding bitch’s diet with vitamins or minerals. If she is established on a recommended diet, they are unnecessary. If your veterinarian has approved feeding a multiple vitaminmineral supplement to your dogs, specifically including breeding animals, it is fine to continue to do so.

A word of caution: It is dangerous to add raw meat, bone meal, or other similar products to breeding animals’ already complete, balanced diets. It is true that animal protein supplementation was widely researched and used in the past. For years, nutritionists recommended additions of meat, especially liver, to dry dog food diets of breeding animals. That was primarily due to the extensive use of corn and soy flours in the dry food formulas. Protein quality was suspect and amino acid deficiencies were sometimes experienced in those diets.

Today, due to extensive research by pet food manufacturers, private research foundations, and universities, we have more information about nutritional needs of our pets. Complete, balanced diets have been formulated for us. For individuals who want to delve into the specifics of dog nutrition, I recommend the book Nutritional Requirements of Dogs, Revised, from the National Research Council, telephone 1-800-624-6242. This volume, which is updated regularly, will answer virtually all technical questions about canine nutrition.