As Nero turns adult, one of the primary dilemmas I face is how much to feed him. Till now he has been on a diet of dalia/veggies/curd for breakfast and roti/veggies/curd for dinner, which bits of dog food added to get him used to the taste. He also gets some titbits from us while we eat, though thats limited to half a roti or so. His activity levels seem to be coming down a bit. He still has his two walks a day, but he tends to sleep/rest more when he is inside.
A lot of net survey, reading on labs and an earlier conversation with his vet reminds me that this transition period is when dogs start to put on weight and their appetite might actually be larger than their requirement. Nero is now 30kgs and I'm planning to bring in some change in his diet. For one, I plan to keep one meal as only dog food. Right now, thats a mix of Royal Canin and Propet. The difficult part is that the recommended daily intake (300g) given on their labels is 1/4th of what he actually eats right now!! Thats a bit difficult to reconcile to! So the modified plan is, one meal of dog food (entire 300g) and one meal of 2-3roti/veggies/curd. Lets see how that works. Meanwhile, a list of questions to ask his vet -
1. What is his ideal weight supposed to be? Now? 3 months from now? 6 months? 1 year?
2. Does he agree with my current diet plan?
3. What is his take on the recommended intake given in on the labels?
4. What about the calcium and vitamin supplements he was taking as a puppy? (He has been off them for a couple of months)
5. What about occassional portions of egg, chicken, meat? Raw or cooked meat?
Here's something useful I came across. A list of what NOT to feed your dog and their consequences. Thanks to the site authors!
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1661&articleid=1030
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