Many dogs develop the unpleasant habit of
eating feces. In some animals, it becomes almost compulsive behavior.
These pets eat not only their own feces, but also those of any other animal.
Several theories have attempted to explain
this behavior. Among possible causes are boredom, too much confinement,
lack of certain enzymes in the digestive system, vitamin and mineral deficiencies,
and neuroses.
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Coprophagy usually does little harm except
transmission of intestinal parasites and fecal bacteria which may cause
tonsillitis or intestinal upset.
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In some pets, nothing seems to stop this
behavior. However, here are a few suggestions that may help:
1. Remove the feces from the premises
daily. Prevent access to cat litter boxes.
2. Do not confine your dog to an
area where it has bowel movements.
3. Provide regular exercise for
your pet.
4. One or more laboratory stool
examinations may be required to rule out hidden causes.
5. Provide your veterinarian with
an accurate description of the pet’s current, including snacks.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
There is blood in your pet’s stool.
Your pet’s bowel movements are abnormal.
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Feeding
Adult Cats
General Information:
Because cats tend to develop very rigid eating
habits, your adult cat’s dietary preferences are likely to be influenced
by how much you have fed it during its growth and development. To
prevent "addiction" to one or two food items that may be detrimental to
your pet’s health in later years, provide some variety in its diet.
Variety, however, should be provided in the form of various balanced cat
foods, not by the addition of table foods.
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The dietary needs of cats are different
from those of dogs, and dog food does not supply the nutrients cats need.
Sever health problems can occur in cats fed dog food. Also, fish
and milk are not the natural foods of cats and do not provide an adequate
diet when fed exclusively.
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Several commercial cat foods are available
that provide a complete and balanced diet for cats. Your veterinarian
can recommend some of these and advise you if any supplementation is necessary
to meet the needs of your particular cat.
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Cats require much higher levels of protein
in their diet than do dogs. Unfortunately, protein is the single
most expensive ingredient in cat foods. Consequently, bargain-brand
or cheap cat foods contain low-grade, poorly digestible protein.
For your cats good health, avoid the cheaper brands of cat foods.
Special diets are available for specific
health needs. One will be recommended when required. Water
must be available at all times and should be changed at least once daily.
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How Much?
In general, you can feed your cat according
to the manufacturer’s directions, but under certain circumstances the directions
should be modified. The amount will vary according to age, activity,
reproductive status, and general health. On the average a relatively
active, non pregnant, non lactating, 8 pound adult cat requires about 30
calories per pound of body weight daily.
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Different foods vary in their caloric
content, but you can use the following general rules:
Dry cat foods
300 calories per cup
Semi-moist foods
125 calories per packet
Canned foods
200 calories per 6.5 ounce can
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The doctor can help you determine the
exact calories contained in a specific brand.
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Example: an 8 pound active adult
cat with no special needs requires 30 calories per pound per day.
You are feeding dry cat food. The total calories it needs are 8 X
30 = 240 calories. Therefore, you should feed 240/300 = 4/5 cup of
dry food.
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Feeding
Adult Dogs
General Information:
Many commercial dog foods are available to
adequately nourish the average adult dog. A good general rule is
to avoid the cheapest brands. Even though cheap foods may have the
proper ingredients listed on the label, they may not contain high quality,
usable protein.
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Factors to consider when choosing a diet
for your pet include your dog’s age, activity, breed, and temperament.
Also, special diets are needed during pregnancy and disease. Prescription
diets are available for pets with cardiac, renal, allergic, nutritional,
skin, and intestinal diseases.
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Variety is not essential in your dog’s
diet.
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For unenthusiastic eaters, offer a small
amount of food, wait 10 minutes, and remove the uneaten portion.
Allow nothing but water until the next regular mealtime. Repeat this
10 minute routine even if your pet eats nothing for several days.
Your pet will learn that it must eat when food is provided or go hungry.
Do not allow uneaten food to remain available after 10 minutes, and don’t
supplement your dog’s diet with table scraps.
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How Much?
In general, you can feed your dog according
to the manufacturer’s directions, but under certain circumstances the amounts
should be modified. Your veterinarian will advise you of your pet’s
needs.
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The following are total daily caloric
requirements for adult dogs of different weight ranges. These are
general values and are meant to serve as practical guides for relatively
active, nonpregnant, nonlactating dog. Remember that dogs that live
outside in cold climates burn more calories per pound of body weight than
those that sleep all day indoors.
Dog’s WeightCaloric Needs
1-2 lb
60 cal/lb of body weight
3-5 lb
52 cal/lb of body weight
6-10 lb
45 cal/lb of body weight
11-14 lb
40 cal/lb of body weight
15-29 lb
35 cal/lb of body weight
30-45 lb
30 cal/lb of body weight
46-74 lb
27 cal/lb of body weight
75 lb and up
23 cal/lb of body weight
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Example: A 10 pound dog needs 45
cal/lb in one day. Therefore, its total daily caloric requirements
are 10 X 45 = 450 calories. If you feed the dog twice a day, it should
receive 225 calories at each meal.
Different foods vary in caloric content,
but you can use the following general rule: Dry foods contain about 1500
calories per pound. Semi-moist food contain about 500 calories per
6 ounces. Canned foods contain about 500 calories per pound.
Special diets vary in their caloric content.
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Feeding
Orphan Kittens
General Information:
There are several possible reasons for hand-raising
kittens: death or illness of the mother, inadequate milk supply, and rejection
of the kittens. Hand-raising kittens is not overly difficult and
is very rewarding.
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Kittens need a warm, draft-free environment
during the early weeks of life. Air temperature in the immediate
vicinity of the kittens should be 85° to 90° F for the first week
of life, 80° F the next 3-4 weeks and 70° to 75° F at 6 weeks.
The higher temperatures during the first few weeks may be maintained with
heating pads, light bulbs, or heat lamps, but great care must be taken
not to overheat or burn the babies when they are too young to move away
from the heat source. Clean paper or cloth is suitable for bedding.
A tall-sided cardboard box makes a safe nest and keeps the kittens inside
until they are several weeks old. Constant crying by the kittens
indicates something is wrong. Contact your veterinarian. Also,
the kitten’s weights should be monitored. Consult your veterinarian
if the kittens fail to gain weight.
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Kittens may be fed by bottle or stomach
tube. The stomach tube is faster, but many people enjoy bottle feeding
kittens. Your veterinarian or clinic staff can instruct you in either
method. Newborn kittens should be fed 6-8 times daily. The
frequency should be gradually reduced to 3-4 times daily by 2-3 weeks of
age.
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How Much?
You can determine how much to feed an orphan
kitten by considering its daily caloric requirements. The general
total daily caloric requirements for kittens under 4 weeks of age are:
1st & 2nd week of age
6 calories/ounce of body weight daily
3rd & 4th week of age
8 calories/ounce of body weight daily
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In general, milk substitutes contain around
1 calorie per ml.
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Example: A 1 week old kitten weighing
2 ounces requires 6 calories/ounce X 2 ounces = 12 calories daily.
If you are feeding the kitten 6 times daily, 12/6 = 2 calories per feeding.
Your milk substitute contains 1 calorie/ml, therefore you should give 2
mls at each feeding.
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Solid foods should be introduced as a
thin, pan fed gruel at about 3-4 weeks of age. Over the next 2 weeks,
the gruel should be gradually thickened to a normal solid consistency when
the kittens are 6-8 weeks of age.
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Kittens must be helped to urinate and
defecate by gently stroking the genital area with a cottontail or tissue
moistened with warm water after each feeding.
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Feeding
Orphan Puppies
General Information:
Puppies need a clean, warm, draft-free nesting
area. Air temperature in the immediate vicinity of the kittens should
be 85° to 90° F for the first week of life, 80° F the next
3-4 weeks and 70° to 75° F at 6 weeks. The higher temperatures
during the first few weeks may be maintained with heating pads, light bulbs,
or heat lamps, but great care must be taken not to overheat or burn the
babies when they are too young to move away from the heat source.
Clean newspaper is a good bedding because it is easily disposed of.
As the pups begin to move around, newspaper should be replaced because
it is slippery. Cloth bedding offers good footing and is washable.
Constant crying indicates something is wrong. Contact your veterinarian.
Also, the puppies’ weights should be monitored. Consult your veterinarian
if the puppies fail to gain weight. In general, a pup should double
its weight in 8-10 days. Overfeeding can be worse than slight underfeeding.
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Puppies may be fed by bottle or stomach
tube. The stomach tube is much faster and especially handy with large
litters. Many people, however, prefer to bottle feed because of prolonged
puppy contact. Your veterinarian or clinic staff can instruct you
in either method. Newborn puppies should be fed 3-4 times daily by
tube feeding or 5-6 times daily by bottle feeding. At 2 weeks of
age, 3 tube feedings or 4 bottle feedings are usually sufficient.
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How Much?
You can determine how much to feed an orphan
pup by considering its daily caloric requirements. The total daily
caloric requirements for puppies under 4 weeks of age are:
1st week of age
3.75 calories/ounce of body weight daily
2nd week of age 4.5
calories/ounce of body weight daily
3rd week of age
5 calories/ounce of body weight daily
4th week of age
5.5 calories/ounce of body weight daily
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In general, milk substitutes contain around
1 calorie per ml.
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Example: A less than 1 week old
puppy weighing 5 ounces requires 3.75 calories/ounce X 3.75 ounces = 18.75
calories daily. If you are feeding the puppy 4 times daily, 18.75/4
= 4.68 calories per feeding.
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Your milk substitute contains 1 calorie/ml,
therefore you should give 4.68 mls (about 5 mls) at each feeding.
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Solid foods should be introduced at 3
weeks of age. Pan feed a thin gruel made by blending good quality
puppy food with bitch’s milk formula. Gradually thicken the gruel
until no milk substitute is used at about 6 weeks of age. At this
time, the pups should be offered good quality puppy food 3 times daily.
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Puppies must be helped to urinate and
defecate by gently stroking the genital area with a cottontail or tissue
moistened with warm water after each feeding.
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Feeding
Weanling Puppies
General Information:
Weaning is the process of gradually changing
a puppy’s diet from mother’s milk to solid foods. A puppy is considered
a weanling from the time it receives its first food other than mother’s
milk until the time it no longer nurses. Usually this period is from
3-4 weeks of age until 6-8 weeks of age. Early weanlings should be
weighed frequently and their weight recorded. Progressive weight
gain and content puppies are good indicators of adequate nutrition.
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Watch for these danger signs: puppies
that lose or do not gain weight; inactive puppies that feel cooler than
their litter mates; and puppies with poor muscle tone as compared to the
rest of the litter.
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Begin weaning the puppies around 3-4 weeks
of age by pan feeding bitch’s milk substitute. Because weaning the
puppies are still nursing, they will regulate their own consumption from
the pan, so you do not have to be concerned with the total amount they
consume. Milk substitutes can be purchased from your veterinarian,
pet shops, feed stores, and pet departments at most discount or chain stores.
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The first pan feedings usually consist
of the puppies wading through the food and lapping very little. Most
puppies lap from a pan readily after 3-4 feedings. When puppies are
lapping the milk substitute readily (by 3 ½ - 5 weeks of age), blend
the milk substitute and a good quality puppy food to form a thin gruel.
This should be offered to the puppies 3-4 times daily. When the puppies
are eating the thin gruel readily, the amount of milk substitute added
should be gradually reduced and the gruel slowly thickened. The goal
is to eliminate the milk substitute by 6-7 weeks of age. At this
age, the pups should be eating good quality puppy food softened with water
3-4 times daily. Water can be eliminated when the teeth have erupted
and the pups are vigorously chewing.
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Nutrition
and Obesity
General Information:
Obesity is the condition of being seriously
overweight. Obese pets have more physical ailments and a shorter
life span than those of normal weight. Obesity increases risk during
surgery, and breathing and walking are more difficult for the obese pet.
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Obesity is usually the result of too much
food and too little exercise. Other factors, such as breed, temperament,
hormone imbalance and disease, may also cause obesity, but most cases are
the result of too many calories.
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Weight loss should be accomplished slowly
with a nutritionally, rather than with sever short term food restriction.
In most cases, pets must be retrained to eat moderate amounts of food 1-2
times daily without any snacks. All members of the family should
be aware of the need for the pet to lose weight, and all should be in agreement
before starting dietary control. One person can easily foul up the
entire weight loss program.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet refuses to eat the recommended diet.
Your pet seems restless or unusually excitable.
Your pet seems weak or depressed.
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Self-Feeding
of Dogs
General Information:
Self-feeding is the practice of allowing dogs
unlimited access to food. It is a practical and efficient means of
feeding the kenneled dog. Most notable among the many advantages
are:
Each dog regulates its own food intake.
Dogs are generally more content and much quieter.
Less aggressive dogs do not have to compete
for food since they can eat when the others have finished.
Dogs generally eat less at a feeding, but
they eat more often thus using their food more efficiently.
Caution must be taken with dogs that tend
to overeat and become obese. Self-feeding is not advisable for overweight
dogs. Some veterinary nutritionists do not recommend self-feeding
programs for puppies less than 4 months of age.
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For adult dogs:
Put a continuous feeder and dry dog food in
the kennel.
Continue regular feeding until the dog starts
to eat between meals and eats less of the regular food.
Gradually reduce supplements such as meat,
canned food, scraps, etc.
Gradually reduce the amount of water in the
regular meals so that finally regular meals consist solely of dry dog food.
Discontinue regular meals after the dog has
adjusted to dry food.
An adequate supply of clean, fresh water should
always be available.
For Puppies:
Offer a gruel of dry food and water (about
the consistency of a milk shake) at 3 weeks of age.
When the pups begin to eat the gruel, gradually
reduce the amount of water throughout the weaning period.
After weaning, further reduce the water added
to the food until the pups are eating completely dry food.
An adequate supply of clean, fresh water should
always be available.
