Alice White
The Doberman is, first of all, a service dog and health and impeccable performance of the duties assigned to the animal depend on the correct diet.
The main requirement for a dog’s nutrition, regardless of its breed, is that the food received by the animal must be balanced, and when feeding Dobermans, it is also necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the digestive system of this breed. Their diet should be dominated by meat products, regardless of whether the dog receives dry food or composed of natural products.
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Natural Food for Dobermans
The Doberman must receive at least 500 grams of meat per day, if intensive training is carried out with the dog, then there should be at least a kilogram of meat in the diet. Lean beef is best suited for meat products, and it is advisable to pour it over with boiling water before feeding. Beef, due to its sinewy and coarse structure, activates and normalizes the digestive tract of the dog and strengthens its jaw. Pork, not even fatty and well-cooked, is not recommended. But the Dobermans are in dire need of cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, and a raw egg given once a week since these products are very useful for the dog’s body.
It is necessary to add to the diet of Doberman and boiled sea fish, thoroughly cleaned of bones and internal organs. To enrich the food with fiber, dogs of this breed are boiled millet, rice, buckwheat, and periodically given bran. If the Doberman does not turn his nose away from vegetables, then carrots and raw cabbage are very useful for them, especially for dogs in old age.
Smoked meats, spices, sausages, and cutlets that animals love so much, as well as spicy, fried, and salty, high-calorie, which can cause intestinal intussusception, semolina is strictly prohibited to give to dogs.
Dry Food for Dobermans
As with other breeds, the choice of dry food for the Doberman pinscher depends on the dog’s weight. Any semi-dry and dry food of high quality is suitable for an animal weighing less than 23 kilograms. Doberman owners buy dry and canned food designed, of course, for large breeds.
Since Dobermans are active dogs, the feed should contain easily digestible protein, and the required amount of calories and protein for this breed contains only high-quality feeds that are reliable and have received excellent recommendations from the manufacturers.
Veterinarians note that Dobermans, whose diet consists of dry food, rarely suffer from gastric dilatation and volvulus, but it is by no means possible to dilute such food, even with the best intentions, with natural products. At best, such additional nutrition will lead to allergies, at worst – to kidney disease, pancreas, and stomach disorders. If the dog is in old age and it is difficult for her to chew dry food, then softening the dry food with kefir is allowed.
When keeping a large dog weighing more than 23 kilograms, you need to feed your pet with dietary dry food, focused on preventing obesity.
Feeding Pregnant and Lactating Females
During pregnancy and lactation, feeding Dobermans should be treated with special attention. It is important that the dog in this difficult period for his body receives a sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins. True, if the female is fed with specialized balanced food intended for the diet of pregnant and lactating females, then additional supplements of vitamins, milk, and meat can lead to an excess of vitamin D and calcium in the body, which will negatively affect the health of the puppies. In the last weeks before giving birth, the bitch needs to be fed more often and she should be given free access to bowls of food. In order for the female not to have problems with lactation, it is advisable to give her a large number of nutrients.
What to Consider When Feeding Dobermans
The most important rule of thumb when feeding Dobermans dry food is to always have a bowl filled with fresh water.
For feeding, as a rule, two bowls are used, it is desirable that they be enameled or nickel-plated since they are easy to wash. The bowls should be at such a height that the dog’s neck is parallel to the floor so that the Doberman does not have a curvature of the cervical vertebrae and spine. If the water must be in the bowl at all times, then the food uneaten by the dog must be removed. The dog’s food should be at a warm temperature, that is, not just from the stove, and not just taken out of the refrigerator.
If puppies need to be fed until they reach six months of age, at least six times a day, then an adult dog should be fed two to three times a day.
If the Doberman is kept outdoors, and not in the greenhouse conditions of human habitation, then it should be fed more often during the cold winter seasons.
