What should I feed my greyhound?
Racing greyhounds and those that are highly active in high-energy activities require significantly higher amounts of fat and protein in their food compared to other dog breeds. The most suitable mixture would be 28-30% protein, 15% fat, and 5% fiber. Keep in mind that opinions about greyhounds’ dietary needs vary significantly, so this opinion may be challenged. The best approach would be to try out different foods on your dog and modify his diet, depending on his specific needs.
The National Research Council of the National Academies estimates that a greyhound weighing 70 pounds should consume 1740 calories every day. An average female weighing about 60 pounds be fed with two to four cups of food every day. On the other hand, a male weighing 70 pounds should eat three to five cups. The amounts will depend on how much exercise your dog hounds gets; the more the exercise, the larger the food portions should be and vice versa. Also, feed him with smaller food portions if you want him to lose weight and larger ones for weight gain.
As he gets older, your greyhound may consume smaller food portions due to the lower activity levels. Your veterinarian will recommend diet changes so that you meet all your senior dog’s nutritional needs.
Muscle is dense and heavy. Unless your dog is getting a lot of hard exercise, he is naturally going to lose some of those muscles. If you try to add five pounds to your dog’s weight too quickly you may actually be adding ten pounds of fat as it replaces the muscle weight. This is likely to be unhealthy for the dog. Excess weight and fat cause unnecessary strain on their hearts (shortening their life expectancy) and also result in many forms of lameness.
Greyhounds, don’t need to run constantly. It’s nice when they can, as long as they are fit enough to run without hurting themselves, and they do love it. Many greyhounds live happily in apartments with several daily walks and maybe an occasional trip a securely fenced area as their only exercise.
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Adding various veggies makes it more interesting and tastier for your dog and adds nutrients without adding a lot of calories. Low fat yogurt (plain) and cottage cheese are excellent and yogurt has the added benefit of helping to reduce excess gas. Greyhounds usually seem to have less stomach upsets if they are fed twice a day rather than once.
A good rule of thumb is that your greyhound should gain 5 lbs over the weight that he/she raced at, but this can vary from dog to dog due to body type and muscle density and is just a guide, overall appearance should be the deciding factor. You should always be able to see the tip of the backbone and a bit of rib on a greyhound. Also, there should be an area that indents between the ribs and tail. A greyhound should never look like a sausage!
What time should I feed my greyhound?
Greyhounds should be fed twice daily with even food portions. Depending on its weight, you can start with 2 cups of food in the morning and the same amount in the evening. You can take your greyhound to relieve himself after eating. However, avoid strenuous exercise 2 hours before and 2 hours after its meal. Strenuous exercise immediately before or after eating is one of the most common causes of bloating in dogs.
Avoid leaving food out the whole day or what is commonly known as free feeding. As greyhounds love to eat, doing this may cause them to gain lots of weight very fast. Provide your dog with fresh water during its feeding times. However, check that he does not consume too much water immediately after eating, as this can induce bloating.