All dogs are different, but they all have one thing in common: they are largely carnivorous and can only process some carbohydrates.
This means that when it comes to your schnauzer, you’ll need food that has enough protein to keep them feeling energetic and happy on a daily basis.
There are different food brands for dogs out there, but if you don’t know specifically what food you should purchase though, take a look here to discover everything you’ll need to know about how to feed your schnauzer right.
About The Schnauzer’s Diet
If you want your schnauzer to be strong and happy, you’ll have to feed them properly. This means looking at the ingredient list in your dog’s food to make sure everything from proteins to fats are listed.
Important Proteins
Protein is the most important part of your schnauzer’s diet. This includes fresh meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, all of which contain all 10 essential amino acids.
The right amount of protein is important when it comes to the healthy growth of your puppy, and perfect for maintaining lean muscles in adult dogs.
That’s why you’ll want to look for high-quality protein as the first ingredient, with supplementary proteins in the next top ten ingredients.
As long as your schnauzer has at least 18% protein in their food, or 22% for puppies, it will work great.
Necessary Fats
Fats are a sort of protein as well and are especially important for smaller dogs like schnauzers. Schnauzers need a lot of fat in their diet to support their fast metabolisms, so just be sure that any fats come from good animal-based sources.
Look for chicken fat and salmon oil rather than fats like fish oil or poultry fat, which are sometimes lower quality.
Try to find a food with lots of omega-3s and omega-6s too in order to keep your dog’s skin and coat looking healthy.
Fresh Foods
Since protein is such an important part of your schnauzer’s diet, it’s certainly possible for you to substitute commercial dog food for fresh food.
This may be cheaper and healthier too as you pick out chicken, turkey, and beef for your protein options. You can even add additional protein like yogurt, eggs, and cottage cheese.
If you’re feeding your dog fresh food, you can also incorporate raw fresh vegetables and fruits, along with brown rice and other gentle grains.
Just be sure that anything you give your pup is fresh, not prepared people food.
Careful with Carbohydrates
You do want to give your dog some carbohydrates, in fresh or store-bought food, but dogs are unable to process lots of carbohydrates. Any included carbs must be from digestible sources like brown rice or oatmeal.
If your dog has a sensitivity to all grains, you may want to try starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, potatoes, or beans.
All of these carbohydrates will provide your dog with more energy, fibers, and minerals. Check to make sure any food that you buy doesn’t have more than 5% fiber, since too much can be unhealthy.
No Additives
Regardless of what food you get, check to make sure that there are no soybean or corn additives. You can still give your dog synthetic supplements though, which will help to balance out your schnauzer’s diet.
How To Feed Your Schnauzer
It’s important not only to feed your schnauzer the right food, but to know how to feed them properly. This includes knowing when to feed your schnauzer, the right amount of food they need, and how their eating requirements change as they age.
Amount of Food
How much food you feed your pup of course depends on their size and weight, although schnauzers don’t generally eat all that much.
This is because they’re all so small and not a very active breed. It can be easy to overfeed your dog, but try to aim for around 500 or 600 calories for a miniature schnauzer, and anywhere from 900 to 1200 for regular-sized ones.
Daily Meals
Use a measuring cup to help you feed your dog. Miniature schnauzers usually need around a cup of food a day, while regular schnauzers need around two.
Requirements vary though, so your pup might need more or less.
Check with your vet if you remain unsure or if your dog appears to be eating too much or too little.
Time of Life
Younger schnauzers between 8 and 12 weeks need around four bowls of food per day, but as your pup gets older, they will not need as much food to help them grow.
Puppies from 3 to 6 months will need only three meals a day, while puppies from 6 months to a year need two meals.
As an adult, your schnauzer will only need one meal per day, although some schnauzers prefer two lighter servings instead of one full one.
Weight Check
If you’re unsure whether you’re feeding your dog too much or too little, you can do a quick check on their weight at home.
First, look down at your dog. Place your hands on their waist with your thumbs along their spine and your fingers spread downward. You should be able to feel the ribs without having to press hard.
If you can’t, give them a little more exercise and perhaps adjust their food intake. Of course, if you’re able to see your schnauzer’s ribs, that’s a sign that they need more food.
Individual Needs
Remember that while these are the general requirements for the schnauzer, there is some variation from dog to dog.
Adjust the way your dog is fed or what kind of protein you give them depending on their preferences.
Some might like more meals spread out while others prefer one large meal. As long as your dog is healthy and they meet the right nutritional requirements, a little variation is not a problem.
How To Choose The Right Food for Schnauzers
Ingredients
Ingredients on the dog food label are arranged by weight, which implies that food that contains a lot of moisture such as chicken, beef or fish, are usually listed on the top of the list.
A low quality dog food usually contains by-products, additives, artificial additives and preservatives.
A high quality dog food should also be free of corn, soy, wheat and other cereal fillers. For dog food that said it is a dinner or platter, it should contain at least 25% of the mentioned ingredients, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials
Protein
For schnauzers, protein is the most important nutrient for them. If you have a puppy, protein is important for their healthy development; while adult dogs also need protein to maintain their muscle mask.
When looking at the product label, a 18% to 22% of protein will be good to provide what your schnauzers need.
When shopping for dog food, those that contains any meat source as the top three ingredients usually have better qualities
Fat
Another important nutrient for schnauzers is fat. It is also a concentrated source of protein. For miniature schnauzer in particular, they need the fats to support their high metabolism. Sources of fats include salmon and chicken.
When shopping for dog food, check whether there is a variety of fat, such as omega-3, omega-6 fats and other essential fatty acids. All these substances are good for your schnauzers’ skin and immune system.
Supplements
Nutritional supplements are beneficial to your dogs health. For example, giant schnauzers have a high risk of bone and joint problems, especially when they aged.
In that case, you should provide some joint-supporting supplement such as glucosamine and chondroitin for your dogs.
Otherwise, chelated minerals are a good addition to the dog food for all sizes and ages. These materials can support a better digestion for your schnauzers.
Types
Dog food are packed and made in different ways, such as dry food and canned food. Dry food is convenient to buy and store. It also has a long shelf life.
If your dogs prefer to have strong flavor food, canned food will be a go-to item for your furry friend.
Some other people might choose to make a home-cooked meal for the dogs and ensure their dogs have a good nutritional balance.
There are no significant findings on whether dry food, canned food or home-cooked meal is better than one another, so stick with what your pet like best.
Diets
As vegetarian and vegans options are readily available for human, you may consider to give some healthy options to your dog too. This breed are fine with vegetarian diets and that helps them to live longer and healthier.
When feeding your furry friends with a vegetarian diet, you should make sure that they have plenty of proteins, vitamins and other nutrition.
An ideal diet for your pet should have half grain and half protein and vegetables.
There are plenty of canned vegetarian meals available in the market. Apart from vegetarian option, you may want to choose a raw-food diet for your dogs. It is typically most costy.
Seek professional advice
There are a lot of factors such as genetics, age and lifestyle that determines what your dog should eat.
Ask the veterinarian for more details about your schnauzers’ body condition and see what their recommendation are. It is also important to make sure your dog’s weight is in control.
Avoid These!
Bones
In cartoons, dogs go with bones all the time, but it should not be the case in real life. Even FDA has posed a warning about it.
Feeding your dogs with bones can cause a lot of hazards, such as broken teeth, or having the bones got stuck in their esophagus, windpipe, intestines or stomache.
It is also possible that the bones might poke holes in the dogs stomach and caused inflammation, which is called peritonitis. These conditions can cause death, so your puppy should not be getting to many real bones, but they can have bone-shaped treats.
Bad foods
Tasty food for human could be bad foods for dogs. Chocolates can damage the heart and nervous system of your schnauzer and cause seizures and coma. Raisins and grapes can lead to kidney failure or damage.
Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruits upset the dogs’ digestive system and caused vomiting.
Health Considerations for Your Schnauzer
This is a breed that is generally healthy. Some common health problems that they may encounter are cataracts, pancreatitis, liver shunts, urinary stones and hyperlipidemia.
Fat is found to have an association with some of these problems. In order to keep your dog healthy, make sure your furry friends have a healthy diet and do not overeat.
Another concern for them is that they have a higher risk of allergies. You may want to take a closer look at the food and be aware of food that are likely to trigger allergies such as dairy, wheat and beef.
If your dogs are allergic to grain, you should get them a grain-free diet. However, gluten allergy is not as common in dogs.
Conclusion
Schnauzers are typically fed for twice a day. As owners, you want the best for your pet and want them to have a healthy and tasty meal.
Nowadays, manufacturers are making a lot of variations of dog food that targeted dogs with specific needs, such as ages and allergies.
Research and read more carefully on the labels before picking your dogs’ food.
It is also very important to pay attention to your schnauzers’ feedback. You can always tell how much they love the food you picked based on their bright eyes.
If you have any question, put them in the comment box and we will get back to you shortly.
