There are a wide variety of topics and different animal types we could cover on the subject of dog food, but for this article I am going to cover small breed dogs.

I covered the dog food topic in a blog post but now I want to zero in on small breed dogs and what they need. A small breed dog is unique, the differences between small and large breed dogs call for a breed specific food. The digestive tract of a small breed dog is 7% of its body weight. In contrast in a large breed dog it is 3.5%. A small breed dog multiplies its birth weight approximately 20 times during the first year, and its growth period is close to 8 months long. Large breed dogs have a 15 month growth period and multiply their birth weight 70-90 times. Small breed dogs burn a lot more energy than large breed dogs. In the puppy stage this is a more important factor, with small breed puppies needing more fat content than large breed puppies. A beautiful, healthy coat and soft supple skin is a good sign of a healthy dog. A dog can produce some of the fatty acids it needs for a healthy coat, but not all of them. These additional fatty acids are called essential fatty acids and a proper diet needs to be enriched with them. You will be able to see if your pet's diet is lacking these nutrients.

In the puppy stage the small breed dog needs energy for its fast development. At the same time their food must have a balanced calcium and phosphorus content to build a solid skeleton and healthy teeth. Digestive sensitivity is also a problem in small breed puppies. A food rich in proteins and highly digestible can help prevent digestive problems such as diarrhea.

The growing and adult dog need a diet that has the proper amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals for their age. A commercially processed food must have a guaranteed analysis and while it won't be exact to the letter it will give your dog the amount of protein, fat, vitamins and so on, that is in their analysis. The food your dog eats needs to have the proper amount of nutrients, and specific to the small breed. A homemade diet takes a lot of time and planning to get the correct amount of nutrients.

Canned food is more expensive and does not have the shelf life that dry food has. It also gets stuck on the teeth and causes bad breath if the teeth aren't cleaned regularly.

Once again consult with your veterinarian if you don't know what to feed your pet. Some dogs are allergic to corn and other products in dog food and need to be feed a lamb and rice based food. What you choose to feed your dog can and will affect their health and old age so chose wisely.