What should akitas eat

Fresh meats of lambs, goats, and beef and fish are an excellent protein diet. You can add carbohydrates like rice and a moderate amount of fats. Animal-based fats are good for maintaining energy levels, make the fur and skin shiny, and boost the immune system of your dog.

For carbohydrates, choose ones with fiber content like brown rice and include vegetables and fresh fruits. Vitamins and minerals are also necessary to make a meal a complete one. Whether your Akita should eat dry or wet food depends on several factors.

You can choose one that has more nutritional value and health requirements for your dog. Each type of food has its advantages and disadvantages. Compared to wet food, dry food can stay for a longer time before going bad and will usually have an extended expiry date. As such you can buy in bulk and save an extra coin. Plus, dry food is simply better in some situations, for example if you travel a lot. They will usually taste like meat and be more flavorful.

The protein content is higher in wet foods, helping build stronger muscles. Additionally, the moisture content in the food makes it a better alternative for dogs who suffer from urinary tract disease.

Some dogs may not like drinking water so wet foods are a great option for keeping them hydrated. The choice between wet or dry foods is entirely up to you because you are the only one who understands what is best for your dog.

You can even choose to combine them to get the best of both worlds. It can be a challenge to try to feed it and it can get on your nerves. You can, however, seek the second opinion from your vet to rule any serious issue.

Contrary to popular belief of giving a dog one large meal, feed the dog two times per day, preferably morning and evening. The problem of one large meal creates ore problems that solutions. The dog can suffer from digestive issues such as indigestion and bloating. Overeating can lead to bloating, and you can curb that by having a designated bowl that can ration the right amount of food. For puppies provide a cup and a half of food and observe the appetite to see what is suitable for them.

For adult Akitas, give cups for the two daily meals, and it should be dry food. Same as humans, your Akita may reach a point and refuse to eat. Here are some reasons it might not want to eat. When you introduce a new diet to your pet, chances are they may or may not eat it. A dislike in a particular food can make the dog hate it; therefore, it may help to try various foods until you settle on their favorite ones.

A recent vaccination to your dog, even though beneficial for preventing contagious diseases, can make eating a problem. So, after getting a vaccination, you can observe your pet for some time.

You can simply find whether your dog is obese or not by a simple hands on test. Place your hand on the back of dog. Spread your fingers downward and keep the thumb along the spine. By doing this, if you can feel his ribs without applying any pressure, the dog is not obese. If you feel a need of pressing to observe the ribs, chances are thick that your dog has become obese. Anwar Jakhal is a blogger, travel enthusiast, fitness fanatic, and animal lover who is figuring out how to be a pet parent for the first time.

With interest in human and canine nutrition and fitness, he is using his biotechnology background to explore and write about his interests. Your email address will not be published. All Righs Reserved. You can feed Akita puppies small meals per day while they are growing. According to virtually all sources, including breeders, Akitas are notoriously food aggressive.

You should be aware of this issue from the time your Akita is a young puppy and work to prevent it. It may not seem to be a big problem when your Akita puppy is three months old but it most definitely will be a problem when your dog is an adult and weighs pounds.

Large breeds like the Akita are often at special risk for bloating. You can view a video of a dog with bloat here. This video may be upsetting for some people to watch but the dog is fine now. We do suggest you watch the video if you would like to see what some of the signs of bloat look like.

You can read the symptoms of bloat here. Feeding one large meal per day can encourage dogs to eat fast, gulping in air which can be a trigger for bloat. Many other ideas about what does and does not contribute to bloat are still in dispute, but everyone seems to agree that multiple small meals spread throughout the day are beneficial.

Fat puppies often end up with bone and joint problems later in life. Keeping your Akita lean throughout his life is much better for his overall health. The Japanese Akita or Akita Inu has slightly smaller bones and a face that is a little foxy. According to the Akita Club of America, hypothyroidism is common in the breed.

Symptoms can include skin and coat problems, itching, lethargy, a musky odor, or a sudden onset of aggression. Hypothyroidism can be diagnosed with a blood test so make your veterinarian aware if you suspect this issue.

Progressive retinal atrophy, an eye disease, can also occur in the breed. It can result in impaired night vision and eventually lead to blindness. Hip and elbow dysplasia can also occur in Akitas, as they do with many giant breeds. Keeping your Akita lean, especially as a growing puppy, can help reduce the chances that he will develop hip and joint problems later in life. Akitas are also prone to a number of autoimmune diseases and other conditions which affect the immune system.

Note that many of these diseases are relatively rare in the breed but they are possible. If a condition is mentioned once for a breed in a veterinary publication it is usually associated forever with the breed, even if no dog ever has it again. Be cautious about believing everything you read online about diseases and health problems connected to breeds. Focus on the main health problems that occur in a breed.

As a breed, Akitas have a particular sensitivity to certain vaccinations, drugs, anesthetics, insecticides, and other medications. This is documented in veterinary literature but you should remind your veterinarian when he sees your dog. Akitas may also have pseudohyperkalemia, which is a rise in the amount of potassium that occurs when blood is drawn.

This can result in a false reading for hyperkalemia in laboratory tests. This condition occurs in many east Asian dog breeds. The Akita Club of America recommends the following health tests for Akitas, especially if a dog is being considered for breeding:. Hip Dysplasia. Autoimmune thyroiditis. Elbow Dysplasia Optional. Patellar Luxation Optional. Evaluations through December Percent Abnormal. Percent Normal. Percent Carrier. Percent Equivocal. Statistics from the OFA database.

The percentage of Akitas with abnormal elbows a sign of elbow dysplasia has likewise been sharply trending downward. These reports show that breeder selection for better hips and elbows have been improving the breed. If you are thinking of getting an Akita you should talk to the breeder about the health issues described here. The Akita Club of America supports research into many of these conditions and progress is being made.

For more health information about the Akita, please visit the breed club web site and read their health section. The Akita is a long-lived breed, living years. Many dogs live into their teen years. This is old for any dog and especially so for a giant breed. The Akita Club of America also supports genetic diversity research and their web site includes a good section on Geriatrics. Many dog lovers try to protect their dogs and keep them healthy by feeding a dog food with more natural ingredients so their immune system will stay as strong as possible.

Many people recommend feeding a food that is free of some of the most common food irritants such as corn, soy, and wheat. These are not the most common dog food allergens — beef, dairy products, and chicken, for example, lead to more food allergies for dogs than corn, soy, and wheat.

But many people like to avoid soy and grains in dog foods. There are many good grain free dog foods today if you want to feed one to your dog. Avoiding artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives is also suggested as a way to help keep the immune system stronger. In other cases, natural flavor may be perfectly harmless. Natural preservatives such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and certain plant extracts are preferred.

As with most dogs, when choosing a food for your Akita you should look for a food that has good sources of protein and fat. Ideally you will select a dog food that features two or three meat proteins in the first several ingredients listed. Both whole meats and meat meals are good sources of protein.

Whole meats refer to foods such as whole chicken, beef, fish, and lamb. They contain several times as much protein as a whole meat. Meat meals are usually quite acceptable as one of the first ingredients in a good quality dog food. They are used by many good dog food brands. Some companies will go a step further and also add a related organ meat. For example, if the first two ingredients are whole chicken and chicken meal, they may also add chicken liver.

This is one way of adding more protein to the food. Most dogs will enjoy foods that have liver added. It is best if the liver is named. Many dog foods today, even some of the most expensive and highly touted, use lots of plant proteins such as lentils and peas. These foods often have high protein percentages on the label. Your dog is able to digest meat protein more easily than plant protein.

Meat protein is a much more natural source of protein for your dog than plant protein. Dogs also need good sources of fat. You should look for named fat sources such as chicken fat. Other named fats also provide needed nutrients such as fish oil which can provide omega-3 fatty acid to help keep the skin and coat healthy.

Puppies can benefit from DHA which is Docosahexaenoic acid. This is a specific form of omega-3 fatty acid that helps with brain and eye development. Older dogs seem to benefit from medium chain triglycerides which feature medium chain fatty acids MCFAs. These have been found to help older dogs feel and act younger. They are often made from a combination of coconut oil and other oils. If you want to avoid corn, soy, and wheat in your dog food , your Akita may still be able to eat an alternative grain such as barley or oats.

Keep in mind that most sources recommend that Akitas should avoid soy-based diets, so we would suggest trying to keep soy out of their diets. Or you can feed a grain free dog food that uses an alternate source of carbs that is low glycemic. If your Akita has a food allergy or food sensitivity , you may need to work with your veterinarian to identify the food triggers unless they are very obvious.

There are lots of good foods with novel meat proteins today as well as limited ingredient diets which we will discuss below. The American Akita is slightly larger with a more bear-like head. More colors and patterns are found in this version of the breed. Akitas should be able to eat most good quality dog foods but e very dog is an individual. Even dogs in the same breed can have different food needs. Some dogs need more calories than others.

Some dogs will do better with more protein or fat than other dogs. We are providing several suggested foods for your Akita which meet our standards but you may have to use a trial and error method to see which food your dog does best on. Once your dog has settled back with his old food, you can once again try a new food. It is important to go regularly to the vet for a weight check-up : If your American Akita gains weight at a faster rate than it should do, it is consuming an amount of energy that it is not capable of burning.

On the contrary, if the dog is losing weight you should increase the helpings of dog food to cover the energy that it is expending on a daily basis. As the American Akita gets older you should adapt the amount of food to the amount of physical exercise it does in order to prevent obesity. Generally, you will end up reducing the amount of food to smaller portions, but you can also opt for a more specific dog food from the "senior" range. If its diet is correct, it will provide your dog with all the necessary nutrients.

However, there are certain cases where it is necessary to increase the intake of certain nutrients through dietary supplements. Here are the three most common situations:. Apart from these three situations, you shouldn't use nutritional supplements unless they have been prescribed by a vet.

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