Toy Manchester terriers are a rather diminutive but mighty breed who will eat whatever you put in front of them. Therefore, it is important to create a specific feeding routine, carefully measuring just the right amount of kibble to maintain their sleek physique. Adult Manchseters should eat twice a day while the puppies need nourishment three times daily until they are about six to eight months old.
Feeding Hints
If you have more than one Toy Manchester Terrier, you might want to consider feeding them separately or in their crates. This is the best way to monitor what they are eating and to avoid competition at the food bowl. Next, determine your dog's activity level so that the amount of kibble is adjusted accordingly. For example, active Manchesters usually require a bit more food than their more sedentary counterparts. And of course, puppies are so active they burn enough energy to warrant their three times a day meals.
Toy Manchester Terriers should have a sleek body with a waistline, so if you see some roundness happening, it's time to cut back on the food or get some exercise to warrant the amount of food you give them. Excess weight on a Manchester, or any dog for that matter, can be detrimental to their health making them susceptible to a number of ailments. Obese Manchesters will also die younger than the average fifteen years lifespan they should normally enjoy.
Type of Food to Feed
For puppies, choose a dry premium food specially formulated for them as they have different nutritional requirements than older dogs. Toy Manchester Terriers that are past the puppy stage can eat a dry premium food specially formulated for small breed dogs. However, if you notice that your Manchester has a sensitive stomach, you will likely want to choose a formula that addresses that issue. Some dog food brands are better than others so you want to choose a brand which uses fresh ingredients such as real meat, fish, chicken and vegetables. Purina, Eukanuba and Blue are some great brands to start off with your Manchester.
Your Toy Manchester Terrier deserves treats too! Buy some raw beef soup bones for your Manchester to gnaw on as the bone marrow provides some tasty, yet healthy ingredients. About once a week, your dog can have a few nibbles of veggies such as carrots or celery and fruit like bits of apples or bananas.
How Much Food?
For Toy Manchester Terrier puppies, you should start off with approximately 1/4 cup of dog food, three times a day. As they grow older and more active, the amount can be increased to ? or 1/2 cup until they are six to eight months of age. At that time, they are old enough to switch the daily routine to twice a day.
For adults, judge the amount of kibble your Manchester gets based on their activity level. For active dogs who love to run, jump and play with the family, you can feed them twice a day up to one cup at a time. For the couch potatoes, ? to 1/2 cup of dry kibble twice a day should be plenty.
If you have picky eaters, it is totally up to you as to whether you mix a little moist canned dog food with the dry kibble or even spoon a small amount of gravy to make it more palatable. Let the activity level of your Toy Manchester Terrier be your guide in their feeding routine.
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