Mealtime at Dogtopia
Since most of our dogs attend all day daycare while their pet parents are at work, eating is an important part of the daycare experience. We have three potential meal times at Dogtopia to accommodate the different schedules our dogs have at home. They’re coordinated to breakfast, lunch and dinner, but if your dog is used to eating only once or twice a day we will observe your feeding times.
[hh_question]We also urge people to bring their dogs’ own food to daycare. Most of us don’t react well to changes in our diets and dogs are no exception. A sudden change in diet can lead to stomach upset. Although many of our dog day care participants bring their lunch from home, we do have a “house food.” It is intentionally somewhat bland because we have to take into account preferences, allergies and digestive issues. We don’t want to feed your dog a richer diet than they would receive at home.
When choosing a food for your dog, the first five ingredients on the package are the most important, because they’re the ones included in the highest percentages. Dog food manufacturers are required by law to list ingredients in descending order of their pre-cooked weight, so you want those first five ingredients to include a high quality, easily-digestible protein, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. The other listed ingredients that should be in the food in small amounts are nutritional additives, like glucosamine.
Here are some ingredients you DON’T want to see: meat by-products; poor quality, incomplete proteins like corn gluten meal, wheat gluten meal, rice protein concentrate and soy protein; corn and soy (many dogs are allergic to one or the other); or artificial preservatives.
If you need help getting your dog more active or introducing them to some new friends, we here at Dogtopia can help. We offer a safe and fun-filled environment with an action-packed daily schedule to ensure your furry friend gets plenty of exercise and socialization while you are at work or running errands during the day. Learn more about our dog daycare services here or contact us for more information.
