{"topic_id":"companion_dog_nutrition","category":"companion-nutrition","context":"---\ntopic_id: companion_dog_nutrition\ncategory: companion-nutrition\ntitle: \"Dog nutrition — dietary needs, standards, and feeding practices (Merck Vet Manual)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"First-hand professional veterinary reference, saved to source_file; every claim is a C1 byte-substring of it. Deepened 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_dog_nutrition_src.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 348\nverification:\n  method: substring_match\n  claims: 14\n  passed: 14\n  date: 2026-08-01\nrecovered: false\npath: companion-nutrition/companion_dog_nutrition/01_companion_dog_nutrition.md\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Dog nutrition — dietary needs, standards, and feeding practices (Merck Vet Manual)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-dog/providing-a-home-for-a-dog\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary reference\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Dog nutrition — dietary needs, standards, and feeding practices (Merck Vet Manual)\n\nThe text below is reproduced verbatim from the first-hand source.\n\n## Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)\n\n- `Good nutrition is crucial for your dog’s health.`\n- `Look for dog foods that have the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label, which means they meet certain nutritional standards.`\n- `Dry food is usually better than canned food because it helps keep teeth and gums healthy while providing the same nutrition.`\n- `Diets for different life stages (puppy, adult, senior) are available in stores and online.`\n- `Some special diets for health issues (like obesity or allergies) are only available through veterinarians.`\n- `Most adult dogs should be fed 1 to 2 times a day, while puppies need more frequent meals.`\n- `Large-breed dogs should be fed smaller meals at least twice a day to prevent their stomachs from bloating.`\n- `Table scraps should be limited and should never make up more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories.`\n- `Always provide fresh, clean water for your dog, and never restrict access unless your vet advises it.`\n- `One common issue is overfeeding, which can lead to obesity and other health problems .`\n- `For most dog breeds, you should always be able to feel the animal’s spine and ribs, but not see them.`\n- `In cold weather, outdoor dogs need twice as many calories to keep warm.`\n- `They should be fed double their regular amount of high-quality dog food in smaller meals to avoid digestive issues.`\n- `Nutritional Requirements In cold weather, outdoor dogs need twice as many calories to keep warm.`\n\n---\n\n**Source:** `pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_dog_nutrition_src.txt` · https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-dog/providing-a-home-for-a-dog\n","sources":["companion-nutrition — Dog nutrition — dietary needs, standards, and feeding practices (Merck Vet Manual) (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"companion-nutrition","title":"Dog nutrition — dietary needs, standards, and feeding practices (Merck Vet Manual)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-dog/providing-a-home-for-a-dog","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual","verification_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_dog_nutrition_src.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual","source_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_dog_nutrition_src.txt","tokens_estimated":323,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}