Anatolian Shepherd nutrition: lean growth and bloat risk

The American Kennel Club lists adult male Anatolian Shepherds at 110 to 150 pounds (about 50 to 68 kg) and females at 80 to 120 pounds (about 36 to 54 kg). It also describes a dog that needs only moderate exercise and does not tend to overeat. Put together, that is a very large dog with a fairly low activity level, so most of the feeding work is keeping it lean: controlled growth as a puppy, measured portions as an adult, and meals served in a way that lowers the risk of bloat.

Daily calories by body weight

No published study has measured energy needs in this breed specifically, so the usual starting point is the general formula in the Merck Veterinary Manual. Resting energy requirement (RER), in kcal a day, is 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. That figure is then multiplied: by 3 for puppies under four months, 2 for older puppies, 1.8 for an intact adult, 1.6 for a neutered adult and 1.4 for an adult that gains weight easily. Rounded to the nearest 5 kcal:

Treat these as a first guess. Merck points out that any calculated intake has to be adjusted to how the animal responds. An Anatolian that spends most of the day lying at a vantage point in the yard may hold its weight on the lowest column or below it. A dog out with livestock over rough ground will need more.

Weigh the dog every few weeks and check the ribs, which should be easy to feel under a thin layer of fat, with a visible waist from above. Change the portion in small steps and recheck. Convert calories into grams using the kcal per kilogram printed on the bag, because dry foods differ widely in energy density, and count treats and chews as part of the day's total.

Feeding a large-breed puppy

Excess calcium is more of a problem for growing large and giant puppies than for small ones. Merck reports that in young, rapidly growing large-breed dogs, diets with more than 3% calcium on a dry matter basis produced more severe osteochondrosis and poorer skeletal remodeling than diets with 1% to 3%. Lameness and pain from the higher amounts have not been reported in small or slower-growing breeds.

Three rules follow from that:

• Choose a food labeled complete and balanced for growth, including large-size dogs. That wording means the food was formulated with big puppies in mind.
• Add no calcium, bone meal or extra puppy supplements. A complete food already covers the requirement, and additions only raise the total.
• Feed for a lean puppy, not the heaviest one in the litter. Split the day into three or four meals while young and two or three later, and cut back if the puppy starts to look round.

Large breeds grow for longer than small ones, so ask the vet when to move from growth food to an adult diet rather than switching on a fixed birthday.

Hips, elbows and body weight

The AKC says hip dysplasia is not common in Anatolians, and the screening tests it lists for breeding dogs are hip and elbow evaluations. Even in a breed with good hips, a heavy dog loads its joints for a long life. The AKC gives a life expectancy of 11 to 13 years, and a lean body is part of reaching that.

The clearest feeding evidence on joints comes from a lifelong study in Labrador Retrievers. Littermates were paired, and one of each pair ate 25% less than the other from eight weeks of age. In the leaner group, hip osteoarthritis appeared later and less often: on X-rays it was first found at a median of 12 years, against 6 years in the dogs fed freely. The same dogs also lived longer, and chronic disease started later, as a companion report on lifespan showed. Labradors are not Anatolians, and the effect has not been measured in this breed.

Glucosamine, chondroitin and fish oil are widely sold for large dogs. They are optional, and none of them makes up for extra weight. If one is used, the dose should come from the vet, who can also check the dog before stiffness is put down to age.

Bloat and how meals are served

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV, or bloat) is an emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist, cutting off its blood supply. The AKC does not count it as common in Anatolians, but the breed has the large frame and a chest that its standard describes as deep to the elbow, and owners are told to know the signs.

Most of what is known about feeding and bloat comes from a five-year study that followed more than 1,600 large and giant breed dogs. It did not include Anatolians, but the findings are the best available guide:

• Bowl height. A raised feeding bowl was linked to higher risk, along with fast eating, older age and a close relative that had bloated. Raised bowls accounted for about half of the cases in the giant breeds. Keep the bowl on the floor.
• Meal size. Dogs fed a larger volume of food per meal were at higher risk, and the highest risk was a large volume fed once a day. Two or three measured meals are better than one.
• Eating speed. A slow-feeder bowl or kibble scattered on a mat slows a fast eater.
• Fat high on the label. Dry foods with an oil or animal fat among the first four ingredients carried a 2.4-fold higher risk in a follow-up analysis by the same researchers.

Keeping hard running away from mealtimes is standard advice as well, though it has been studied less than bowl height or meal size. Preventive gastropexy, in which the stomach is stitched to the body wall so it should not twist, is worth raising with the vet, especially if a close relative has bloated. It is often done during another planned surgery, and it does not stop gas building up.

A dog that retches without bringing anything up, has a swollen or tight belly, drools heavily, paces or cannot settle needs an emergency vet immediately.

Appetite and picky eating

Anatolians were bred to guard flocks and make decisions without a handler, and the AKC notes that training them to respond to commands can be a challenge. The AKC notes that Anatolians do not tend to overeat.

Scheduled meals work better than a bowl left down all day. Offer the food for 20 to 30 minutes, then lift it. This shows exactly how much the dog ate, which matters when an appetite is naturally small. Resist adding a new topper each time a meal is left, since the dog learns to wait for it. A single skipped meal in a healthy, lean adult is rarely a problem. A dog that refuses food for more than a day, or skips a meal and also seems lethargic, sore or unsettled, should see a vet.

Anesthesia, eyelids and thyroid checks

The AKC notes that the breed can be sensitive to anesthesia and advises making sure the vet knows this before any procedure, including a gastropexy or dental work. Put it on the dog's record.

Breeders are advised to screen for entropion, in which the eyelid rolls inward and the lashes rub the eye. It is corrected surgically, not with diet. Squinting, a watery eye or rubbing at the face are reasons for a vet visit.

Thyroid problems are worth keeping in mind in any large dog that gains weight. If an Anatolian puts on weight on an unchanged portion, becomes lethargic or develops a thin, dull coat, ask the vet whether a thyroid blood test is warranted before cutting food further. Repeatedly shrinking the portion of a dog with an untreated medical cause can leave it underfed and still overweight.

Choosing the food

The AKC's own advice is short: a good-quality diet suited to the dog's age, commercial or home-prepared with a vet's supervision, fresh water at all times, and not so many treats that the dog becomes overweight. For an adult Anatolian that means a complete and balanced food for adult maintenance, chosen partly on energy density so the daily portion is a reasonable volume split across two or three meals. Check the ingredient list for fats and oils near the top. Home-cooked diets need a recipe balanced by a veterinary nutritionist, because calcium and phosphorus are easy to get wrong in a big dog.

Sources

1. Anatolian Shepherd Dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
3. Lifelong diet restriction and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis of the hip joint in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2006.
4. Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2002.
5. Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000.
6. Diet-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs of high-risk breeds. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2004.
7. The effect of ingredients in dry dog foods on the risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2006.