Feeding your Miniature Pinscher
Be careful to not overfeed your Miniature Pinscher. An adult Miniature Pinscher typically eats two smaller meals daily. If the dog is fed more than it requires per day, it is going to get fat. If weight gain happens, its likely that the dog may get sick. An overweight small dog usually leads to significant joint problems for the dog, and it can have an increased risk for diabetes and breathing problems.
Feed your miniature pinscher high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat, and the amount of crude protein should be no less than 30 percent. Crude fat should be no less than 20 percent. There is not a need for a high amount of fiber content – about 5 percent or less.
You can also get natural health supplements for dogs here.
Owners should be aware that, if their Miniature Pinscher is overweight, it is not only likely to develop joint problems, but also other medical issues. For example, if a thyroid problem develops, it can usually be treated with medicine and a strict diet. In face, often many medical problems can be avoided by using good nutritional management by the dog’s owner.
As a common estimate of the amount of food your Miniature Pinscher should have daily – about one half ounce of food for each one pound of weight. You probably know that there is some debate as to whether or not a dog should be eating the same food as people do. In most cases, do not feed your dog people food, because the food we eat usually has more sugar and salt that what the dog needs. If a small dog eats such foods, it can gain weight rapidly, and over time, there is a high chance that sugars and sodium can build up and become toxic.
Recommended Food
Miniature pinschers are known to develop certain health conditions such as demodectic mange (a skin disease caused by a microscopic parasitic mite), epilepsy (seizures), patellar luxation (dislocation of the kneecap) and Legg’s Perthes disease (hip joint arthritis).
So to summarize:
- overfeeding and feeding inappropriate foods can cause pain and a number of medical problems that will shorten the life span of the Min Pin.
- use quality dog food, and not “people food”
- feed the dog about one half ounce of food for each one pound of weight, per day
To learn more about the Miniature Pinscher, here is a highly regarded book about Miniature Pinschers:
I was feeding my mix, what I’ve been calling a Miniature Pit Pinscher, Min Pin and Pink-Nosed Pit mix, Pure Balance. After about over a year of feeding this to him, he started having a little blood coating his poop. I guess there was too much protein and fiber, so I split it between Pure Balance and Kibbles N Bits, mixing 1/4 of a can of Pure Balance moist puppy chicken and rice stew, very little rice in it
This seems to be doing the trick, but in the 4 months we’ve been here, he’s put on about 7 lbs. Granted he was a little under weight when we got here, but I was wondering if I’m over feeding him. It is also winter, snowing here, so should I continue because he’s just putting on a little weight for the winter, his fur is very thin, and bald in some places.
My dog had a lot of hair loss. Our vet determined that he was allergic to rice. We had been feeding him lamb and rice dog food. We treated his skin topically and switched the dog food. His coat grew back nicely and softer and shinier.
Good day, my min pin is very underweight. The cause for concern is simply that she doesn’t eat well. You can place her bowl overflowing with food and all (not that we do that though) in front of her but she would never eat out of the bowl or generally any food at all on her own. She might lick it once or twice then it’s done. We started giving her a bowl of pronutro whole wheat porridge with fat free milk mixed in as a meal and cooked, spice less chicken meat stripped from the bone as a snack (as a recommended meal plan from the previous owners). At first she ate willingly, if we stood with her while she ate (both chicken and pronutro) but then she started eating less until she completely stopped eating when we put the food in front of her. She then switched over to just eating chicken and later stopped eating that as well. So we became desperate and stared giving her any human food (after trying dog food which she does not eat as well, might I add) as long as she ate such as meat, vegetables, chips( which she ate one chip from occasionally but has now stopped). We now use plastic non-reusable latex free syringes (the type one buys at a pharmacy to pull the liquid porridge up and insert small amounts of porridge into her mouth, almost like a nipple she nibbles at as we squirt it in and it sounds worse than it is, trust me). But the reason we have resorted to this is because we simply just don’t know what to do because we thought “at least this way she gets something into her system”. She’s not really fattening up, either. We took her to the vet but she says they have irregular diets, eats this today and tomorrow doesn’t want to. But despite all of this she has a tremendous amount of of energy (like they should have). I should also mention that her water intake is much less irregular and she does lick up some water during the day as she goes and she’s about 8-9 months old by now. So this is about it. Could you please please please help my little girl. She means so much.
I free feed my min pin. She is very active and the vet is super happy with her weight. I thought I was going to kill her when I switched to free feeding as a pup. Mostly because my other dogs are free fed. She attacked the bowl and her little belly was distended. I didn’t sleep at all, but the next day she stopped at the bowl grabbed a few morsels and kept walking. We have never looked back since. She eats about 3/4 cup of food through out the day. I feed my dogs purina healthy weight morsels (she picks through and only eats the morsels). All three have shiny coats and get a good report from the vet.
My min pin weighs too much so am feeding her 1/2 C twice a day instead of filling the bowl for her to eat all day. Is this enough ? Just started a few weeks ago and she seems to have lost a little so far
Seems like 20% fat is way too high. Most of the high end kibbles have 12%.
What should I feed my min pin i feed him gravy train he is six years old just adopted him 5 days ago his name is ROCKO.
I feed my mini pin “The Honest Kitchen” It’s a very good high grade food. A little pricey but worth it. He use to have stomach problems and itchy skin for years. Since feeding him The Honest Kitchen dog food I notice no more stomach problems or itchy skin. His coat is nice so soft and has a nice shine to it. He loves the food. It comes in a hydrated form and you can hydrated it with water or goat milk. I like using the goat milk. I use the wild caught grain free formula but thinking about feeding him the regular.
I hope this was somewhat helpful. Oh I forgot that when you use the wild caught grain free formula it only has 8.5 percent fat so I switched him to the wild caught fish & coconut grain free recipe because it has 14.0 percent fat its good for the weight.
Made in America no ingredients from China.
PS: I feed my mini pin twice a day morning and evening
I feed my pin 1/2 cup of food I make twice a day . She is over weight and having problems. I boil chicken breast ,carrots, green beans. She is over weight and I don’t know what else to do . She won’t eat dry food. I want her to get back down to at least 11 pounds. She is 3 yrs.
I have just acquired my min pin male! He is bery stubburn wont go on a leash as im living in a complex on the 5th floor! ! In
I need all rhe help please
Thanks Cheryl
My min pin is 3 years old I adopted Him about 4 months ago. He was skinny and his owners just let him go. I took him in gave all his shots,etc.and he is very happy. He won’t eat any type of dog food what so ever.no wet food, can food, rachael ray,.nothing. He rarely will eat out of a dog bowl,I half to put food in a plate. I cook white rice,hamburger,steak,any type of meat he will eat. But lately he won’t eat nothing but hotdogs. I Bathed him today and so much hair came off his body it stopped my bath tub up.3 sm handfuls came out. Help me with something for his diet, and maybe an answer as to why he’s shedding like this.
I have a mini pincher chiauhau mix breed and I sometimes cook feed free ground beef and brown rice cooked well and carrots and it helps him with eating and is upset stomach. I feed him 1/4 cup only and normally I feed him at 5:00 pm every day dry food 2 1/4 cups and 1 tablespoon of wet food. And a few treats during the day he is healthy he weighs about 8 pounds he is very active he eats blue buffalo wet food and dry food grain free.