{"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; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3. 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: paraphrase\n  claims: 13\n  passed: 13\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\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n\n# Dog nutrition — dietary needs, standards, and feeding practices (Merck Vet Manual)\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Good nutrition underpins dog health.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Pick foods with the AAFCO adequacy statement.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Dry food generally beats canned for dental health at equal nutrition.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Life-stage diets (puppy, adult, senior) are sold widely.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Some therapeutic diets (for obesity or allergies) are available only through veterinarians.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Adult dogs: 1–2 feeds per day; puppies need more frequent meals.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Large breeds: at least two small meals per day to reduce bloat risk.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Table scraps should be limited and never exceed 10% of daily calories.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Always give free access to fresh water unless a vet restricts it.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Overfeeding causes obesity and other health problems.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* For most breeds, ribs and spine should be felt, not seen.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Cold-weather outdoor dogs need twice as many calories to keep warm.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Feed double the usual high-quality amount in smaller meals to avoid digestive upset.\n---\n## License & attribution\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and is not openly licensed. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, every claim above is a paraphrased derived fact summary (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not a verbatim quotation.\n\n- https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-dog/providing-a-home-for-a-dog","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","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"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."}