The ideal temperatures for our four-legged friends are between 15°C and 25°C: within this range, they do not need protection from heat or cold, and their energy requirements remain stable and unchanged.

Outside these ideal ambient temperatures, a dog's energy requirements may vary in order to maintain a constant and ideal body temperature. Therefore, it may be useful to make small changes to our four-legged friend's diet during the change of seasons.

Of course, not all dogs need adjustments to their eating habits due to the outside temperature: there are some factors and characteristics to take into account, in addition to consulting experts in this field.

Dog food in winter

During the winter season, energy requirements may increase due to the cold. Just consider that thermogenesis requires 20% more calories at temperatures below 0°C, with the exception of the more cold-resistant northern breeds, where this increase is only necessary at temperatures below -10°C. Therefore, it is necessary to consider not only the absolute outdoor temperature, but also a series of additional factors, such as the breed of the animal and/or the type of coat and the characteristics of the environment in which the animal usually lives. For example, dogs that live mainly outdoors during the winter months and are exposed to cold temperatures may require changes in nutrition, both in quantitative terms (amount of kibble given) and qualitative terms, such as food with a higher energy density. The story changes for dogs that spend most of their time indoors and, despite the winter season, are only exposed to cold for short periods, or even where opportunities for outdoor exercise tend to decrease. In this case, an increase in energy intake is not recommended, as this can lead to a disruption of the ideal body weight.

Dog food in summer

On the other hand, during the summer season, dogs are likely to eat and exercise less, or only do so during the cooler hours of the day. This reduced energy consumption is compensated for by increased calorie consumption through more frequent breathing, which helps to dissipate excess heat through water vapour. The nutritional advice in this case is to increase fluid intake, both by providing fresh, clean water (not ice-cold, which can have negative effects on the intestines) that is always available to the animal, and by giving wet food that contains approximately 75-80% moisture. However, this food must be consumed within a short period of time to prevent the heat from spoiling or deteriorating it.

In both cases, it is advisable to consult with experts in this field prior to making any changes to the feeding plan, so that the needs, methods and transition times can be carefully assessed together.