Dog Feeding & Diet (sage ability)

Dog feeding & diet is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of dog training that gives knowledge as to what and how much a dog requires to maintain fit and trim. The knowledge gives no special ability to control animal disease, but the ability does prevent the likelihood of animals over-eating or suffering from malnutrition, so long as food is available.

Diet focuses around raw or cooked meat, which is the primary source of nutrition, aligning with the dog's carnivorous nature. Grains like barley, oats, or wheat, along with vegetables and fruits, offered additional nutrients and fiber. The specific amount of food required varied based on factors like body weight, age, activity level and metabolism, but generally, moderately active dogs consume around 2-3% of their body weight in food daily.

Feeding Details

Distinguishing between the type of dog and the amount of work that dog does is key to determining it's diet. As companion dog allowed to lounge all day should eat slightly less than 2% of its mass, unless it is travelling steady or otherwise active throughout the day. Working dogs, utilized for tasks like herding livestock or pulling carts, must have adequate nutrition to support their physical exertion, so that 3% of their mass is the absolute minimum, while edging up towards 3½% on especially hard days. War dogs, when not actively engaged in combat, still needed to maintain their strength and endurance. Normally, they may eat the same as working dogs, or very slightly less, but following a day of combat they should be allowed to gorge up to 4-5% of their mass. This sustains their physical conditioning and readiness.

In the event of damage or injury, dogs have additional concerns. Depending on the nature and severity of the injury, their food intake might have been adjusted upwards ½% to support recovery and healing — even when healed by magic. Dogs recovering from injuries can be given softer, easier-to-digest foods to minimize stress on their digestive systems while still providing essential nutrients. Additionally, increased protein intake might have been beneficial to aid in tissue repair and muscle recovery. Careful monitoring of the dog's appetite, weight and overall condition are part of the character's knowledge with regards to this ability, ensuring that in diet, at least, a dog has a better chance of recovering well.

Foraging & Hunting

In some degree, should it be necessary most dogs are able to forage or hunt for their food. Since the dog must depart from the company of the party to do this, it's important that the party's location remains relatively stable, though dogs do retain a capacity to track the party — so long as the movement does not happen through magical means. Dogs which have gone to seek food may be called for, with a 70% chance every ten minutes that the dog will hear the call and come running. This is increased to 90% if a physical whistle is used. The time required for the dog to return is anywhere from 3-18 rounds.

The amount of food obtained by a dog for itself is equal to the numbers found on the foraging or hunting sage ability tables, per hour. Dogs naturally return to the camp once they've obtained enough to eat.

See Animal Training