How Much Should I Feed My Dog?

How often you feed your dog depends on how old they are. Feeding your dog with the right amount of food and serving plays a major role in your dog’s development. But, as a dog owner who only wants the best for their dog, you might ask, “How much should I feed my dog?”.

Starting from your dog’s first few years until his later phase, you should give him the proper diet he needs. Unless your dog is given a strict diet to follow, below are some guidelines to follow on how much and how often a dog should be fed.

1. For pups that are eight weeks old, breast milk should be enough for them. It is important not to separate them from their mother since it might affect the puppy more than what you think. Formula milk is an insufficient source of nutrition for your growing puppy.

After three or four weeks since their birth, you may offer them with semi-solid snacks to get them started with solid foods slowly. This can be done by mixing water with puppy food, so he can swallow it easily.

Two more weeks of this time, you can give them with puppy food four times a day. You can ask your veterinarian for foods that can be safely eaten by your puppy. At the same time, do not forget that they still need suckling milk.

However, for puppies with breeds of Chihuahuas or Yorkshire Terrier, feeding should be done up to five times a day to avoid hypoglycemia.

2. Puppies that are three to six months old should already be used to solid food. The usual four times a day can now be reduced to thrice.

3. For puppies that are six months to a year old, food intake should now be twice a day only. Feeding your puppy twice a day will help them be introduced to their new adult life.

4. For dogs over a year old, they can be fed once or twice a day. Some owners feed their dogs once a day, while some do it in smaller portions during the morning and evening.

Now, let’s dive deep into every dog owner’s frequently asked question, “How much should I feed my dog?”. Once your dog enters his adult years, how much you feed them will change. From four times a day in their puppy years, down to only one or two doses a day in their adulthood. This is mainly because your dog will develop a strong and stable digestive system over time.

Usually, you can feed your dog daily with food that is around 2-3% of their weight. However, your dog’s weight does not only dictate how much you feed your dog. His age, caloric intake needed, daily activity, breed, and ideal weight to its height are also contributing factors to how much your dog needs to be fed daily.

Conveniently, dog food brands have general recommendations and feeding guidelines for your dog that can be found on their packaging. These suggestions will be helpful in letting you decide how much your regular serving should be on a daily basis. It is highly recommended to consider your dog’s characteristics and activeness when deciding how much dog food should be given to your dogs.

To see if you’re giving him the proper diet he needs, weigh your dog monthly so you’ll see just how much he needs. This will also dictate if he should maintain, decrease, or increase his weight.

Lastly, do not forget to spice things up with your dog’s menu. On days when he needs to be energized or active, you may give him a little extra, and mix and match his food to give him the boost he needs. Dogs love surprises and rewards as much as we do, so why should they be spared?