How Much Food Should I Feed My Dog & Puppy? – Basic Food Guide

How much food should I feed my Dog and Puppy

 

Do you often ask yourself the question that how much food should I feed my dog and puppy?

This question seems to be very common and negligible one but trust me the food part is one of the most important parts of the growing procedure of your dog.

In this guide I have explained every bit of information about your food queries.

One should must care about dog health and foods. They will be lived long and healthy if you feed them safe and good foods and a little mistake can leads you to something really bad.

 

Related: What Human & People Foods can Dog Eat? – 16 Safe Foods

Related: Toxic and Dangerous Foods Your Dog Should Not Eat

 

General Criteria of Dog Food Feeding Amount:

 

Activity:

The most basic thing you have to consider while feeding your dog is the amount of activity it is involved in. If your dog is an energetic and playful soul then it may consume more calories.

Age:

The second most important factor is of age. The older a dog may be, the less food it may consume. A puppy may consume more food than an adult dog because it is in growing age.

Size:

The third important factor is of size. The bigger the size of a dog may be, more its appetite will be. Dogs like German shepherd may consume more food than dogs like pistil.

 

Different portions of food for dogs

There are many types of dogs based on their specie, size and age etc. So everyone has their own type of appetite and concerns about food. And don’t worry I will answer your question “How much should I feed my dog”.

If we do the general math large breed dogs require more less food than small size breed dogs if calculated on the bases of volume of food on per pound of weight. So I will tell you from the beginning that what should be the exact portion of food for every stage of dog’s life.

Puppies:

Puppies are not made to eat solid food until they reach the age of three to four weeks. They are weaned from their mother’s milk around by eight weeks. As a puppy requires a great deal of food which should be filled with protein and other nutrients so the food could support the growth and development.

Even if you are feeding your puppy some kind of branded food make sure that the food is entitled for puppies. The puppy should be given food minimum three times a day which include morning, noon and early in the evening.

This routine should be continued until they puppy started to grow in size and age. When your puppy reaches the age of five or six month, make sure that you reduce its feed to two times a day. Some puppies are very much choosy so if you are serving them with dry food, make sure to make the food wet with water so it may attract the dog.

Also keep in mind that cow milk is very hard to digest for young dogs and puppies so avoid giving it to them. If your dog hasn’t eaten the food you provided in less than an hour than try to discard the food and always serve your dog with fresh food.

If your puppy starts to gain extra amount of weight, make sure to reduce its food intake as extra weight for puppies and dogs could cause a lot of troubles such as bone abnormalities and laziness. If you are still confused and thinking that how much food should I feed my dog, and then don’t worry contact a vet for the ultimate guidance and food schedule.

Adult dogs:

A dog is considered to be reached at a maturity level at an age of on year. Now the dog has also entered a so called maintained period, which means the appetite the dog will have at this time will stay the same throughout its life.

The demand for food might change if the dog does some hectic activity or fall ill. During this period of time, the dog’s weight and body structure is very important because a little bit of mismanagement could be very harmful.

So you should control its diet very much. If you are feeding your dog any type of packaged dog food then keep in mind to check that the food is entitled to be used for adult dogs. As humans have mood swings and their hunger varies from time to time, same is the case with dogs.

You should not worry unless your dog changes its eating habits for several days or start showing weight loss signs. Also check if your dog is not eating at all, then it may be on the verge of a disease and food loss very clearly indicated to the presence of worms. For more details on Worms read this.

For adult dogs, the food should be served twice a day at minimum depending on the activity level of the dog. If in winters due to less activity level your dog is not playing try to decrease its food. And if in summers the activity level is at its peak you are also allowed to feed your dogs some type of small snack between breaks

. A very active dog should not be fed during its playing session, as this might cause a lot of digestion problems or uncomfortable among the dog and leads to vomiting etc. If you have a senior age dog and you are still thinking that how much food I should feed dogs, then wait and read the next paragraph.

Senior Dogs:

As human grow older their activity level is near to zero, same is the case with dogs. As a senior dog has reduced amount of energy for playing around so it does not burn much calories, and therefore it also does not need same amount of food as puppies or adult dog need. For senior dogs, packaged food is specially made keeping in mind to include all necessary proteins and fiber to at least keep the dog on its feet.

 

How much Food should I feed my dog and puppy?

 

The first 8 weeks Puppies ought not to be isolated from their mom before they are 8 weeks old. Puppies that leave their moms sooner have a rougher time modifying and a higher rate of diseases. I don’t know whether it is because of debilitated insusceptibility or grieving the untimely loss of their family. Their mom’s milk gives them the nourishment and antibodies they have to end up solid canines. At three to four weeks, puppies ought to start eating some strong sustenance. You can take a stab at blending three sections nourishment with one section water or puppy substitution milk. This will make the nourishment simpler for the puppy to process. On the off chance that your puppy starts eating somewhat strong nourishment before it leave its mom it will have a less demanding time conforming when you bring it home. One approach to advise if a puppy is prepared to return home with you is whether it favors human organization over its mother or kin.
6 to 8 weeks Nourish your puppy 3-4 times each day. Puppies have distinctive wholesome needs than grown-up pooches. Pick a puppy nourishment diet that gives the fitting parity of supplements your puppy needs. Make sure it is getting the appropriate measure of protein and calcium, and the correct measure of calories. Check the name to figure out whether you are sustaining your puppy an adjusted eating regimen. A predetermined meat ought to be the main fixing on the name.
After 8 weeks Make your puppy to eat twice a day.
3 to 6 months Your puppy will teethe. He may turn into a finicky eater or lose his hunger. Continue nourishing him nutritious sustenance twice per day. On the off chance that he has a disturbed stomach for more than maybe a couple days, take him to the veterinarian.
6 months to 1 year Your puppy may find all developed yet he is still a puppy. He ought to at present be sustained a high quality sustenance for the additional nourishment. Note, in some amazing sustenance the organization does not make a different nourishment for puppies on the grounds that the sustenance is of such a high caliber, to the point that it accommodates both puppy and grown-up similarly. For instance, a genuine human evaluation chicken is what it is really going after ages. In the event that you are bolstering puppy nourishment ask your veterinarian when you ought to change to grown-up sustenance. Ensure the grown-up sustenance you change to is still an adjusted top notch diet with the main fixing being a predetermined meat that is not a by-item.
8 to 9 months You should feed your puupy twice a day.
1 year In most of the breeds out there, food feeding should be twice a day.

The following is the day by day essential bolstering guide for grown-up pooches. An individual puppy’s prerequisites may contrast from this outline. It is best to take a gander at the bearings of the nourishment you are encouraging for their proposals.

This outline is a general reference. The nourishing headings depend on utilizing a 8 oz. measuring glass. Puppies can be encouraged up to one time the most astounding sum recorded in their classification.

It is here and there best to part the sum into two or more separate feedings as opposed to only one major dinner, frequently twice per day. Puppies ought to be sustained more frequently than grown-up canines.

At the point when including canned nourishment, slice the go by away to a large portion of the sum and substitute the same volume that you cut with canned sustenance, so the pooch is getting the same measure of nourishment, some dry and some wet.

Note, on the off chance that you are sustaining a decent quality pooch sustenance you will have the capacity to encourage less as the canine’s body will use increasingly and crap out less. On the off chance that you are nourishing a sustenance that contains a ton of fillers (grain fillers, for example, corn are regularly utilized by a few organizations) you may need to encourage more all together for the pooch to get the best possible measure of protein.

Typical Breed Weight as an Adult Dog Dry Food Dry Food Mixed with Can Food
Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Toy Poodle Up to 10 pounds 1/4 to 3/4 cup Cut dry up to ½ the amount and substitute the same volume with a can
Miniature Poodle, Scottish Terrier 10-25 pounds 3/4 to 1 cup Cut dry up to ½ the amount & substitute the same volume with a can
Cocker Spaniel, Beagle, Springer Spaniel 25-50 pounds 1-2 cups Cut dry up to ½ the amount and substitute the same volume with a can
Collie, Boxer, Labrador, Golden Retriever 50-75 pounds 2-2 ½ cups Cut dry up to ½ the amount and substitute the same volume with a can
Great Dane, Malamute, St. Bernard, Mastiff Over 75 pounds 2-4 cups Cut dry up to ½ the amount and substitute the same volume with a can

Good Basic Feeding Tips For Dogs & Puppies:

  • Dogs ought to be bolstered in the meantime consistently. Sustaining in the meantime will keep your pooch on a washroom plan. Ask your vet how frequently a day you ought to encourage your puppy.
  • Feed your canine the same sort and brand of sustenance consistently. Not at all like people, can’t a canine’s digestive framework deal with changes in nourishment. It can bring about irritated stomach and looseness of the bowels.
  • When changing to nourishment continuously move him to the new sustenance by blending bits of both nourishment until you gradually eliminate the old sustenance. Your pooch may encounter the runs if his sustenance is all of a sudden changed.
  • If you are blending water into dry sustenance you ought to blend 4 sections dry nourishment to 1 section water.
    • Keep crisp drinking water accessible at all times. Change the water at any rate once per day, more for pooches that dribble.
    • Keep sustenance and water bowls clean.
    • Don’t overload your pooch.
    • Follow the rules on the pooch sustenance bundle for suggested nourishing sums.
    • Monitor your pooch’s weight and movement level, and make encouraging alterations as fundamental.
    • If your pooch has free stool sustaining sweet potatoes is a characteristic stool hardener. Not at all like a few prescriptions, won’t giving excessively numerous make them blocked up. They offer sweet potato chips for pooches in a great deal of pet supply stores.

Final Words:

I am happy to cover such a detailed post on How much food should you feed your dog & puppy.

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