First of all, you must ensure that the feed you give to the dog is a balanced quantity. So don’t overfeed your dog. The quantity of food a dog needs varies according to your dog’s breed, size, age, and other physical activity. Food formulated for an active young dog will not make a sedentary old one healthier Just fatter. Cold weather, strenuous exercise, hard work, and stress (such as lactating) increase a dog’s caloric needs; a sedentary life decreases them. Always read the instruction and guidelines for feeding, which is mentioned on the label of your dog’s food. See the guidelines on the quantity of food for his body weight, and adjust for his type of Physical activity.
How much should I feed to my dog daily?
This is a very important question, which has been asked by one of the third pet owners asked from his vet. It’s dependent upon the size, age, temperament, type of daily physical activity of the dog’s body, and also the environmental temperature conditions of the area.
Young dogs and those being worked, or which are very active on a daily basis, may need a little more food (calories) per day than the average age of a pet dog, whereas an old and senior dog will require less.
The following table helps you in this regard:
DAILY FEEDING GUIDE FOR DOGS:
| Weight Of Dog | Quantity Of Food |
| 2kg (5 lb) | 110g-140g (4 oz – 5 oz) |
| 5kg (10 lb) | 200g-280g (7 oz – 10 oz) |
| 10kg (25 lb) | 400g-570g (14 oz – 1 lb 4 oz) |
| 20kg (50 lb) | 680g-900g (1 lb 8 oz – 2 lb) |
| 35kg (75 lb) | 900g-1.1kg (2 lb – 2 lb 8 oz) |
| 45kg (100 lb) | 1.25-1.6kg (2 lb 12 oz – 3lb 8 oz) |
| 70kg (150 lb) | 1.7-2.5kg (3 lb 12 oz – 5 lb 8oz) |
OPTIMUM BODY WEIGHT:
Check your dog regularly for weight gain or loss-you should be able to feel the ribs along his sides. Adjust his food intake accordingly.
DAILY NEEDS:
A tiny Maltese needs only about 250 calories a day, while a fully grown Rottweiler may need 2,400 calories-more than most people! When working, Alaskan Malamutes (below) and other sled dogs need more than 10,000 calories per day 15 comparable to many to maintain their body weight and energy levels.
Dog’s Sample Weekly Meal Plan:
The following plan is meant only as a suggestion and to give you an idea of what you can do with the fresh food diet. Rotate foods often within each food group. Remember that variety makes life happy! Be sure to add the appropriate supplements in the proper proportions.
You may feed the same combinations of carbohydrates several days in a row as long as you have included a wide variety To begin with, feed only one protein source at a time, to determine whether your animal companion has any particular food allergies. (Allergies are often confused with deficiencies.
The inferior ingredients in market dog food have caused many veterinarians to think that a dog is suffering from allergies when it’s really toxic reactions and deficiencies in the dog’s diet.) If not, you may add meats, poultry, cheese, eggs, and dairy products.
WEEKLY MENU:
| Day | Raw Protein | Raw Vegetables | Grains/Potatoes |
| Monday | Ground chuck (beef), beef kidney chunks | Dandelion greens, celery, parsley | Oatmeal |
| Tuesday | Ground chicken backs, Necks (pulverized) | Zucchini, apples, Yellow squash | Sweet Potatoes |
| Wednesday | Ground chicken, Chicken liver chunks | Broccoli, cauliflower | Barley Flakes or millet |
| Thursday | cottage cheese or coddled eggs, with or without meat | Carrots, zucchini, Yellow squash | Amaranth or Barley flakes |
| Friday | Ground lamb, lamb heart, Lamb’s kidney | Brussel Sprouts | Leftover Mashed Potatoes w/butter or baked potatoes |
| Saturday | Ground beef, Beef heart chunks | Green beans, alfalfa Sprouts, cauliflower | Couscous |
| Sunday** | Ground turkey, turkey Gizzard/heart chunks | Bok choy or Chinese Cabbage | Kasha or Teff |
* Or make a medley of vegetables with barley or oatmeal. If your practitioner wants you to avoid grain, double the vegetable portion and include sweet potatoes or yams (raw or cooked).
** Sunday can also be a “no-meat” day or a “fast-on-broth” day.
When To Feed My Dog:
Whether you feed your dog guidelines at regular times or make food available throughout the day depends on the type of food you give to your dog’s age and health, and whether he tends to overeat. A dog that is Overweight or has health problems, such as a history of bloat, should be fed according to a diet plan which is recommended by the vet or nutritionist. Each dog should be fed individually to make sure he receives his fair share of food. Free-choice feeding is best reserved for trim, healthy dogs that are fed dry foods and don’t overeat
LIFE-STAGE FEEDING
| Puppies | Puppies usually stop drinking their mothers’ milk and go on to solid food properly when they are 5-6 weeks old; gradual weaning starts around 3 weeks. They should continue eating puppy food once they have finished weaning because it includes all the nutrients they require in a form that is simple for them to digest and absorb. If they are properly fed during this period, they will develop into healthy, strong adults. |
| From weaning to 20 weeks | Puppies need three meals a day, plus a glass of milk in the evening. |
| From 20 to 30 weeks | Three meals a day. |
| From 30 weeks to 9 months | (Depending on the breed and growth pace) Two meals per day.) |
| From 9 months to 8 years | One or two meals a day. |
| From 8 years onwards (elderly) | Depending on the state and health of your pet, one or two meals per day. |
(Commercially prepared dog foods are available in (top to bottom) wet, semi-moist, and dry varieties.)
Always observed that dogs love to eat by their owners, and owners love to feed their pets. Feeding your dog a nutritious and well-balanced diet in the proper quantity is one of the most important things, that can make happier your dog and long living healthy life.
LUCKY DOGS:
People and pets have different nutritional needs. The low-fat diet that is healthy for us is not the best for our dogs.
PRACTICAL DOG FEEDING:
Pet foods may be commercial or homemade. When you acquire/bring first a puppy home, it’s good to keep the same food plan as before since most of the other things that happened at feeding time will change with the new home for the dog. When you buy a puppy, you must ask for the diet sheet or food plan, which is used by the breeder to feed the puppies before selling the puppy. So as to make as few changes in the food plan as shown in the above image.
Any reputable breeder will tell you what the puppies were previously fed just before they leave. The diet sheet does not have to be followed totally, but it will be based on that breeder’s experience of what works in the rearing of that size and shape of the dog. It is a general rule that all changes in feeding should then take place slowly.
If you choose a complete feed, keep in mind that’s precisely what you’re getting. Read the instructions closely, and follow them strictly. ‘Good enough’ will not do when feeding the growing dog: any additional ingredients introduced by yourself can create an imbalance and problems can occur. Calcium and vitamin D supplements were often given whether the puppy needed it or not – and now even the bone meal supplement has fallen under suspicion, even though the calcium and phosphorus ratio is exactly right for puppy bone growth.
A guide for constructing your own diet for a Labrador-size puppy might be as below:
Breakfast:
Half a pint of milk with some cereal, or milk pudding like rice or semolina, which provides variety and are well-liked.
Lunch:
A quarter of a kilo (half a pound) of cooked meat (less for smaller dogs) minced or cut up fine. This meat should be mixed with about 70g (2-3 oz) of puppy meal or brown bread soaked in gravy. Beef, lamb, chicken, rabbit and cooked fish (bones removed) can all be given. Lean-cooked pork is an alternative, but it was once discouraged because of the risk of tapeworm cysts and other parasites. Alternatively, canned dog meat can be used, but the content should be checked to see if it already contains cereals.
Afternoon:
The same as breakfast or a more crunchy rusk food can be given with less milk than in the morning, as too much lactose will cause diarrhea in some puppies.
Supper:
The same combination as the lunch meal.
The aim when feeding growing puppies is to have a weight gain of 2 to 4g per day per kg of the adult weight, i.e. for a Labrador puppy 60 to 120 grams each day or half a kilo in a week. A 58 1/2lb Golden Retriever about one year old might be seen to be getting fat on 13 ounces a day of a proprietary complete diet, but when cut down to 10 ounces a day becomes a slimmer dog at 57 lbs.
Supplements should be given in moderation:
There are many powders, tablets, and fish oils that find favor with various breeders. If bone meal is used, one teaspoon a day is quite adequate. A large marrow bone can be given and the chewing will exercise the jaw and perhaps help the teething of a puppy.
Frequency of meals – A rough guide for puppy feeding:
- Four meals a day should be given from six weeks to four months.
- Three meals a day from four to six months, cutting out the breakfast.
- Two meals a day from six months to maturity (often by 10 months).
- All the above amounts are approximate and should be adjusted for the particular breed you have and the condition of the individual. A large German Shepherd puppy may need as much as 800g of meat a day (1 1/2 Ibs).
- Fresh water should be available at all times and some drier feeds do require puppies to drink more than the normal amounts consumed.
SOME DO’S AND DON’T in DOG FOODS:
- DO remove any uneaten food, but offer it again later, or dispose of it.
- Do not overfeed a very young puppy, but be even more careful not to underfeed a rapidly growing one.
- DO feed the puppy from your hand initially, as this will get it used to you touching its food and it will associate your smell with the food reward.
- DO NOT feed the bones of chicken, fowl, or fish. Lambchops and neck bones are lethal if stuck in the esophagus.
- DO NOT feed large portions of potatoes raw starch in potatoes is indigestible.
- DO NOT feed titbits from the meal table, and do not give snacks between the dog’s set feeding times.
- DO NOT feed foods straight from the refrigerator. Milk should be served at room temperature. Ice cream can be fed in moderation as it is high in fat but is enjoyed by dogs.
- DO NOT feed the pup immediately before or after exercise.
Excited or tired, hungry dogs are more likely to bolt their food and swallow quantities of air in the process, sometimes with unfortunate results.
Counting The Calories Of Dogs:
Calories are units of heat used to quantify energy. In a healthy dog, the number of calories he requires balances with the number of calories that his body uses each day. The dog keeps fit and healthy and maintains a constant weight if this balance is kept in check.
Mostly observed that an underfed dog gradually loses his weight and condition as his body draws on the reserves of fat and lean body mass to make up for suffering from dietary deficiency disease. The number of calories a dog needs per day depends on its body size, life stage, type of physical activity, and individuality. As an example, a small healthy adult dog with two hours of average activity a day requires anything between 125 and 700 calories per day depending on its size; a large dog will based on size have 1,400 calories per day. All dogs are unique individuals with unique requirements for their bodies, just like people. Diet and lifestyle adjustments may also be necessary based on the outcomes.
However, puppies need more calories and to their body weight because they are growing day to day. Need them more energy thats’ they are more prone to heat loss due to their small size, and their energy requirements are much higher. Feeding female dogs need some 50 to 60 percent (50%-60%) more calories than other dogs, while physically highly active dogs need at least 40 percent (40%) more calories than normal active dogs.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, to keep your dog healthy, always feed your dog the proper quantity of food. Main factors like their age, breed, weight, and activity level should be choosing the right quantity of food. However, it’s better to follow the guidelines about the diet plan provided to you by your Vet. Or most of the time the proper quantity of food which you feed your dogs is mentioned on food packets/boxes by the manufacturer. Always monitor your dog’s weight and adjust the quantity of food that gives according to the chart. It is dangerous to overfeed your dog, which can cause obesity and many other health problems. While underfeeding can incomplete nutrition can have a devastating effect on dogs and create other health issues. To provide the right amount of food for your dog and fresh water, you make your dog happier and live them long and healthy life.
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FAQ
How do I calculate? how much food to feed my dog?
Before food feeding your dog, always check your dog’s age, weight, activity type, and the type of food you are giving to him. It should be about ¼ cups to 1 cup, for toy breeds of dogs. For small-breed dogs, 1 cup to 1 2/5 cups, is enough. While medium-breed dogs need 2 cups to 2 2/3 cups at a time. and large breeds of dogs need about 2 4/5 cups to 3 cups at a time. Besides Senior dogs should be fed a little less than adult dogs. However, consult the feeding guidelines provided by the dog food manufacturer or consult with your veterinarian for more personalized advice.
How much is a cup of dog food?
A Cup of dog food is usually depending upon the density and type of food you give to the dog. Very commonly cup of dry dog food is around 115-130 grams or 4-4.6 ounces. However, you must check the food guidelines on the packet/box of the manufacturer/ brand of dog food.
How do I know? If I feeding my dog enough?
At first, you may observe your dog, if his waist has a sharp decline rather than a gradual one, they may be underfed. Your canine is likely underfed if the ribs are visible or palpable and don’t appear to have any fat covering him. If your dog is balding in patches/gardens, there’s a sign of a nutritional problem in his body.
How much food should you feed a 22kg dog in a day?
Upto 500g- in a day is enough for an adult dog. The main point for calculating the feed quantity of an Adult dog is 10g per 1kg of body weight per day.
How much should a 5kg dog eat?
A 5kg dog should eat depending on factors like his age, breed, activity type, and overall health. The dog should eat around 2-5% of their body weight per day, which would be approximately 100-200 grams of food per day for a 5kg dog.
Disclaimer:
Always consult your veterinarian before introduce any new food to your dog’s diet.. The vet could help you determine the most suitable formula for your dog. Specific according to dog needs, health conditions and breed also.
