Canine Nutrition: How Much Should You Feed Your Dog?
The diet of our dogs directly affects their health and well-being. Therefore, choosing a complete and high-quality diet is essential. However, when we talk about canine nutrition, some doubts usually arise, generally related to the number of feedings, the caloric intake of the food, or the amount that we should offer them.
Factors Affecting the Amount of Food for Dogs
As with humans, the amount of food you should feed to your dog depends on a few factors:
- Their size and weight. Obviously, bigger dogs that weigh more would need a bigger portion of food.
- Their activity level. An active dog burns more calories and as a result would need more food than a sedentary dog.
- Their age. Puppies and young dogs also need more calories than adult or senior dogs.
- Their treat intake. You should also have in consideration the treats or supplements that you provide your dog besides its meals. The more treats, the less amount of food they would need.
- If they are pregnant. Pregnant dogs would need more calories than prior to pregnancy as well.
Most dog food bags or containers have an indicative chart that can help you make your decision, but remember to consider the factors mentioned above.
How Many Times a Day Should a Dog Eat?
This question is also controversial, since doubts are always raised about the portion of daily food that should be offered to the dog, whether adult, senior or puppy. For this reason, the 3 existing feeding modalities are explained below:
- At your dog’s will. This feeding modality is more frequent in cats than in dogs, which consists of leaving food available throughout the day, and that it is the pet who administers it. Indicated in those cases of dogs that eat little, as well as lactating females. Not for dogs that do not know how to ration their food, or that are overweight.
- Ration food by quantity. It is the owner who sets the portion of food, and administers it in several doses, which he offers to the dog throughout the day. This modality is the most advisable, since it allows giving the exact portion of food to the dog, preventing it from gaining or losing weight.
- Ration food by time. Very similar to the first, since a food container is offered and left available to the dog for a certain time. It is indicated for those dogs that know how to ration their food, otherwise, it will not be known if they are eating more or less. It also favors rapid intake, not recommended in dogs with a predisposition to gastric or stomach torsion.
You should also have in consideration that puppies' digestive systems still have to get used to solid food for the first few months. Therefore, they must be fed more often than adult dogs. In general, it is enough to feed the puppies three or four times a day. Try to reduce portions at the same time. If the dog is an adult, it is enough to feed it once or twice a day. Remember to feed him at similar times.
Conclusion
One of the best ways to keep our pets healthy is to give them the right amount of food. If we give them less food than they need, they can suffer from nutritional deficiencies; and doing the opposite can lead them to other consequences, such as ending up suffering from obesity.
Take a look at the chart provided by the food supplier and adapt it to your dog’s necessities.