If you find yourself searching, “How much food to feed my dog” and don’t know the answer, that’s okay. It depends on your dog and what food you’re going to feed them. You need to take into account your dog’s lifestyle and food in order to figure out how much to feed them.
Why the Right Amount of Food is Important
When it comes to feeding your dog, complications can arise from an incorrect portion size, leading to your dog becoming underweight or overweight, leading to issues your dog shouldn’t have to deal with.
Underfed
If you aren’t feeding your dog enough, they won’t get the nutrients needed to stay healthy. This can result in weight loss, a dry and brittle coat, lethargy, digestive complications, and even a weakened or compromised immune system.
Overfed
When your dog is overfed, this can cause obesity, as well as other dangerous health problems. It can lead to joint issues, arthritis, diabetes, breathing difficulties, heart disease, and other heart problems, and cause bloating which can lead to the stomach expanding too much and causing issues by pressing against or squishing other organs to the point of injury.
The Importance of Quality Food
Feeding your dog is important, but making sure your dog is getting quality food with proper nutrition is just as important. Look for food with minimal grains and fillers, as dogs don’t need carbs to fill out their diet. On the ingredients list, it’s best to get a food that has some type of meat listed first, as that’s the main ingredient. Dog food suppliers even make custom-tailored foods to your dog’s lifestyle, such as puppy, outdoor, and senior, which provide different nutrients and calories so your dog is getting what they need.
Things to Consider When Deciding How Much to Feed Your Dog
In order to make sure your dog is getting the correct amount of food, you need to consider several factors from all aspects of your dog’s life.
Breed Size
Knowing your dog’s breed and size is important. You wouldn’t feed a Corgi and Great Dane the same amount of food. Most feeding guides are based on the average weight for your dog’s breed size, so knowing this is helpful.
Activity Level
Like humans, dogs that are more active need more calories during their day. This may mean you need to give your dog more food than recommended.
Current Weight
Knowing your dog’s current weight is very important. Your dog may be overweight or underweight, requiring you to adjust their food amount to help them achieve a healthy weight.
Number of Meals Per Day
When it comes to figuring out how much food to feed your dog, you need to account for how many meals a day you plan on feeding them. To prevent dogs from eating too much in one sitting, which can cause serious stomach problems, it’s recommended to feed them 2-3 times a day so they can digest the food safely. As such, you need to factor in how you will split the amount of food per feeding.
Type of Food
Different types of food will have different serving recommendations. There are three types of dog food, each with different recommendations for portions and frequency. You can choose to feed your dog dry kibble, wet food, a raw food diet, or you can mix and match any and all of these types of food together.
Utilize the Feeding Guide
Dog food usually comes with suggested portion sizes and meal numbers based on the size and weight of your dog. Each brand and type is going to have different recommendations based on their nutrition, so make sure to check each time you change foods.
Keep Track of Your Dog’s Weight
Make sure to monitor your dog’s weight every few weeks and take note of any weight gain or loss.
Change Portion Sizes as Needed
If you notice weight gain or loss, make sure to adjust portion sizes accordingly.
When you’re searching for how much food to feed your dog, you need to make sure you’re giving your dog quality food and adjust as you go to keep them at a healthy weight in order to find out how much to feed them.
