If you have a dog, you should be concerned about its feeding and health, after all, it is one of the family and you are responsible for its care, so that it is great and you can enjoy joys, welcomes, walks, and games together.
So you've probably wondered how many times per day you'll have to feed him and how much you'll have to feed him.
We answer your questions and tell you how much a dog should eat per day according to his age. Are you doing it right?
Your dog's diet according to his age
A dog's diet should be based on his age, the amount of food he needs, and the number of times he eats per day.
Puppies and young dogs need more frequent feedings than adult dogs. The food you give your dog should be mainly dry food, with a few exceptions. You can give him a bone or a dog cookie as a reward, or replace the dry food with canned wet food.
In any case, do not forget that you should not feed him any forbidden food for dogs.
You may be doing it wrong if you don't take all of these parameters into account. Your four-legged friend can become sick or obese if you overdo it or feed him what you shouldn't, so it's best to be careful.
Puppy food
The amount of times you feed your dog per day depends on its age.
A puppy from the moment of weaning up to 8 weeks old should have 4 to 6 feedings a day.
From 8 weeks to 3 months, the puppy should have 4 meals a day; up to 6 months, the puppy should have 2 to 3 meals a day; and from 6 months on, the puppy will only need 2 meals a day.
How Much Milk Does a Newborn Puppy Need?
Adult dog food
It is best to feed your dog twice a day, but the quantity factor makes this more complicated when it comes to feeding our pets. Adult dogs should eat 2-2.5% of their body weight per day.
As an exception, you have to consider that pregnant bitches will have to eat more, both during the last 4 weeks of gestation and while she is nursing her puppies. So you will have to multiply the amount she normally takes by 2.
Similarly, if your dog is underweight, they will need to eat more in order to reach a healthy weight, as they will not be able to consume the calories they need to burn throughout the day.
On the other hand, if your dog is overweight, they will need to reduce their daily amount of food, and if they get a lot of exercise and expend a lot of energy throughout the day, they may need to eat a little more than the recommended amount.
Older dog food
As puppies have their own particularities when it comes to feeding, older dogs also need special care to ensure their health and well-being.
In fact, older dogs tend to put on weight as they consume fewer calories and their behavior is calmer and more sedentary. Thus, you can reduce the amount of food they used to eat during their previous adult life by 20 percent.
How much to feed a dog by weight
To calculate the amount of food to give your pet dog each day, you will need to take into consideration the weight of your pet as well as the breed.
For mini breed dogs that weigh between 3 and 6 pounds, you should feed them between 1/3 and 1/2 cups of food per day. For small breed dogs that weigh between 6 and 22 pounds, you should feed them between 3/4 and 1-1/3 cups of food per day.
As for medium breed dogs that weigh between 22 and 50 pounds, you should feed them between 1-3/4 and 2-2/3 cups of food per day. How To Feed a Doberman Pinscher.
For large breed dogs that weigh between 50 and 88 pounds, you should feed them between 3 and 3-3/4 cups of food per day. How do You Feed a German Shepherd.
And for giant breed dogs that weigh over 110 pounds, you should feed them between 4-1/4 and 5 cups of food per day.
Remember that these are only guidelines and that the amount of food you give your pet each day will also depend on their activity level. If your pet dog is very active and burns a lot of calories, they will need more food than the suggested amounts.
The best way to measure the amount of food to give your pet is to use a measuring cup. This will ensure that you do not overfeed or underfeed your pet.
Always make sure that your pet has access to clean, fresh water and that they are able to drink it throughout the day to stay hydrated.