How much you feed your dog is a bigger issue than you might think. When incorrect, the caloric and nutritional composition of your dog’s food and treats can have a negative effect on his standard of living and overall lifespan. Discuss the topic with your trusted veterinarian in an open and honest dialogue. Together you can come up with a plan to help your dog stay healthy.
How do I know how much to give my dog?
When looking at how much food a dog should have per day, your vet will look at a number of different data points:
- Age
- Activity level
- Breed
- Size
- lester
- Health problems or disease
- living environment
In 2021, the AAHA updated its nutrition and weight management guidelines for dogs and cats. It includes nutritional assessments and calculations of energy needs versus caloric intake that your veterinarian can use to keep your pet at a healthy weight.
Do I have to feed my dog for free?
Free feeding – making food available to a dog all day without limiting the amount – can have a number of negative side effects.
- Overeating, causing excess weight in a pet
- Food Protection/Aggression in Multi-Pet Households
- Limits the use of reward-based training
- Makes it difficult to identify a lack of appetite, which is often a sign that your dog is sick
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine notes that today’s pet food industry has done extensive taste testing and research to make dog food as appealing as possible. With constant access to good, tasty food, your dog is more likely to overeat.
How to measure food and count treats?
The AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines suggest that treats should make up no more than 10 percent of your dog’s calorie intake. Treats can add up quickly, especially when passed out multiple times a day. Dogster’s sister publication, The Whole Dog Journal, places owners eager to demonstrate their condition as the root cause of overeating, citing a rise in obesity with more than 50% of dogs in the United States either overweight or obese.
You can measure food using a measuring cup or scale, noting that quantity is not as important as calorie count. Refer to food packaging for calories and suggested feeding guidelines.
How much to give from puppy to adult?
The amount of food your dog needs, how often he needs to eat, and the amount of protein needed changes throughout your dog’s life. During regular checkups with your dog’s veterinarian, let them know your dog’s activity level and ask if your dog’s current age should affect the amount of food they receive.
Hanna Zulueta, who is certified in nutrition by the Companion Animal Sciences Institute (CASI), helps her clients understand how much to feed their dogs and suggests that owners understand what their dog’s ideal body condition should look like so that you can adjust the amount of food as needed. . (See the Body Condition Scoring System here. Hanna’s observations led her to the conclusion that most dogs are overfed and thinks the only thing owners can do to help their dog no matter what. either his diet, is to give the amount that keeps the dog lean and fit.