Dog Diet: How Often and How Much Should You Feed Your Dog?
Feeding your dogs the right amount of dof food daily is the best way to keep them in good health. But how offen and how much should you feed a dog? It’s a common question to almost every dog owners.
Many dog owners don't know exactly how much food their dog should be eating each day. Let’s get some knowledge about what affects a dog’s diet.
What Affects How Often and How Much A Dog Should Eat?
How often and how much should you feed your dog? The short answer is, it depends. There are a lot of factors that contribute to how much and how often you should feed a dog, including the breed of your dog, his or her age, size, health condition, the amount of exercise they get, and more.
Breed plays an important role when deciding how often your dog should eat. Common large breed dogs often require more feedings and more calories per day than medium and small breed dogs. You also need to consider the age and size of your dog when deciding how often your dog should eat. For example, the caloric requirements for a three-month-old Yorkshire Terrier varies greatly compared to a three-year-old Yorkie. If your dog gets a great amount of exercise, he will absolutely require more caloric than dogs usually stay indoor sleeping.
How Often Should You Feed Your Dog?
What sort of feeding schedule works? Most experts recommend feeding your dog twice a day — once in the morning and once in the evening.
Puppies need small, frequent feedings. Puppies under five months of age should be fed three to four times a day, or as directed by your veterinarian. Dogs with medical issues or dietary needs may require specialized feeding schedules or restrictions on what they eat.
Having regularly-scheduled feeding times not only establishes a routine, it also allows you to monitor your dog’s health.
How Much Should You Feed Your Dog?
Another question dog owners may find themselves asking is: How much should a dog eat? To determine how much food to feed your dog, you should start by knowing your dog’s estimated adult weight. Most large breed dogs will weigh between 50 to 150 pounds, while small breeds weigh under 20 pounds. Knowing the weight of your dog’s same-sex parent can also be an excellent guide.
If your dog is a healthy weight and isn’t having accidents in the house, you may be able to leave food out all day and let your dog graze. This can be a good method for highly active dogs that are burning more calories than others.
But leaving dog food out all day also has downsides. It could attract insects, rodents, or raccoons. That’s especially the case if you feed your dog outside, so be on the lookout. And if you have more than one pet, they may bicker over the food.
What About Treats?
Ask your vet about the number of treats you could give to your dog. It will vary based on his weight and activity level. In general, dog treats should make up 5% to 10% or less of your dog’s daily diet. And if you need to use treats frequently for training, you should use very small pieces.
How often and how much your dog should eat will vary based on his or her breed, age, size, weight, exercise level, and more.
Talk to your veterinarian about your dog’s eating habits to make sure you’re meeting your dog’s nutritional needs and healthcare requirements. Also, make sure that fresh water is made available to your dog at all times.