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How Much Should I eat ?

August 20, 2021

How Much Should My Dog Eat?

Dogs love to crave food, but do you know how much to feed your dog? The truth is that there is no exact answer to this question. This is because there are numerous factors that your dog's feeding requirements depend on. Dogs usually always make those hungry faces, and it's hard to ignore them. It is necessary to give your dog the right amount of food because it will play an important role in keeping him healthy. If you feed your dogs too much food, they will become obese, and obesity has many health risks. Similarly, if you feed them too much less, they will be deprived of vital nutrients, and their health will be compromised.

If you want to keep your dog healthy, keep him on a regular schedule and feed him the real food and in the right amount.

In this article, we will discuss how much your dog should eat. What are the factors on which it depends, and how to calculate the caloric needs of your dog?

How much should my dog eat?

The simplest way to calculate the proper amount of food for your dog is to measure it according to your dog's body weight. Generally, a general rule of thumb is that larger dogs need more food compared to smaller dogs.

First you need an accurate calculation with which you can put your dog in a category, be it small or large dogs, because if you don't know that, you could accidentally over or underfeed your dog.

Here are some factors that your dog's feeding requirements depend on.

Consider the Important Factors

There are different factors on which the correct size of food depends; these are

• Body weight

• Type of food

• Amount of exercise

• Health condition

Body weight Dogs'

feeding requirements depend on their body weight because a 2-year-old toy breed will not eat the same amount as the Great Dane.

• Dogs that weigh around ten pounds are considered toy dog breeds such as the Yorkshire terrier and the Havanese.

• Dogs that are larger than toy dogs but weigh less than twenty pounds are considered small dogs, for example, Shih Tzu and Pugs.

• Medium dogs have a wide range of dog breeds weighing between 30 and 50 pounds are medium dogs, for example, Bull terrier and Collie.

• The largest dogs are easy to recognize; they are immense in size and weigh between 60 and 100 pounds—for example, German Shepherd, Great Dane, and Mountain dogs.

Below is the feeding chart of caloric needs according to your dog weight. These feeding charts are mainly mentioned on the feeding bag label. Therefore, it is always best to follow the feeding guidelines mentioned on the food package or consult your vet in case of confusion.

Age of dog

Puppies have different feeding schedules and requirements than adult dogs because they are growing and need a lot of nutrients. The first 6-8 weeks are crucial, and the puppies feed on their mother milk and can feed freely on it.

Afterward, the puppy goes to the slurry (dry kibble well mixed in warm water) and then to adult dogs' food. Puppies should be fed three to four times a day according to their needs.

When dogs reach 90% of their adult body weight, they are considered adults. Now you can feed them adult dog food that will maintain their weight and give them the proper nutrients. It usually occurs around 24 months of age for large breeds and around 12 months for small dog breeds. In adulthood, dogs should be fed twice a day for twelve hours per part.

For lactating and pregnant dogs, free-choice feeding is recommended.

Amount of exercise

The amount of exercise is an important factor in determining the amount of food your dog needs. Suppose you have a dog that is couch potato with a low level of activity. In that case, he definitely needs fewer calories and the amount of food compared to a dog that has an active lifestyle.

This is because the dog needs energy for physical activities such as exercise, walking, running, etc. Providing a diet high in protein, vitamin B12, and fat will help meet the working dogs' requirements.

Health conditions

Sometimes, when your dog is prone to any health conditions like hyperadrenocorticism, diabetes mellitus, and insufficient pancreatitis, the amount of food increases. Similarly, in some specific conditions like weight problems, urinary stones, kidney disease, liver problems, your dog needs a specific diet to address these diseases.

Always talk to your vet about your dog's special diet.

Body Conditioning Score

The Body Condition Score or BCS is an effective parameter for determining the caloric need and calculating the amount of food your dog needs. It is actually a visual assessment to check your dog's body fat and lean muscle level.

This measurement can help you determine if your dog is obese or not. Actually, it is based on 4 criteria like

• How easily can you feel your dog's ribs?

• How obvious are the abdominal tuck and the waist of your dog?

• How much muscle mass does your dog have?

• How much is extra fat under your dog's skin?

You can determine your dog's BCS using the nine-point system given by O'Bell, or you can get help from your veterinarian to get an accurate analysis.

Use a calorie calculator

Calorie calculators are used to calculating how much food your dog should eat. They generally calculate the amount of food based on your dog's body weight, body condition score, activity level, and calories per cup of food.

Resting Energy Requirement

It can be defined as the energy a dog needs to maintain a healthy weight and perform primary bodily functions such as breathing, digestion, brain and heart functions. It can be an effective parameter to calculate your dog's caloric need.

RER= 70(Body weight in Kg) ¾

The unit of RER will be Calories/day. You can calculate your dog's daily caloric needs by multiplying these factors with RER based on the life stage.

Life stages	Formula of Daily Caloric needs for dogs
Puppy 0-4 months	=3.0 x RER
Puppy 4 months to adult	= 2.0 x RER
Active, working dogs	=2.0-5.0 x RER
Inactive/obese prone	=1.2-1.4 x RER
Neutered adult	=1.6 x RER
Intact adult	=1.8 x RER
Weight loss	=1.0 x RER for ideal weight
Weight gain	=1.2-1.8 x RER for ideal weight

Feeding Chart

This chart is only an estimate to calculate the amount of food for your dog. It can vary up to 50% of the actual needs of your dog. You can use these calculations as a starting point and adjust the amount of food according to your dog's needs.

Dog's Body Weight in Kg.	RER	Puppy 0-4 months	Puppy 4 months to adult	Active, working dogs	Inactive/obese prone
Units	Calories/day	Calories/day	Calories/day	Calories/day	Calories/day
Formula to Calculate	*70x(BW)^3/4*	*3xRER*	*2xRER*	*2-5xRER*	*1.2-1.4xRER*
1	70	210	140	210	91
4	200	600	400	600	260
8	340	1020	680	1020	442
10	400	1200	800	1200	520
20	670	2010	1340	2010	871
30	900	2700	1800	2700	1170
40	1120	3360	2240	3360	1456
45	1220	3660	2440	3660	1586

Note: kilocalories (kcl) and Calories (uppercase C) are same and interchangeably used in food industry.

* You can calculate the amount of cup by checking on the food label, how many calories are in one cup.

Conclusion

To maintain your dog's health and happiness, it is necessary to provide him or her with high-quality real food containing human-grade ingredients like Happy Pet-Happy friend. You can easily determine how much food your dog should eat with the help of our calculator.

Petman Average Calories Content: 530kcal/Meal and 230 kcal/ topper.

Here is the link to the calorie calculator that you can use for reference: calorie calculator for dogs.

References

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