Well, to be honest, and upfront, it is actually very difficult to determine the overall quantity of food one should feed to his/her dog. The simple answer to this question would be a simple trip to a pet store or veterinary clinic to consult with the experts.
The amount of food you should feed your dog varies from one to another. It is imperative to note down the number of cups of quantity suggested in the dog feeding chart. Of course, you just cannot pick any random chart and start feeding your dog accordingly. You need to consult experts before you do so in order to provide the right quantity to your dog.
Here’s a sample dog food chart that you can follow as it has been made after enough considerations by the experts.
| Adult Dog Size (lbs) | Amount of Dry Food to Feed (Cups) |
|---|---|
| 3 to 12 | 1/3 to 1 |
| 13 to 20 | 1 to 1/3 |
| 21 to 35 | 1-1/3 to 2 |
| 26 to 50 | 2 to 2-2/3 |
| 51 to 75 | 2-2/3 to 3-1/3 |
| 76 to 100 | 3-1/3 to 4-1/4 |
| 100+ | 4-1/4 plus 1/4 cup for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs |
It is important to note that the amount may vary depending on the food brand and quality being used. You can refer to the feeding chart printed on the packaging of the dog’s food.
Importance of Feeding Your Dog in Right Amount
Feeding too much to your dog is not the right approach, considering that the dog will get healthy and stronger. This will lead your dog to suffer from different nourishing insufficiencies. Additionally, feeding your dog too much will make your dog obese, and there will be no use of investing in an electric dog collar fence to track movement and protect from strangers as the dog will lie or sit in one place the whole day long. This will cause many health disorders like
- Cushing’s disease
- Labored breathing
- Musculoskeletal problems such as rupture in ligaments, osteoarthritis, ad intervertebral disk disease
- Skin disorders
- Short life span
- Congestive heart failure
- Shortened life span
From the points mentioned above, it is obvious that it is important to have the right food quality to support your dog’s overall health and keep him well.
Factors Affecting How Much to Feed to Your Dog
There are several factors that determine how much you can feed your dog, and in addition, they also indicate the type of foods you need to feed your dog. Let’s check them out.
Activity Levels of Your Dog
The recommendations to feed your dog on the food packages are mainly based on the requirements of the adult dogs doing normal activity levels. If you think that your dog is involved in different physical activities, you may add more calories to fulfill the energy needs. But for overweight and less active dogs, you need to focus on managing daily caloric intake.
Weight
It is crucial to have an ideal body weight for your dog’s overall health. In case your dog is not in the ideal body condition, then you need to make adjustments in how much and what you are feeding to your dog.
Relying on a weight management formula will help your dog in achieving and maintaining ideal body conditions. Seeking help from a professional veterinarian will also help you to identify and deal with any health conditions.
Age
With the years, your dog tends to grow old, and this also changes the nutritional requirements. In the initial stages, you need to feed specialized puppy food to ensure stable growth. For average adult dogs, depend on a senior formula as it works on the overall development of the dog and makes the mind sharp. Get in touch with a concerned vet to discuss the food habit and quantity to strengthen the life-cycle of a dog.
It is only when you get the perfectly balanced and complete food that fulfills the requirements of the dog, you can analyze how much you need to feed your dog.
Words to Remember
Only the right nourishment can help your dog to be healthy. There’s no point in overfeeding your dog as it can cause weight gain, and eventually, it leads to many problems like obesity, heart problems, joint problems, etc. Please feel free to share your opinion on the quantity of food for your dog, and can also ask in case you have any queries below in the comment section.