How Much Food Should I Give My Dog a Day?

One of the first questions that comes to mind when you get a dog is: how much food should I give my dog? It is a very obvious question with an answer that is rather less so, since it depends on a great many different factors.

If you give us a few minutes you will learn to work out your dog's food amount as accurately as possible and tailored to them.

How Much Food Should I Put Out for My Dog?

The answer will vary depending on what the animal is being fed. If it is a commercial product — dry kibble, wet, dehydrated or anything else — by law the dosage has to be printed on the product.

That dosage guidance is for animals at maintenance or in growth, though, where the product is valid for that life stage. It does not cover states such as pregnancy or nursing (unless the product is specific to that use). And within maintenance itself there is a great deal of individual variation; we will see shortly why that happens.

If it is a non-commercial diet of unknown composition, it will depend on what we are feeding the animal and under what conditions.

How Many Times a Day Should I Feed Them?

This question will depend on several factors, both the animal's and the owners'. On one hand, the dog's physiological state (growth, adult, old age, nursing or pregnancy), and on the other the owners' convenience. The idea is to arrive at the option that gives the greatest wellbeing to owners and dogs alike without neglecting the minimums the latter require.

On the dogs' side, their requirements by physiological stage are:

• Maintenance: The amount of food stated on the packaging for the animal's weight, split into 2 or 3 meals, depending on the dog's behaviour. If they eat very anxiously on two meals, they may be going hungry and the frequency may need increasing. There is no harm in eating more than 3 meals a day as long as the amount is measured.
• Old age: At this stage of life animals tend to be less active, so their expenditure and energy needs drop. This usually shows up as weight gain while keeping the same feeding frequency. If we see this, the simplest thing is to reduce the amount of food by 10%.
• Puppies: Once weaned, their energy needs are very high since they are very active and have a great deal of tissue to build, and on top of that their stomach is very small. They should therefore be given 3 or 4 meals a day, adjusted to the puppy's age.
• Pregnancy: Needs increase progressively and are very high towards the end. The safest option is to give a food specific to this stage. It is also preferable to move to 3 or 4 meals a day, since the needs are greater and, because of the pressure the foetuses exert, the stomach is smaller.
• Nursing: The needs are very great and, because of caring for the pups, the time available to eat is very short and does not necessarily fit the feeding schedule we have set. This is therefore the only case where free or ad-libitum feeding is recommended.

Obviously these meals should be spread as evenly as possible through the day. It is highly advisable for the amount always to be the same and for meals not to be given at moments of high stress for the animal.

Physical Exercise and Feeding

This is another hugely important factor in regulating feeding, since the more energy they burn, the more they need to take in, and exercising increases the amount of muscle mass, which also raises energy expenditure.

Ideally exercise and feeding should be as consistent as possible through the week. It is very normal for that not to happen, though, since at weekends we have more time to take our pet out and they spend longer outdoors.

Rather than increasing the amount of food on those days, it is more advisable to make it an increase in every day's meal so as to keep better control, since weight changes are not immediate events but trends over time.

Ad-Libitum or Free Feeding

Here the kibble is left out all day and the bowl is refilled once it is empty. This method is very widespread because of how convenient it is, and in some cases the dog manages their own feeding well and does not put on weight.

What normally happens is that it leads to obesity in the animal because they eat more than they should, and this is a very serious health problem with no quick fix. On another note, feeding an animal is not just about filling the bowl: it also tells us about your dog's relationship with their food — loss of appetite, pain while chewing and so on. With free feeding these problems can go unnoticed.

Another case is puppies left with food freely available. This option is also dangerous, since it can cause a type of obesity called hyperplastic obesity, in which the number of fat-containing cells is greater and losing weight becomes very difficult.

The only case where this feeding pattern would be indicated is nursing, and portioned meals should always be resumed once it ends.

Why Feeding Them Once a Day Is Not Recommended

There are many reasons why this practice is inadvisable. The dog will spend a significant part of the day hungry and will face a very bulky meal. Because of how hungry they are they will bolt it down and end up with a full stomach, possibly distended beyond what is advisable. That stomach will be more prone to torsion (which is a surgical emergency) or they will simply end up vomiting.

Because of that increased speed of eating, chewing will also be compromised, so digestion and absorption will be more difficult and poorer. What is more, the dog will spend a large part of the day hungry, which at a behavioural level will be a problem for them.

What if My Dog Gains or Loses Weight?

There is no need to worry at all. The formulas used to calculate dogs' and cats' needs apply relatively poorly to the individual animal, but work very well across populations. So it is entirely normal for a dog to gain or lose weight.

In that case, the product itself will tell us to lower or raise the ration by 10% relative to the recommended amount. Once that change is made we should wait a few weeks to assess whether the trend of gaining or losing weight has shifted.

Medical Situations

This category is very broad and the nutrition for each case is different. Broadly speaking, a very characteristic symptom of a sick dog is that they do not want to eat. In this case wet food becomes an interesting option because they find it more appealing and it has higher digestibility.

These are often transient situations in which the animal is going to need more energy but will not have the appetite to take it in. The advice is therefore that they eat as much as possible, but without forcing them, so as not to create an aversion to the food.

Another common case is feeding after minor surgery such as neutering or spaying. We recommend you read our article on bland diets for dogs.