How many times a day should you feed your dog?

Body features

The wolf is able to absorb a fifth of its own weight in food at one time. The body of a domestic dog implies approximately the same diet: infrequently, but in fairly large portions. This is evidenced, for example, by the fact that her stomach has a significant extensibility.

However, unlike the wolf, which leads an active lifestyle and does not have regular feeding, and therefore is forced to eat for future use, the dog needs to monitor the number of calories it receives. Moreover, according to statistics, 20% of pets under the age of 4 years are overweight.

Rule and exceptions

The optimal diet for an adult dog is twice a day. She should be fed 1-2 sachets of wet food and the recommended amount of dry food. At the same time, it is better to give food to the animal at the same time, and next to the bowl for it there should always be a container with fresh water.

At the same time, the diet of puppies, pregnant and lactating dogs, as well as elderly individuals should be different.

Puppies, depending on age, receive food from six to two times a day – the older the pet gets, the less often it is fed. He switches to a two-time regimen 10-12 months after birth. In turn, pregnant and lactating animals are shown both increased portion sizes and increased frequency of feeding – up to five times a day. Aging dogs, on the contrary, require two meals a day, but not as energetically saturated as in adults.

Recommended food

Dogs of all ages and conditions should be fed special diets designed to meet their needs.

Ready meals are available from brands such as Pedigree, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Chappi, Purina Pro Plan, Acana, Hill’s, etc.

A reasonable approach to the nutrition of pets guarantees them a high quality of life and the absence of health problems, including those caused by obesity.

27 2017 June

Updated: October 5, 2018