Feeding your pet, a nutritional and well balanced diet is vital to its overall health and wellbeing. Very important to this is the amount of food being offered to your furry friend.
It is recommended that the amount to feed should be appropriate for the pets:
Size
Age
Breed
Current weight
Ideal weight
Stage of life
Activity level
Daily calorie intake is important and just like us humans, if your pet over eats this can lead to obesity.
Raw feeding makes it rather easy to manage weight control. The calculation of the amount to feed, in general, boils down to a percentage of the pet’s ideal weight. This however, does not mean that it may be your dogs current weight.
There are a few things you can look at to determine whether your dog is on the heavy or lighter side of life. This will assist with your initial calculation of their meal portions. There may be a little trial and error along the way (normally about 2 weeks) until you establish the right balance based on all the varying factors mentioned above and some tell-tale signs of body shape mentioned below.
OVERWEIGHT
Is your dog looking a little plump with a waistline that is not that defined?
Is there a fatty layer over the ribs?
If these signs are obvious then your pet may need to lose a little weight and his diet portions should be calculated accordingly.
UNDERWEIGHT
Are your dog’s ribs easily seen without having to touch them?
Does it seem as though there is just a thin layer of skin covering the ribs?
This could well indicate that your pet is underweight and may need to gain a little.
However, do take into account that there may be some breeds that this would not specifically apply to.
These guideline calculations will maintain your pets current weight, so once you have assessed your doggo you can easily feed a little more to those who could do with a bit of weight gain, or feed a little less for those on the more plump side of the scale.
PUPPIES
With lots of growing to do, puppies need bigger and more frequent meals than adult dogs. Do also remember to take the breed into consideration as the larger breeds need to grow a bit slower so their portions are slightly different.
Feeding Recommendations:
Small to Medium Breeds:
4% – 8% per day of ideal puppy weight
Split into 3 – 4 meals
Large Breeds:
3% – 6% per day of ideal puppy weight
Split into 3 – 4 meals
Puppies can be transitioned to 2 meals per day as they grow a bit older, generally 6 months. After that you can begin to transition your pup to adult dog amounts. But remember to keep your eye on that waistline and rib cage too. For more information on feeding puppies and kittens click here.
ADULT DOGS
Feeding Recommendations:
Small to Large Breed:
2% - 4% per day of ideal body weight
Split into 2 meals
Giant Breed:
1% - 3% per day of ideal body weight
Split into 2 meals
Old Dogs (All Breeds):
1% - 3% per day of ideal body weight
Split into 2 meals
CATS
Feeding Recommendation:
100g – 200g per day of ideal body weight
Split into 2 meals
Bigger cats like a Maine Coon can be offered a bit more, between 250g to 300g. Remember as with the doggo’s, keep your eye on the cat’s body shape and adjust meals accordingly.
** The above is a guideline only based on a pet with no underlying health conditions. If your pet has any health concerns please consult a pet nutritionist or your vet.
Our range of Doggobone Complete and Balanced Meals come with a feeding guideline on the packaging which makes it easy for you to work out how much to feed your doggo. Remember, feed them based on their IDEAL weight.
Please feel free to contact us if you would like any assistance regarding raw feeding.
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