Why is it that no matter how much dogs eat they are always hungry? While some dogs just love to eat, others may not be getting be the proper amount of food. But how do you know how much food you should feed your dog? We’ve got your answers.
While there is no fixed amount dogs should be fed, there are certain guidelines you can follow to determine how much your dog should be eating.
Most dog food labels have feeding guides but the size of their meal depends on the type of food, how many times they are fed per day, their size, metabolic rate, how much exercise they get, and more.
As a general guide for how much you should feed your dog based on their weight, here is a table based off PetMD:
| Dog Weight | Amount Per Day |
| 5 lb | ½ cup – 5/8 cup |
| 10 lb | ¾ cup – 1 cup |
| 20 lb | 1 ¼ cups – 1 ¾ cups |
| 40 lb | 2 ¼ cups – 3 cups |
| 60 lb | 3 cups – 4 cups |
| 80 lb | 3 2/3 cups – 5 cups |
| 100 lb | 4 ¼ – 6 cups |
The amounts are based on a 24-hour period. The majority of adult dogs should eat two meals per day whereas puppies often need three or more. So, you can divide the total amount recommended into two. When raw feeding dogs, a mature dog can be fed approximately 2-3% of their body weight daily
Another factor to take into account is lifestyle. If you have a particularly active dog, you may need to feed them a little more. But, if you have a more sedentary dog, the total amount should be a little less.
To get a general sense of how your feeding schedule is going, you can use visual cues (or a scale) every two to four weeks to see if your dog is losing or gaining weight.
Dogs who are a healthy weight will show signs of an “hourglass” figure. This means that when you look down on your dog from above, their abdomen should be narrower than their chest and hips.
They will also have their ribs not visibly seen but easily felt with light pressure. And, their chest should be closer to the ground than their stomach when standing.
Feeding your dog too little can cause them to suffer from nutritional deficiencies and feeding them too much can cause obesity and health problems such as congestive heart failure, musculoskeletal problems (osteoarthritis, intervertebral disk disease), and Cushing’s disease.
Though it can be confusing, use these tips to make sure you feed your dog the right amount of food to keep them happy and healthy!
Most of my day is spent playing with dogs. When they nap, I’m here working on my blog. You’re welcome to reach out and connect with me.