You know you can ask 100 people this question and you’ll probably get 100 different answers. I have a small dog, his name is Charlie and he is a Minicher Pincher. Charlie is about 20lbs, so obviously I wouldn’t feed him as much food as a larger dog, but I’m still not sure if I feed him right. There are so many factors when it comes to feeding that there really isn’t a straight forward answer. Just like humans your dogs nutrition is important and the amount of food they intake plays a big part in their overall health.
Why is proper feeding important?
It is important to pay close attention to your dogs health and feed them properly. Being overweight or underweight can cause serious health problems.
Overweight dogs
- suffer from arthritic problems
- increase incidence of metabolic disease
- liver problems
- lack of energy
- increase in skin problems
- shortened life expectancy
Underweight dogs
- poor muscle tone
- delayed healing
- loss of energy
- metabolic and reproductive disorders
Food intake based on energy needs
It is really difficult to figure out how many calories a day your dog will need. Unlike humans each dog’s calories needs will be different depending on the breed and size. However most animal nutritionists uses a general equation to get an estimate of a dogs Resting Energy Requirements or RER, RER in kcal/day = 30(body weight in kilograms) + 70. Obviously if your dog is doing any activities other than rest then they will need more calories each day. However this equation does not take into account other factors such as breed, air temperature, coat insulation, etc. There are truly so many factors it is just to hard to come up with a concrete answer.
Things to consider
Well there really is no one size fits all tactic when it comes to feeding. Each and every dog is different and will have different nutritional needs. Your dogs nutritional needs will not always stay the same, there will be points in time when they need less food and times when they need more. The best thing you can do is pay attention to your dogs weight and health.
- Start with a high quality food.
- Get an accurate weight on your dog.
- Ask your vet what your dogs recommended weight is.
- Determine if your dog needs to maintain, gain or lose weight.
- Calculate your dogs RER
- Based on your dogs RER, think about your dogs weight goals. Will he/she need to eat more or less.
- Then take a look at the recommended feeding amounts on the bag.
- You will have to use your judgment to decided if your dog needs more or less. When in doubt always go with less.
- From then on weigh your dog monthly and adjust food based on weight.
Resources
- YOUR DOG’S NUTRITIONAL NEEDS this is a pdf document that based on scientific research.
- Dog Activity & Energy Needs breif article on dogs activity vs. energy needs.
- This site gives a few reasons why your dog may be overweight, and it might be because of you (we overfeed our dogs). This site also recommends exercising together, so that working out can be beneficial for both you and your dog!
- This site gives tips on how to keep your dog from getting overweight (cutting back on treats, following a diet guideline by a vet, etc.)
