How Much To Feed Your Adult Dog:
Every dog has an optimum body weight at which it is healthiest and performs at it’s best. To determine how much food your dog requires daily, it is important to know that weight. Consult literature on breed standards and ask your veterinarian for help. Generally, a healthy dog should be fed approximately 2-3% of their body weight, depending on their activity level. Use the following formula to calculate the approximate daily portions.
For Adults (over 1 years of age):
Activity Level Factor: 7– Low 9 - 11 – Medium 14 – High
For dogs over 50 lbs, divide the portion into two meals – e.g. morning and evening.
The estimates for daily portions above are meant as guidelines.
Each animal has a unique metabolism that will dictate the appropriate daily food amount. Start with the amount derived from the formula above and monitor your animal. A good way to assess for this is to check your animal’s ribs. At an ideal weight, you should be able to feel the ribs easily but not see them. If the ribs are visible then increase the daily food portion (e.g. increase activity factor by 2) and feed for a week, monitoring for weight gain. If the ribs are hard to feel, then decrease the portion (e.g. decrease activity factor by 2) and monitor until your pet reaches their ideal weight.
Note that the food portion includes any meaty bones or treats that you give your dog. So if you give your dog a meaty beef bone one day (e.g. turkey neck weighing approximately 300g) then decrease their raw food portions by that amount.
