How much to feed a dog

[Rockyrockcake]

I wonder if anyone else finds it confusing regarding how much food to give.

My 8 year old terrier was very active but is slowing down a bit now. I would say she has medium activity level. She weighs 15 kilo and has canned food with some kibble just for walks.

How many grams of wet food per day would you think she needs?

[BiteyShark]

It really depends on the food as to the amount as well as your dog. I use the visual guides on the internet to check whether my dog is the correct size and then weigh him every few weeks to make sure he isn't under or over eating.

I start feeding usually the lower to middle end of the recommended amounts for my brand of food and then adjust accordingly so he has more treats when he is active at daycare and less when he is with me.

If you are feeding a brand of wet food they should have guides for the amount per weight which you can start with then adjust depending on yours dogs visual weight e.g. needs to have a waist etc.

[Rockyrockcake]

I do find the vagueness of the tins unhelpful. She has Lilly’s.

[BiteyShark]

That's why I use the visual charts for dogs weight to get mine to the right weight then I just feed roughly what he needs to maintain it.

So looking down you should see a waist and from the side a slope up. Hard to explain but lots of charts online. You should not be able to see the ribs but you should be able to still lightly feel them.

[steppemum]

on the back of any pack/tin it should say how much per day.

So if your kibble says 300 g per day, and your wet food says 3 tins (these are not realistci amounts, just easy to calculate)

then, replacing one third of the kibble with wet means
200g kibble and 1 tin of wet per day.

Once you know how much kibble, find a plastic pot/scoop and put a line on it with permanent marker to the level or 200g.

We have a VERY active springer and we had to keep adding to his until he was the right weight and he was skinny when we got him. Now he is the right weight we are cutting back towards what it says on the bag

[Rockyrockcake]

We have stopped giving her Kibble except for walks. It must just be me then That finds the charts confusing. Everyone on here seems to,get it. Anybody able to give a definite answer?

[missbattenburg]

There isn't a definitive answer as the different foods have differing calorie amounts. A bit like you cannot say humans must eat 1kg of food a day - it depends whether it is pasta or lettuce and further depends on the individual human wrt age, sex activity etc

Agreed, I wish they used calorie amounts for dogs more often because I think it would be less confusing.

[missbattenburg]

All that said, I just took a look at Lily's website and they have a piss-easy to use little tool that you put the details in and it spits out kcal and grams per day for your dog. Maybe have a look?

www.lilyskitchen.co.uk/feeding-guidelines

[MasonJar]

The Lily's calculator seems to be very specific for Lily's food.
Out of interest I just tried it and it said my dog should have just over 1Kg of food a day!
He has 400g (raw fed) and that's perfect for him

[Allycumpooster]

It’s nearly always less than you think. I used the breed standard ideal weight which was actually 4kg lighter than my dog was, then religiously measured her daily feed at the low end of the recommended amount. I didn’t think she looked fat to start with - she had a waist and a tucked tummy but she lost weight steadily to her ideal weight and looks amazing on it.
Unfortunately compared to nearly every other dog I see my girl does look thin. She is very fit and active and happy and although she will always take more food if it’s on offer, she isn’t hungry.

[missbattenburg]

I think OP is feeding Lily's?

[SpiderDance]

You need to start by finding out the ideal weight for your dog. What type of Terrier do you have? 15kg seems quite heavy

[BiteyShark]

If you are struggling lots of vets have free weight management clinics where you can go and your dog is weighed and they can help advise on what to start off with if you take a can in with you and then go from there.

[tabulahrasa]

There really isn’t a definitive answer, mine gets about half the recommended amount for the brand he’s on and his weight...

It usually takes a bit of trial and error and watching their figure.

[Rockyrockcake]

Thank you for the link. That one has come out at 769 grams per day which is almost two tins. That seems excessive to,what she has been having.

[BiteyShark]

Mine is an active dog so he now actually gets the top end of the recommended amount plus a zillion treats a day as he burns it off.

That is why we all keep saying there isn't a definite answer as you have to start from one amount and monitor their weight to see what is right for your dog.

[BiteyShark]

So two tins sounds like a lot more than your dog is having now. Is your dog the right weight, is she too thin or is she too fat?

Work out what you are giving her now and whether you should be cutting back if she needs to lose weight and vice versa

[missbattenburg]

That seems excessive to, what she has been having.

It probably is - it's just a starting point. Without any prior experience or knowledge of feeding this dog you might start with about 75% of that and see if she lost or gained weight over a 2-4 week period. If she lost weight, you'd up her food a little bit and weigh he again in a few weeks. If she gained weight, you'd drop it a little bit and weigh her in a few weeks. Alternatively, you can use Biteys way of looking at her to see if she is gaining and losing. You need to have a sharp eye here as it's easy to get used to their weight and not see the changes as they happen. Photos can help.

As you already know she eats less than the recommended amount just go from what she does have. Feed her the same for 2-4 weeks and see if she gains or loses weight.

You just keep adjusting, measuring, seeing how does, until you find the right spot.

[Adarajames]

Oven found most dog foods over estimate the amount per kg for dogs, which doesn't help the pet obesity epidemic!

If she's currently an ideal weight, continue to feed as you have been, if she's gaining reduce it a little and see if she maintains or loses, it really is only way

[Rockyrockcake]

Thank you for all the advice. She is my first ever dog and I want to,do what is best for her. She came in December weighing 14.5kilo. She was a bag of nerves and really highly strung and reactive. She was sick a lot to begin with and had diorreah. She is much calmer now. With the hot weather she is a lot less active so I was thinking of reducing the food intake. She hates being weighed but I think that is the way I will monitor it. I don’t know what her ideal weight is supposed to be.

[Allycumpooster]

what breed is she? Have a fairly large terrier breed and the recommended breed standard is 12kg for female. 15kg does seem heavy for a terrier.

[Rockyrockcake]

She is a X we think Patterjack and German Shepherd

[Rockyrockcake]

This is her

[mando12345]

Hi OP, Google dog condition charts, there are a lots on the Internet which show how your dog should look at the ideal weight.

I give about half the recommended amount on the packet, as my dog has a touch of arthritis part of her management is keeping her at an ideal weight.

[mando12345]

She's lovely OP!
Do look at the visual charts, I weigh mine at the vets, I increase our decrease her good purely on look and feel.

[SpanielsAreNuts]

Did she need to gain weight when you got her? If not then you definitely need to decrease her food.

How much they need is so variable - all sorts can affect it from breed, to activity levels, to whether they are neutered or not, to age, etc.

For example - My entire young spaniels that are constantly on the move, have way more than the feed manufacturer recommends for their size and only just about keep enough weight on. My brother's neutered, middle age, terrier bitch needs less than recommended amounts otherwise she gets fat.

Lots of vets have weight management clinics, they would be able to show you more clearly what you are looking for in an ideal weight and whether or not your dog's weight is ok and help you work out how much to feed her (if you take a tin with you and tell them what you have been feeding her).