How Many Times a Day Should DOGS EAT? - Puppies and Adults

 

One of the most common questions asked in dog care is about diet specifically how much and how often they should eat.The answer to these questions depends on various factors such as the dog's age activity levels type of food and health.

In this BLOG we focus on 

how many times a day a dog should eat which takes into consideration all of these factors.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD A PUPPY EAT?                                           In general the frequency with which a dog should eat is greater when they are a puppy decreasing as they grow until eight weeks of age puppies should feed on their mother's milk so we should not adopt them before they are weaned separating them prematurely from mother and siblings can harm socialization and lead to future behavioural problems. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD A NEWBORN PUPPY EAT?           The third or fourth week we can start 

introducing small amounts of solid food so that the puppies can become habituated this is as well as not instead of breast them if the puppy is to be given dry feed its best to soften it with a little water after six weeks of life we can give the dog solid food about four times a day allowing them to continue feeding on their mother's milk.Most often winning continues when the mother refuses to feed her little ones puppies two to three months of age should either be weaned or be in the weaning period requiring solid food about 4 to 5 times a day the final number of servings will depend on the breed of each dog since smaller toy dogs will need much less than those of large or giant signs. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD AN OLDER PUPPY EAT?              W

hen puppies are 3 to 6

 Months of age they are already 

accustomed to solid food and we can reduce daily rations to 3 times a day as their development slows after 6 months and up to their first year of life the ideal is two servings per day it's essential that changes to the dog's feeding schedule occur progressively their digestive system needs to become accustomed gradually for this reason we need to offer more daily rations and reduce them with a passage of time not all breeds reach adulthood at the same time generally a dog is considered an adult between one and one and a half years of age.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD AN ADULT DOG EAT?                T

here are some very large breeds which may take between 2 and 3 years of age in any case once the dog reaches adulthood the portion should be reduced to one or two times a day the final decision will depend on the needs of our individual dog some will prefer to eat in one go others split it into two sittings if you want to change the dog's food.   

HOW OFTEN SHOULD AN ELDERLY DOG EAT?           

   It's important we also do this gradually we should offer a mixture of both old and new gradually withdrawing the old food until only the new one is left once the dog reaches old age we will have to set the frequency of feedings according to the state of health and particular need sit's more likely for older dogs to suffer health problems many of which require medication or its prevent them from moving with the previous agility.Veterinarian visits are even more important at this time and they can best indicate the dogs feeding schedule according to their clinical picture.  

IS IT NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH MEAL TIMES?        Some dogs may also prefer to eat smaller more 

frequent portions do to reduce states of health not all dogs need to have a schedule some are able to ration the food themselves so we can leave their bowl with food for most of the day meal schedules are most recommended for dogs with a tendency to overeat if we do not control portions for them they may develop obesity or other health problems additionally we need to use these schedules when we offer our dog a homemade diet since food can spoil if left out and not kept in the refrigerator in short the most important thing we need to do is identify our dog's needs and meet them as best as possible.