How to Feed your Puppy or Dog: It's All About Control

How to Feed your Puppy or Dog: It’s All About Control Now that you know WHAT to feed your new puppy, let’s talk about HOW to feed him or her. Since obesity is the #1 health problem of adult American pets, how you feed your pet is very important. If you look on the back of the puppy food bag, you will notice that there are recommendations for the volume of food that he or she should receive, measured out in cups. This does not mean a 32 oz. cup from the gas station or a coffee mug, but an actual 8 oz. measuring cup. Your veterinarian should be able to provide you with a measuring cup free of charge. The recommendation you see on the back of the bag is an estimate only. We suggest that you start with feeding the recommended amount, and your veterinarian can help determine if your puppy needs more or less. Everyone has heard the saying, ‘the average healthy adult human should consume approximately 2000 calories every day.’ Well, every person’s metabolism is a little different, and dogs are the same way. Especially when you consider how many different sizes of dogs there are, and how their lifestyles may differ. For example, how a Labrador retriever metabolizes one cup of dry food is quite different than how a Greyhound would metabolize that same amount of food. Also, a Chihuahua will eat significantly less than would a Great Dane. It is a good idea to weigh your puppy weekly, so that you can ensure you increase their food intake at an appropriate rate. If you have a small dog, you can weigh them easily on a human scale. First weight yourself, and then weigh yourself holding the puppy – the difference is the weight of your puppy. Keeping track of the weight of a large breed puppy can be tricky since they will quickly outgrow your scale at home, and we certainly do not want you to injure yourself by picking the puppy. In this instance it would be a good idea to take them in to your veterinarian to use their scale. You should not be charged a weight check by your veterinarian. Finally, we encourage pet owners to feed their pets in a “controlled” fashion. Never feed your pet “free choice,” or just filling up the bowl whenever it is empty. Growing puppies should consume 2 meals every day, and 3 meals a day would be even better if your lifestyle permits it. These meals should also be timed and observed by you. Give your puppy 10-15 minutes to eat each meal. If your puppy does not clean his bowl at the end of the allotted time, remove it and do NOT add the leftover food to his or her next meal. Your puppy will quickly learn that meal times are a set time. In other words, it’s now or never! Not only will controlled feeding help prevent your puppy from eating too much, it also provides you the owner with the ability to monitor your pets eating habits. It could help you identify if your pet is feeling unwell much earlier than you would otherwise.

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