Good For Sensitive Stomachs
Chicken and rice are often suggested for dogs with stomach issues because it is easy to digest as it is simple and low fat and contain one carbohydrate and one protein source.
Dogs with food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances are at risk of having diarrhea, unhealthy weight loss, and reduced energy which can lead to weakness, malnutrition, and other health issues.
Therefore, feeding your dog chicken will help with these issues as it is one of the least common causes of allergies in dogs.
Cons Of Feeding Wet Food To Dogs
Dry foods have been generally favored by dog owners for two main reasons: cost and convenience. Wet food is generally more expensive than dry, especially if this is what you are exclusively feeding. Plus, it’s messier and more time consuming to prepare. Many owners prefer to just scoop some dry food into a bowl than to open a can or package and spoon out the food.
Another reason dog owners tend to prefer dry food is the odor of it. Dogs may be attracted to the smell of wet food, but most dog owners find it quite unappealing.
Wet food spoils quickly if left out too long, so it’s not ideal for dogs that like to graze on their food for several hours. Plus, open containers of leftover wet food must be refrigerated so they don’t go bad.
Waste is another concern about wet food. A large bag of dry food creates much less trash than dozens of cans, pouches, or plastic containers.
Finally, there are some potential health concerns associated with wet food diets:
At The End Of 2019 During Our Yearly Vet Check We Received The Devastating News That Our 11 Year Old Dog’s Blood Work Showed That He Was In Stage 4 Kidney Failure
Honestly, I was a basket case, how on earth did we miss this? He seemed like he was just dealing with some symptoms of getting older – frequent urination, sometimes excessive water drinking. It definitely didn’t feel like life-threatening symptoms. As much as the diagnosis was a shock, the price tag of the prescription diet he would need to eat for the remainder of his life was pretty horrifying too!
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Dry Vs Wet Puppy Food
Although dry kibble is a popular choice, its not the only option. As you walk the dog food aisles, you may see both dry and wet puppy foods.
This can make it harder to decide what to feed your puppy. Fortunately, as long as both the wet and dry formulas are complete and balanced for growing puppies, you can feed either one to your pup with confidence.
You and your puppy may have a preference when it comes to dry versus wet. Feeding a combination of the two is also an option.
According to Purina Nutritionist, Allison Millican, PhD, If youre feeding your puppy a combination of wet and dry food, it is extremely important to ensure the total caloric value does not fall short or exceed their daily energy requirement. Use the calories reported on the package to understand how much wet food will replace the dry and vice versa. This allows you to calculate the amount of each product needed to meet your puppys nutritional requirements.
For example, Millican explains, one thirteen-ounce can of wet puppy food may contain four hundred and seventy-five kilocalories and replace approximately one cup of a dry puppy formula with a similar value of kilocalories per cup. In this scenario, you could substitute a thirteen-ounce can of wet food for one cup of the daily dry food recommendation.
The brand websites and your veterinarian are great resources and can help you develop a feeding plan specifically for your puppys needs.
Recommended Serving Amounts For Homemade Dog Food
As a general rule, dogs will eat around 2 to 3 percent of their ideal body weight in fresh food daily. Larger breeds may need as little as 1 1/2 percent, and smaller breeds may need as much as 4 percent.
This works out to be approximately:
- 2 pounds of food per day for a 100-pound dog
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of food per day for a 50-pound dog
- 1/2 to 3/4 pound of food per day for a 25-pound dog
- 5 to 6 1/2 ounces of food per day for a 10-pound dog
There is much variation in what the ideal amount should be as it depends on how much your dog weighs and how active she is.
I feel that the best approach is to feed and watch if your dog is losing weight, give more, and if your dog is gaining weight, give less.
For our pugs, we feed a scoop each in the morning and a scoop each in the evening, plus all their supplements.
We have an easy system for this: homemade food is refrigerated in a sealed container with a measuring cup , and all the supplements are lined up together in a cupboard in the kitchen. Keeping your ingredients organized and accessible will make feeding time fast and smooth.
Compared to feeding commercial food, where you might scoop out kibbles or open up a can, feeding homemade food with all the supplements takes maybe 10 seconds more. And even if it took 10 minutes more, fresh wholesome food for our furbabies is worth it.
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Remembering To Regularly Check In On Your Puppys Feeding Regime Ensures Your Pup Develops At A Healthy Rate And Enjoys All The Nutrients They Need
Our in-house nutritionists answer frequently asked questions about feeding puppies up to 6 months below
How many times should I feed my pup every day?
Most puppies will happily dine on 3 meals per day until they are 6 months old. Stick to a timely routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
How much food does my pup need?
Make sure youre feeding the right amount. A simple rule of thumb is to feed your puppy 20g per 1kg of body weight per day. So, if you have a puppy weighing 5kg, they will need 100g per day.
Why is it important to get feeding right at this early stage?
Making sure your puppy eats the right amount of healthy, wholesome food from an early age helps protect them against developing common health problems later in life caused by being overweight or eating too much of the wrong ingredients.
Help! My puppy isnt eating enough!
If your puppy temporarily loses their appetite or suffers an upset tummy, try not to panic. This is common as they adapt to their new environment. As they settle in and get used to their surroundings, meal times will improve.
Can I introduce treats and extras to my puppys diet?
Be mindful of treats and extras. Using your puppys food as a treat will be adequate at this early stage.
How can I make mealtimes engaging and fun?
Stuffing a Kong with some of your dogs daily kibble is a perfect way to make meal times more fun. Normal dry kibble can be soaked to make stuffing easier.
How can I tell if my pups poo is normal?
How Much Food Does Your Dog Need
After taking into consideration the nutrients and calories your specific dog needs you’ll be able to determine how much food you should feed it. If a food is higher in calories, you won’t need to give as much compared to a food that is lower in calories so you’ll want to look at the bag of food to see how many calories each cup of dog food contains. For example, a healthy, neutered, 50 lb. dog should consume about 1200 calories a day. This equates to about 3 cups of dog food a day, depending on how many calories are in the food you choose to feed your dog.
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Guide To Switch A Dogs Diet From Puppy Food To Adult Food
Apart from knowing what type of food to feed your dog and what schedule to set for it, it is also important to know when to make a switch from puppy food to adult food. Puppies are given a minimum amount of dry food. But their food is higher in calories and proteins than the food they are given as adults. So, when exactly does the switch happen?
You might have noticed in the dog food chart set as per their age that different sizes of dog breeds have different ages of maturity. So you can refer to that chart for your dogs feeding guide, as per their size and age.
Also, the transition from puppy food to adult food should be done slowly and gradually. When your dog reaches adult age, you can begin the switch by mixing a small amount of their favourite puppy food with adult food. Slowly, over a week, you can lower the amount of puppy food and increase the amount of adult food. Following this process, at the end of seven days, your dog should successfully be on a full adult diet.
Is There A Link Between Activity Levels How Much Food Should My Dog Eat
You finally need to take the activity level of your dog into account. You will find most dogs are either active or sedentary. Active dogs need a bit more calories and they can even step away from the protein-only feeding approach as they use carbohydrates as fuel. Sedentary dogs don need as much fat and this is why these dogs need more protein in their diets to avoid major health issues such as obesity.
Feeding time is also important. Together with your vet, you can find the best feeding time for your dog. In general, adult dogs eat twice per day. They eat early in the morning and in the evening, around 6 PM. Puppies can eat up to 4 times per day.
It can be difficult to abide by these guidelines when your dog is still untrained. But one simple approach could make the difference in the end. You simply dont leave the food out in the feeding bowl all day. You can take it away until its time for the next meal of the day.
Keeping an eye on your dogs food is probably the most beneficial action you can take to improve its health and quality of life. Dog food variables are seen more often than youd think. Make sure you come back to these feeding charts to see how you can increase its daily foods as it turns into an adult dog from a puppy.
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What Are The Benefits Of Wet Food For Puppies
Wet food is a great choice for young puppies. Those who have only just developed their teeth and transitioned to solid foods can find it difficult to chew and swallow, so dry food can be a challenge. Because of its meaty texture and fragrant smell, this form of food can also appeal to fussy eaters.
For greedy or overweight dogs, wet food can also be a good choice as it has half the calories of a bowl of dry food.
The high moisture content also helps make sure your puppy takes in plenty of fluids, which can decrease the risk of urinary tract infections.
Dry food, on the other hand, packs a lot of nutrition into a much smaller package. Given you will be feeding your puppy around four meals a day up until the age of 4 months, this generally making it better value for money.
With its low water content, you can also store a lot more dry food in a small space, a real help if you have a large dog or a small flat!
Is It Bad To Feed Your Dog Wet Food Everyday
So if your dog turns his nose up at kibble, you may want to try giving him a wet dog food instead. Wet dog food has a high moisture content, which can help keep your dog hydrated. Whether you feed your dog wet dog food every day or just as an occasional treat, you know your dog is getting all the nutrients he needs.
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Preparation Of Our Homemade Diet
All of the information above might seem intimidating, but I assure you that making the actual meals for our dogs takes no more than 20 minutes of actual hands-on time.
First, we cook our complex carbs, whether theyre grains, legumes, or starchy vegetables.
While that pot is simmering on the stove, we cook the meat in a separate pan in coconut oil and ground turmeric. After its cooled a bit, we add chunks of meat to our food processor and pulse until theyre broken down into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces.
Then, we gather whatever vegetables or fruits we have in the kitchen , chop them up as needed, and toss them into the food processor.
We also add a few clean, crushed eggshells to the mix. A few pulses turns all this food into smaller pieces, making them more digestible for our dogs.
Finally, we add the cooled, cooked carbs to the food processor and do a couple more pulses to combine. Everything should have a finely crumbled texture by this point.
Since dogs have short digestive tracts, its crucial that you break down the food to increase its bioavailability that is, making all the nutrients in those wholesome ingredients more digestible in a dogs system.
I prepare enough food to last my two pugs an entire week. Its unbelievably easy, and I like knowing exactly what goes into their food. Friends will watch us feed our pugs and remark that it looks good enough for them to eat!
How Much Chicken And Rice For A Dog By Weight
You need to ensure that you are giving your dog the right amounts if you are feeding them chicken and rice. Since this meal is high in calories than the food you normally give your dog, you will need to feed them fewer amounts than you might expect.
The standard rice and chicken meal prepared as explained above has around 350 and 400 calories per cup.
The general rule of thumb is that dogs require about 25 to 30 calories per pound of their body weight per day.
For example, if your dog weighs 20 pounds they need 1½ cups of rice and chicken per day and if they weigh 40 pounds, they need 3 cups of rice and chicken per day. Since this value is an approximation, you need to confirm with your vet before feeding your dog a new diet.
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How To Mix Wet And Dry Food
If you want to give your dog a mix of wet and dry food, the only challenge is figuring out how much of each to provide to keep them happy and healthy. For example, should it be 70% dry and 30% wet? Or wet in the morning and dry in the evening?
To make sure your dog is getting the right amount of food, you first need to determine the daily recommended amount of dry food they should be eating. This number depends on the size, age and weight of your dog. There’s a handy measurement table on the side of each bag of kibble.
You can choose your own ratio of dry to wet food, but we generally recommend two thirds dry kibble to one third wet food.
Want to check your sums? Feel free to contact us via the chat button on our website. We have a wet and dry food calculator so we can accurately work out the right amount to recommend based on your dogâs calorie budget and nutritional needs.
Frequency Of The Meals
When it comes to how often you should feed your dog, pet parents have different schools of thought.
Some dog owners believe in feeding their pups once a day, others twice, three times, four times, countless times, and so on.
Frankly, different dog breeds require different eating schedules for optimal health.
Some breeds are susceptible to bloat including German shepherds and Great Danes.
If you have one such breed, it is prudent to feed him frequently rather than offering one huge meal.
Most adult dogs feed twice a day while puppies tend to have three meals.
To know the exact amount to give your pup, divide the daily calorie intake by the number of meals.
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Is It Ok To Feed A Dog Only Canned Food
Both canned dog food and kibble can provide adequate nutrition. Canned diets contain more moisture and may benefit dogs with urinary problems or dogs that dont tend to drink a lot of water. They are also more flavorful. However, feeding a 70-pound dog an all-canned diet will require lots of storage space.
How Much Should Adult Dogs Eat
Dont let your dog trick you into more mealtimes with adorable puppy dog eyes. Most dogs only require two meals a day, but if you catch your dog begging, an occasional healthy treat can help.
The trick is to make sure youre not feeding your dog more than is recommended. Food labels can be misleading or confusing. Generic feeding charts may over-calculate how much to feed a dog, or use outdated information.
To determine how much food to feed your dog, you should start by knowing your dogs estimated adult weight. Most large breed dogs will weigh between 50 to 150 pounds, while small breeds weigh under 20 pounds. Knowing the weight of your dogs same-sex parent can also be an excellent guide.
From there, you can use the estimated weight to determine how many calories dogs need per day.
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