# How much should my dogs be eating?



## Puptart (Jan 25, 2011)

Since Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream is high protein I give all my dogs 2/3 cup of food a day. 1/3 in the morning and a 1/3 in the evening. Put I'm wondering if that's enough. I did an online food calculator thing

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

that says I should be feeding more.

Kodi weighs 13.2 pounds and the calculator says he should be eating about 1 cup a day. This also takes into account that his activity level is that of an average dog.

Taz weighs roughly 10 pounds and his activity level is average as well and that i should feed him 1 cup a day

And Gizmo weighs roughly 5 1/2 to 6 pounds average activity level and that I should be feeding him 1 cup as well. 

I'm just really confused and I feel as though I could use some help with this.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

My dog is 75 lb and he eats maybe 2 cups (if I'm using a dry measuring cup, which I don't.)
I say if you're dogs are looking fine right now then you're doing the right thing! We've always tweaked the amount we feed my dog based on his activity levels and his weight (which has been stable for yeas). We went down for a few months because his exercise dropped by like 50% when he needed to heal from a ligament sprain. But now he seems to be normal again so we upped his activity and feed.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Those calculators have always shown that I should be feeding more. But they're wrong because Sydney is the perfect weight and doing fine. She weighs around 20 pounds and gets 1/3 cup twice a day of TOTW.


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## dmickle1 (Jun 19, 2011)

It just depends on the dog at hand, really. If they have normal energy levels and are at a good weight, then keep feeding how you are. If they're getting a little pudgy, feed slightly less and if they look a little skinny, feed some more


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

I find that site tends to be a little high. I like to keep dogs slightly on the lean side, there's alot of research that shows dogs usually live longer and stay healthier if they're slightly lean vs slightly heavy. If your dogs seem to be holding a good weight, I'd stick with it! Alot depends on the dog. When I was feeding kibble before I went totally raw, let me give you an example. All my dogs are about the same activity level. Aiyana's father, Piper, was ALWAYS lean, I was feeding him 1 1/2 cups of TOTW to keep him at approx 10 lbs. Hannah on the other hand weighs 13 lbs at an ideal weight, I was only giving her 1/4 cup a meal or she'd get fat. My 2 Afghans show it even better. Jamie never would eat raw, and Lola's co-owner doesn't want me putting her on raw, so the Afghans got TOTW kibble. Lola weighs 50 lbs and is always on the lean side, she gets 2 1/2 cups in the AM, 2 cups PM, plus approx 1/4 can each meal, and stays a very lean 50 lbs. She's not a real active Afghan, she just has a really high metabolism. Her co-owner and I worried over her for years, thinking there was a problem she stayed so lean and had alot of tests run, but she's perfectly healthy, happy, and normal - Just stays lean. Jamie stayed about 60 lbs, she would eat about a cup and a half in the morning and a cup at night, and I'd have to cut her down slightly in the winter when she wasn't as active or she'd start to get pudgy, plus she'd get a tablespoon or so of canned just for a treat. So she ate almost half what Lola eats, same energy level, and Jamie was a little bigger then Lola. It really depends on the dog. I find food guidelines are just that - A guideline, if the amount you're feeding is working, don't change!


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

TOTW isn't really high protein. 25% is moderate, really. 

According to the TOTWbag, Gracie should eat 2 cups a day. She eats about 3/4 cup...and that is cut back from 1 because she was holding too much weight.

It is usually okay to start with the amount on the bag and adjust accordingly.


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

Puptart said:


> Since Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream is high protein I give all my dogs 2/3 cup of food a day. 1/3 in the morning and a 1/3 in the evening. Put I'm wondering if that's enough. I did an online food calculator thing
> 
> http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/
> 
> ...


Our 2 year old sheltie eats TOTW and gets 1/2 cup a day. He's 20lbs. He's a very active dog too. 

Our collie puppy of 15 weeks gets 3 cups of TOTW a day. When she's an adult she will likely eat 2 cups and should weigh in around 60-65lbs. 

I would cut back a little on your feeding.


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## Puptart (Jan 25, 2011)

The amounts i listen with the exception of 1/3 in the morning and 1/3 in the evening were what the site recommended and not what I was feeding them


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## Tarous (Aug 17, 2011)

Well it depends on dog that how much they want to eat. In my opinion you should give food to your dog three times in a day. Three times meal is enough.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Tarous said:


> Well it depends on dog that how much they want to eat. In my opinion you should give food to your dog three times in a day. Three times meal is enough.


In general I wouldn't use how much my dog wanted to eat as a gauge for how much to feed. I think most dogs would end up overweight if they were allowed to just eat as much as they desired. And it's fine to feed your dog 3 times a day but I don't think that's some magic number. Many dogs do fine with just one or two meals and I think it just comes down to personal preference.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Tarous said:


> Well it depends on dog that how much they want to eat. In my opinion you should give food to your dog three times in a day. Three times meal is enough.


Healthy adult dogs should never be fed more than twice a day.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

cshellenberger said:


> Healthy adult dogs should never be fed more than twice a day.


Is there a reason why "never"? I always figured it depended on the owner's schedule and preferences. 

Of course I know twice a day is fine for adult dogs but is there really any harm in giving your dog "lunch" if you want to?


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

I should have qualified it by saying fed kibble as raw is often fed in more servings as it digests faster (to my understanding). Kibble takes a LONG time to leave the stomach therefore feeding more frequently could cause digestive problems and obesity even if fed the reccomended amount, also in deep chested dogs feeding more frequently could increase the chance of bloat.


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## Polywoggy (Mar 7, 2011)

cshellenberger said:


> ... in deep chested dogs feeding more frequently could increase the chance of bloat.


 I wasn't aware of that. The Standard Poodle I'm wanting next has a much higher incidence of this than the Golden I am used to. I've always feed Willow 2 main meals, but allowed frequent snacking since she has always been trim. Should the snacking be discouraged in deep chested dogs?


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I always thought it was infrequent large meals (like feeding once a day) that increased the chance of bloat. I've never heard of problems or obesity caused by frequent small meals (as long as the total amount isn't increased). I know the causes of bloat aren't really known, but if I ever get a bloat-prone breed I think my head will explode from all the conflicting information!


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Polywoggy said:


> I wasn't aware of that. The Standard Poodle I'm wanting next has a much higher incidence of this than the Golden I am used to. I've always feed Willow 2 main meals, but allowed frequent snacking since she has always been trim. Should the snacking be discouraged in deep chested dogs?


Snacking (and training treats) are fine, especailly if the snack is raw foods (an RMB for teeth or raw fruits and veggies), just not a MEAL. 

Willow, I've heard too frequent and too few can both cause bloat, I feed twice a day for both my dogs and I do NOT use raised bowls (which I've also heard contradicting information on). The only time I'd feed three kibble meals is to a pup or a dog that has acid reflux isues and then I'd be sure to space the meals at 8 hours apart (the amount of time it takes to empty the stomach).


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