Is it OK to feed a puppy 4 times a day
Your growing puppy
Your dogs diet plays a vital role in helping to give them a healthy body and mind, so what should they eat, how much should you give them and whats the best way to feed them?There are many different approaches you can take to ensure your dog has a balanced, healthy diet. However, with many different feeding regimes to choose from, all of varying quality, it can be a little baffling to know which way to go.Read some of our hints and tips in our guide to feeding your dog.
Best puppy diet: get help from the breeder
Healthy puppies can burn twice as many calories as an adult dog, so its important that their diet is balanced and meets their high energy needs. Your puppys food should be:
- High in calories
- Rich in protein
- Packed full of essential nutrients
- Easy to chew and swallow
Your puppys food should be specifically formulated to their needs and must be age-appropriate. There are lots of different diets to choose from and it can sometimes be confusing trying to find the right food for your dog. If youre overwhelmed by the choice, then always speak to your puppys breeder or your vet to find out what they recommend.
Feeding your puppy - frequently asked questions
How much should I feed my puppy?
The amount of food that a dog needs depends on their age, breed, how energetic they are and if they have any medical conditions. Feeding your puppy too much may cause excessive weight gain, an upset stomach, or, particularly in larger breeds, bone deformities, so it is very important to follow the feeding guidelines given on any packaging. Also, pay attention to whether the feeding guides on the pack are for the puppys current body weight or their estimated adult body weight. If based on estimated adult body weight, it may be helpful to speak to the breeder to find out how big mum and dad are.
How often should I feed my puppy?
Younger puppies should always be fed small amounts regularly, and this decreases in frequency as they get older. If youre not sure how often to feed your puppy then here is a rough guide:
- When you start to offer solid food or when weaning (usually at around two months old) four to six meals a day
- From two to three months four meals a day
- From four to six months two to three meals a day
- Over six months two meals a day (depending on the breed)
How can I check my puppy is gaining weight?
Regularly weighing your puppy can help you check that theyre growing at a healthy rate for their age, size and breed. Speak to your vet, breeder or breed club if youre not sure how to do this, or if you need any guidance on how much your dog should weigh or look. Puppy growth charts can also be very helpful to track your puppys growth. Speak to your vet to see if they can supply you with one of these.
What is the difference between dry and fresh meat ingredients?
Unless your dog is on a special veterinary recommended diet, choosing between wet or dry food is entirely up to you and your dog. Neither is better than the other, theyre just different options.When deciding, consider what your dog likes, and think about their level of enjoyment when trying different shapes and textures. Its possible that your dog will make the decision for you!When choosing between wet or dry food, think about where youll store the food and how easy it is to buy in bulk.Wet food can:
- increase fluid intake, as it contains more moisture
- be more appetising to fussy eaters, as it can be warmed, releasing delicious smells
- be easier to eat for dogs with dental or mouth problems
- help your dog feel full more quickly
Dry food can:
- be good for keeping teeth clean and encouraging chewing
- be more convenient to keep and store once opened and may have a longer shelf life
- be given in smaller quantities as a treat or for training
- last for longer and doesnt spoil as quickly.
How should I serve wet puppy food?
If you give your dog wet puppy food, then its best to serve it at room temperature. Warmer food is more appealing to dogs and will smell better, taste nicer and should be easier for them to digest. If you keep your food in the fridge, remember to take it out an hour before feeding. This will allow it to reach room temperature and be more enjoyable to eat. If youre not able to leave the food out, then you can warm it up in the microwave, but make sure its served at room temperature and is never hot.
How should I serve dry puppy food?
Most dogs love the crunchy texture of dry kibble, but others may prefer slightly moist food. If your puppy prefers moist foods, particularly when they are younger, then you can always add a small amount of water before serving it. Be careful to avoid adding milk. Dry food can help support dental health more than wet foods. However, whether dry or wet, it can be helpful to give them regular dental treats to keep their teeth healthy. Ideally, you should also introduce them to tooth brushing at a young age. Remember that if you are giving dental treats they need to be taken into consideration when working out the puppys daily calories, and the feeding guide should be reduced slightly.
What are the signs that I am feeding my dog the wrong diet?
We recommend that you check:
- For signs of an intolerance. These may include:
- Being sick
- An upset stomach
- Excessive wind
- Losing weight
- Itchy skin that can become red and irritated
- Regularly getting skin or ear infections
- Licking themselves a lot
- If they are finishing their food
- That their poo looks healthy
If you're concerned about your dog's health or their diet, then always speak to your vet.
Getting into good feeding habits
Its important that you get into good feeding habits while your dog is still young. When feeding your dog:
- Choose somewhere to put their bowl that can be easily cleaned, such as on a tiled or wipeable floor
- Give them their food in a quiet place where they wont be interrupted or distracted
- Avoid feeding your dog immediately before or after exercise, as it can cause a life-threatening condition known as bloat
- You should not feed your dog before travelling in the car as this might cause car-sickness.
- Dont feed your dog table scraps. Some foods may upset your dogs stomach, while others, such as chocolate, onions and grapes, can be poisonous to them
- Cooked bones can be dangerous and can break into small parts that can cause damage in your dogs mouth, throat or intestines, so never give them
What about treats?
Just because youre trying to keep your dog healthy doesnt mean that you need to stop giving them treats. However, it does mean that you should watch what you give them and how often.
- If you do want to give treats, make sure that they are not high in fat, salt or sugar
- When giving treats, make sure you include them in your dogs total daily calorie intake to balance things out
- Always ensure that any homemade snacks that you give your dog are cut up into small chunks. This can make them last longer and stop them from getting stuck in your dogs throat
- Try putting your dogs snacks in a food puzzle. These toys slowly release food when they are moved around or played with and are a great form of mental stimulation
- Some chew treats have been proven to help prevent dental diseases, but again, check the label to ensure you are getting a genuine product
Find out more about giving your dog health treats.
Next steps
How Often Should Dogs Eat?
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Among the many questions new and experienced dog owners face is an especially important one. How often should dogs eat? Diet and nutrition are crucial components to keeping your dog a healthy member of the family for years to come.
Though theres no hard-and-fast rule to how often a dog should eat, twice a day is generally a good place to start. However, more important than feeding frequency is meal portion size. Portion size may vary based on breed, age, and health condition, and settling on the right amount can be tricky.
Dog meal delivery services can make it easy to serve your canine companion delicious, nutritious, and appropriately-portioned meals that even humans can eat. Ollie is a service that delivers fresh, human-grade dog food customized for your pups unique nutritional needs. Ollie works with vet nutritionists to formulate a perfect plan specifically for your dog based on weight, breed, and allergies. Plus they make it easy for us humans all of Ollies recipes are pre-portioned and your pup will be set up with their own feeding schedule so you dont have to worry about overfeeding or underfeeding.
What Affects How Often a Dog Should Eat?
Veterinarians recommend feeding a dog at least twice per day. Dogs with medical issues or dietary needs may require specialized feeding schedules or restrictions on what they eat. Talk to your veterinarian about your dogs eating habits to make sure youre meeting their nutritional needs and healthcare requirements.
Breed plays a large role when deciding how often to feed your dog. Common large breed dogs, for instance, will often require more feedings and more calories per day than medium and small breed dogs.Age is also another important consideration. The caloric requirements for a two-month-old Yorkshire Terrier varies greatly compared to a two-year-old Yorkie.
How Much Should Puppies Eat?
A fresh meal servicelike Ollie helps change your feeding approachas your dog changes ages from puppy to adult so you dont have to worry about portions during different life stages.
Since puppies are growing rapidly, they need more food than adult dogs. Puppy nutrition is crucial for developing a foundation for future growth, as well as their bone and organ development. Puppies must have a specific amount of calcium in their diet, otherwise, they can develop metabolic bone disease or orthopedic conditions like early-onset arthritis. Toy-breed puppies, in particular, are prone to hypoglycemia.
Puppies need small, frequent feedings. For the first few months of a puppys life, they will need small meals of food throughout the day as they transition from their mothers milk to solid food. Starting around four months, puppies can begin eating about three times a day, and after that, puppies will quickly graduate to twice-a-day feedings.
Feeding them three or four times per day makes it easier for puppies to digest and help keep energy levels consistent. However, its important to not overfeed them, since overweight puppies are more likely to become overweight adult dogs.
Toy-breed puppies will need 4 to 6 meals per day for the first three months of their lives. Medium-breed puppies will require three meals per day, and large-breed puppies typically need 3 to 4 meals per day. Though the breed is an important consideration, metabolism and energy levels can vary by up to 30 percent. Therefore, youll need to proportion meals accordingly.
Even though puppies grow quickly, its important to keep caloric intake and food amount consistent from four to twelve months of age. Puppies use fewer calories for growth as they become older. This comprehensive puppy feeding chart has vet-recommended guidelines on how much and how often to feed your puppy.
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.
What Sort of Feeding Schedule Works?
Free-feeding, or leaving food available to dogs at all times, is often not recommended by veterinarians. For multi-species or multiple-dog households, free-feeding makes it difficult to account for different diets and to track each dogs intake. Additionally, free feeding can lead to obesity when dogs overeat.
Sticking to a schedule can help your canine companion avoid grazing, feel like part of the family, and can encourage good mealtime behavior. You should plan a feeding schedule by consulting with your veterinarian.
Why Ollie?
Feeding dogs a diet made with natural, real ingredients can do wonders for their overall well-beingit can promote heart health, increase energy level, make their coat shinier, their breath smell better, improve eyesight and even impact poop. With Ollie, all the prep work is done for you so you dont have to worry about when, how much, or life stages when it comes to feeding. Were providing 50% off to the AKC audience for their first trial box, delivered straight to your home.
- Ingredients: Ollies food is made only with whole, human-grade ingredients sourced from reputable farms and approved by vets. They never use fillers, by-products, artificial flavors, or preservatives in any of their recipes. Each recipe is cooked by hand at low temperatures in small batches in a USDA-regulated kitchen so you know your pup is getting the best.
- Easy Schedule:All of Ollies recipes are pre-portioned and stored in the freezer plus you will receive a puptainer to keep your pups food fresh in case you feed your dog before your morning coffee. Ollie also takes care of us humans, Ollie is delivered directly to your door in as little as 2 days, on your schedule.
- Health Benefits: The proof is in the results. Ollie dogs have reported shinier coats, decreased allergies, improved appetite, and more.
Ollies freshly cooked food is the simplest way to keep your dog happy and healthy at any age. Our five delicious recipes were formulated with vet nutritionists and ensure mealtime stays fresh and exciting for your pup. Visit Ollie.com, tell us all about your pup, and well create a custom meal plan just for them.
