How Many Times Should A Dog Eat A Day?
Food in the life of a dog is essential, as well as being clear as guardians how many times a dog should eat a day. This question can be a bit difficult to answer, as there are several factors that influence this aspect.
Some of these factors are the age of the animal, whether or not it has pathologies, whether or not it has been sterilized and many other issues. Therefore, it is advisable to review these aspects a bit before establishing the dog’s eating routine.
How many times should a dog eat a day?
Throughout the dog’s life, its diet will vary depending on different factors. Therefore, it is not so much how many times a dog should eat a day, but what factors influence its diet. We will show you below.
Puppy (weaning and post-weaning)
Puppies demand amounts of breast milk that increase as they grow. There comes a point where they must stop weaning and feed from other sources.
This event is a natural physiological event focused on the independence of the puppy. Thus, it can be observed in all breeds of dogs, regardless of their size and origin.
As dogs reach their adult weight between 10 and 30 times faster than humans, food is essential for their proper development. For this reason, frequent administration of meals with high nutritional quality is recommended.
When feeding them, the type of diet administered and the routine followed is essential. The portions with meat, cereals and vegetables also require an extra supply of calcium and some vitamins.
However, if homemade diets or feed with complete and balanced foods are fed to the animal, supplements are not necessary. So, it all depends on the type of diet you decide to follow.
In relation to this, it has been observed that, under optimal feeding conditions, all races have proportional growth. Therefore, it is important to control the diet in the first months.
Young dog
A young or adult dog without any type of pathology will have a specific type of diet. Typically, you can follow some home eating routine such as the BARF diet.
Another option is the administration of complete feed with high nutritional content. In these cases, it is necessary to pay attention that the proportion of sugars is not high, since diseases can develop.
As for the frequency of feeding, it depends on the age. Adult dogs should be fed at most twice a day (morning and night) and in young dogs this frequency varies.
Puppies less than ten weeks old should eat a total of four times a day. On the other hand, after those weeks, three meals a day can be made up to four months.
However, if the animal suffers from some type of pathology, such as diabetes or others, the diet will vary. In these cases, all the indications given by the veterinarian must be followed.
Dogs that exercise and dogs that don’t exercise
Just as a good diet is essential for health, so is physical activity. Both factors are related, recommending that dogs exercise.
Normally, it is preferable that the exercise lasts between one hour and two hours a day. When it is not possible, the diet will change, since dogs that do not practice such intense physical activity need a lower caloric intake.
Old dog
The age at which a dog is considered old is usually from the age of eight. However, various factors such as race, physical activity and metabolism play a role.
As for their energy requirements, they decrease with age, having to change their diet according to them. It is recommended to reduce the intake of proteins and fats and to provide vitamin supplements.
Spayed and non-spayed dog
Dogs that have been spayed undergo changes in their diet due to their decreased energy needs. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the amount of food to avoid health problems.
During pregnancy and delivery
Another factor that is sometimes not taken into account is that females can go through the gestation and parturition phases. In these stages, the diet they must follow varies a bit.
During the first half of pregnancy, feeding needs remain normal. From the second half, you have to increase the nutritional components between 25-50%.
In these periods it is essential to follow a veterinary control, both in food and health. The veterinarian will inform the guardians if supplements are necessary or not according to each case.
What to remember
It can be concluded that the dog’s diet must be healthy and balanced, satisfying all nutritional and energy needs. Likewise, it is advisable that the food is of good quality and fresh.
In this way, the health of the animal will be ensured, since food is essential for its immune system and general body functioning. Also, as already seen, age and health determine how many times a dog should eat a day.
