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Question about how much to feed my dogs

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Laco 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey.
So i purchase the Presidents Choice Nutrition kibble for my whippet and carin terrier.
Whippet - Milo and he is 30-35lbs
Carin Terrier - Brinley and she is 15-22lbs
On the back of the bag it says only feed Milo 1 and 1/2 cups a day and brinley only 3/4 a day. That seems too little for me and my dogs seem hungry all the time. Buut they reaaalllyyy love this kibble so I am not sure if I should feed them a bit extra...
Any suggestions?
They both get a really good walk every day fr anywhere between 1.5 and 2 hours.
Any opinions welcome, thanks!!
Sarah
Ps I should mention that they were on the costco brand and ate freely, bowls always full. But I switched to a grain free because my terrier has a little bit of skin issues. This food i can't keep their bowls full or they will eat it until they are sick and continue. So the daily scheduled feeding is new to me.
 
#2 ·
A grain free dog food is going to look like they're getting less, because it doesn't have all the fillers in it. I would start them on that and see how they look. You can really only tell how much a dog needs by how they look, because they all have different body types and metabolisms. For instance, I have two dogs that are 16 and 17 pounds. The 16 pound dog gets 1/2 a cup of food or she gets fat. The 17 pound dog gets just over a cup and occasionally more if she drops too much weight. You don't want overweight dogs, so only increase the food if they're losing too much weight. Most dogs are hungry all the time, don't let them fool you!
 
#4 ·
Some dogs (many of them actually) would always like some more food. So a better way to decide if they are getting too much or too little is looking at their build. Can you easily feel the ribs if you feel with a little pressure? Or do you have to press quite hard? If the ribs are a bit hard to feel, or you can't feel them, the dog is getting too much. If the ribs are very pronounced and super easy to feel with no pressure at all, or poking out, visible, the dog is too skinny. Also look at energy level: if the dog is on the skinny side but also unusually lethargic, the dog is getting too little.

Hope that helps!
 
#5 ·
There are general guides as to how much to feed a dog based on their weight, but the reality is, every dogs metabolism is different. You have to monitor their weight, if they are gaining weight they are eating too much, if they are losing, not enough. This of course assumes the dog is healthy and has no medical issues.
 
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