How much food should I be feeding my dog?

How much food should I be feeding my dog?

The vet has said to cut her down to one meal her day,whilst Ive been feeding her at breakfast and tea times.

My dog is fairly quite large now and dont see her surviving on one meal a day,she eats lots....I dont think she is ever full.

She also has snacks in between meals,things like Schmacko's,gravy & milk bones etc..

mine have two meals aday one in the morning and what they dont finish i just leave there cos they come in and out then tea time they get fed

Hi Flow How much you feed depends on what food you are feeding , as a guide follow the food manufacturers instructions as to the age and weight of your dog. Also see this thread ..posts 7 and 9

Personally, I feel it is better for the dogs digestion to feed in two smaller meals, rather than one large one. My two get a portion of their food for breakfast and the remainder for dinner. JMO anyway.

I always feed two meals a day and I think your vet is wrong as yours is a large breed. Just because you feed twice a day does not mean you have to feed more. Just how old is your dog and what do you feed it? Oh! and I imagine it is it a Mal?

Did the vet suggest cutting down quantity due to overweight? Whatever the reason I would continue to feed two meals a day - less fattening stuff and more veg if she is overweight. Malamutes are big dogs and susceptible to bloat and GDV. With breeds at risk dividing the daily ration into two, even three, smaller meals is preferable to one big meal. Be sure not to exercise your dog for at least an hour prior to and after meals.

Snacks are not always a good idea Treats for training - yes. But deduct what she gets as rewards from her set meals.

I support what others say about dividing the food into 2 portions per day. I have read that a dog should be fed 2 percent of its weight. I do that with mine and it seems to work OK

I feed her on tinned food either Winalot or Pedigree Chum or the rolls of Webbox chopped up with a dog mixer,or if I go to the pet shop I buy her the frozen tripe and other meats they do.

The vet said just to feed her on a complete dog food,Ive tried this and she wont eat it unless its mixed in with dog meat...even tried putting gravy in with the complete meal but she turns her nose up.

And yes she is a Malamute,she's 18 months old

I feed her at breakfast time and then again at tea time,if we dont,she sniffs around us when we're eating.

You would be best feeding a dry complete food, try mixing in something like a tin of Chappie - as it's mainly water (and low fat)

Must say I would rather see her on a complete dry food, may be you have not tried one of the more palatable ones, but you can add a little meat or fish fresh or tinned, sometimes half a tin of dog or cat food will get them going, IMO I would not be cutting back on food or number of meals for a youngster of 18 months. As too how much it is a case of starting with the amount on the packet divided by the number of meals and either increasing or decreasing to keep her well covered but not fat. Think it is true to say that Mals like my own breed do not need as much food as you may think but may eat more than is good for them if allowed.

You could embark on feeding raw but as, at the moment, you seem a little unsure perhaps one of the good quality complete kibble foods would be best.

PS you can feed a dog cat food but do not feed a cat dog food.