How much to feed a large breed puppy

The relative weight of the digestive tract of large dogs accounts for only 2.8% of body weight, while smaller dogs account for 7% of body weight. Therefore, large dogs have a larger appetite, but their metabolism is slower than that of small dogs. Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy body, they are the calorie and fat requirements are relatively small. At the same time, large dogs have larger body skeletons and stronger joints, so they need extra minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. When feeding large dogs, special care should be taken not to overfeed. Overfeeding will not only cause some common health problems in pet dogs, but if their weight exceeds the capacity of their skeleton, it will also cause body deformities, especially in their childhood and adolescence. So how much to feed a large breed puppy?

Food choices

It is recommended to choose a special large dog formula dog food with larger particles, which can allow large dogs to chew for a long time. You should reduce the eating speed, so as to better digest food-at the same time can reduce your urge to overfeed. Taking into account the slower metabolism of large breed dogs, the fat content in the special food for large dogs is usually lower, which helps to control the weight of a large breed puppy and reduce the pressure on the joints and vital organs. At the same time, food contains a lot of nutrients related to joint synthesis and recovery.

How to feed

It is recommended to feed large adult dogs 1-2 times a day. Older dogs will be more suitable for small meals.

You’d better arrange your large puppy to eat in a quiet and undisturbed place, and away from your own eating place. You should let your dog eat in a place that is easy to clean, such as on a tiled floor or a small mat. Older large breed puppies are prone to arthritis, and it may be more difficult to lean over. You might as well place the food bowl at the same height as its head.

If it is fed canned food, you need to pay attention that large dogs will not chew slowly when eating, but tend to gobble it up, which can easily cause digestive problems. It is recommended to reduce the amount of feeding appropriately and increase the number of feedings, which will help change the large breed dog’s fast eating habits.

It is recommended that you feed your dog at room temperature to ensure that it can taste and smell the true taste of the food. If you are feeding canned food that has just been taken out of the refrigerator, it may take two hours for the temperature to naturally rise to normal temperature. You can choose microwave heating (remember to take the food out of the can), which will be faster. You’d better not overheat or overcold the food you feed your dog.

It is not a good choice that owners are not allowed to let your large breed puppy eat before and after exercise. Many pets are prone to intestinal entanglement and gastric obstruction. If this happens, contact your vet immediately. It is recommended that you do not feed your dog within one hour before or after the exercise. When your dog is eating, you should avoid children’s disturbance, otherwise the child may be regarded as an intruder trying to snatch its food, triggering a stronger reaction from the dog. If you have more than one dog, and feed them separately to prevent them from competing for food or fighting.

How much to feed

You can feed according to the recommended feeding amount on the dog food package. It is worth noting that the recommended feeding amount per unit body weight of large adult dog food is relatively low. But you’d better not forget that the recommended feeding amount is for reference only. Each dog is a unique individual. The most important consideration for feeding is to keep your pet dog in a well-proportioned and healthy body. You can follow your pet’s digestion Absorption capacity and exercise volume increase or decrease appropriately. At the same time, remember to allow your dog to drink clean water at any time.