How much and when should I feed my puppy?

You can choose the best food for your puppy’s nutritional requirements from store brands to homemade puppy food with the help of WebMD.

Cute, furry, and hungry. When your new pet is ready for puppy food, make sure you give them a healthy start. Puppies grow fast. Additionally, ensuring that a child receives the right nutrition is crucial for developing strong bones and teeth, adding muscle, and giving them the energy they need for play and learning.

But given that there are numerous varieties of puppy food, what should you feed them? Additionally, there is the puppy that you purchased from a breeder or an animal shelter. What kind of food should your puppy eat, and how can you tell if it’s the right kind?

Factors to Consider

Age and size are the two main considerations when determining how frequently to feed your puppy.

Puppy Feeding Chart: How Much To Feed A Puppy By Weight

If you’re wondering “how much should I feed my puppy,” consider that it depends on his age and weight. A feeding chart resembling the one shown below is typically printed on the label of dog and puppy food packages. To determine how much to feed your puppy, make sure to read the label on the bag that contains his food. Although this chart provides a good starting point, we advise double-checking with your veterinarian because each dog’s dietary requirements are different.

How Often To Feed A Puppy

How many times a day should a puppy eat now that you know how much to feed him? Establishing a routine for your puppy’s feeding schedule is essential so that he can learn when to anticipate his food.

4-12 Weeks: Young puppies need three or more feedings per day to adequately meet their nutritional needs. So, according to the feeding guide that comes with their food or the chart above, divide that by three or more and give the food to them throughout the day.

3-12 Months: As your puppy gets older, you can reduce the number of feedings to twice daily. Their energy level should reduce; thus, they don’t need as much food throughout the day.

12+ Months: Most adult dogs eat two meals per day. You’ll want to divide their food requirement by two.

Puppies typically eat at seven in the morning, noon, and five in the evening. You can modify your schedule for puppy meal times as necessary if you decide to give your puppy more than three feedings. Make sure to schedule the final feeding for around 5:00 p.m. Your dog will have plenty of time to digest the food and eliminate it before bed that way.

It can be tempting to leave food out for your puppy to eat all day, especially if you have a busy schedule, and we understand that. Free-choice feeding, however, promotes overeating, which can lead to your dog putting on too much weight. To ensure that your puppy consumes the right amount of food for his size and age, portion control is essential.

An overview of a puppy’s nutrition during the first few months of his life is provided here.

0-3 Weeks: Puppies should be with their mother and nurse as they please. The mother’s milk has the nutrients necessary to provide proper nutrition and protect puppies from diseases. During this time, you don’t need to worry about how much to feed puppies because their mother provides them with nutrition.

3-4 Weeks: Puppies will begin developing teeth and will begin weaning off their mother’s milk. The puppy caregiver can blend a 50:50 portion of canned wet puppy food with a milk replacer in a flat saucer, gradually reducing the amount of milk replacer until you’re only giving them puppy food. One should not be concerned if the puppies don’t like the new food right away. It may take a few days to adjust to the new formula. Rubbing fingers in the mixture and then gently on the puppy’s nose and mouth can make the transition smoother.

4-6 Weeks: By this time, puppies should be fully transitioned to puppy food.

6-12 Months: Gradually begin to switch your puppy to adult food. Small breeds can switch between 7-9 months and larger breeds around the 12-month mark. It doesn’t hurt to keep him on puppy food longer than needed to make sure he’s getting all the nutrients he needs as a developing dog.

FAQ

How much should a puppy eat chart?

Weight of Dog6-12 Weeks8-12 Months3 – 5 lbs1 – 1 1/3 cups1/2 – 2/3 cups5 – 10 lbs1 1/3 – 2 1/2 cups2/3 – 1 cups10 – 20 lbs2 1/2 – 4 cups1 – 2 cups20 – 30 lbs4 – 5 3/4 cups2 – 2 3/4 cupsPUPPY FEEDING CHARTWeight of Dog6 – 12 Weeks8 – 12 Months

How much food is a puppy supposed to eat a day?

How Often to Feed a PuppyToy Breeds4 to 5 meals per day3 to 4 meals per daySmall and Medium Breeds3 meals per day2 meals per dayLarge and Giant Breeds3 meals per day2 to 3 meals per day6 Weeks to 4 MonthsAround 4 Months

What are the best times to feed a puppy?

Your puppy should eat its first meal around 7 a.m. m. , noontime for lunch, and 5 p. m. for dinner. The last meal should always be around 5 p. m. so that he has enough time to thoroughly digest his meal and go to the bathroom before going to bed.

How much and how often should I feed a puppy?

As a puppy transitions from its mother’s milk to solid food, it will require frequent small meals of food for the first few months of its life. Puppies can start eating three times a day around the time they are four months old, and they will quickly advance to twice-daily feedings after that.