How Much Do You Feed & Do Yo Wet It?

[Guest greysmitten]

Up until about two weeks ago, I would wet my dog's food. But honestly, I've already seen a great improvement in her teeth since giving her dry kibble - guess it helps scrape off the tartar. Azi even seems to like it better dry. Go figure.

 

The weirdest thing is ... I use to painstakingly poke a hole in the wild salmon oil capsules to squirt into her food until I realized she'll eat them like treats I just throw them in whole these days.

[Guest owenkennels]

Jimmy is around 85 pounds. He gets 4 cups in the morning with a few spoonfuls of yogurt put on top. I do make sure it is thoroughly soaked as he is a fast eater. His weight is great.

[Guest tysmom]

I think you have to pay attention to the exercise level and adjust accordingly ..My big boy has had some foot issues and not a lot of exercise because of it and he was only getting 2-2-and half cups of taste of the wild bison once a day

and he was gaining weight . he was also getting a few table spoons of can food in it. I have to cut him back now to get a couple of pounds back off.

 

My little girl likes to keep girly figure and seems to self regulate well. Put anything in front of Buck though and he inhales it.

deb

[TheFullHouse]

The amount varies around here due to the size of the dogs.

 

My big boys get fed twice a day, 2 cups each meal.

 

The rest of my pack are on the small side so they get 3 cups twice a day.

 

Everyone is fed moistened food.

[Guest june]

I voted 4 cups, but that is because in winter they get a bit more than 3 1/2 cups daily. In summer it goes down to 3 cups. I have to say it does fluctuate also based on their activity level. I try to keep them within a pound or two of their ideal weight and that is not a problem for me except for one who would eat until she busts if I let her.

 

I feed twice daily. Once in the morning and again in the evening. I started wetting their food as it helps to control how fast they eat and cuts down on choking.

[Guest BlueCrab]

We've always fed kibble, moistened, and still lost a GSD to bloat. There are many theories about what causes it, including wet vs dry feeding. Activitiy seems to be one of the solid theories. To raise bowl / not to raise bowl and how quickly they consume the food have been other questions asked regarding bloat. In our case (wiht the GSD) we fed raised, moistened kibble with a large ball in his bowl to slow his consumption and still lost. He went into his crate after eating and, while turning, turning, turning to make his bed, his gut flipped. So I'm a firm believer in the activity theory.

[Guest jvandover]

My ~63lbs girl eats 2-2.5 cups a day and my ~77lbs boy eats 3-3.25 cups per day. Always wet. And in the morning they get some pumpkin, and at night they get some dehydrated goose/duck meat on the kibble. Also, it is grain free food.

[Guest verthib]

Mine gets 5 cups. Each food is a different caloric content so you need to feed based on your food, your dog's metabolism, energy level, etc. My boy is 73 lbs and 5 cups a day divided in two meals works for him. We also must wet it. We've tried everything to get him to not choke but it didn't work so we wet it. We brush his teeth more now.

Edited January 8, 2012 by verthib

[6greyhounds]

My boys I feed 2 cups per feeding 2 x day with about 1 T canned food and about 1 oz of water mixed in - they both weigh around 100 lbs

Hershey gets about 1 1/4 cup 2 x day with the same amount of water and canned food

 

Vet happy with their weight

 

I use Kirkland Kibble but with EZ as he has SIBO I used 1 cup low residue dog food along with 1 cup Kibble and he did lose about 4 lbs which is good for him - he is also a seizure pup and just had another one Wednesday morning

[silverfish]

I voted 3 cups (wetted, twice a day) but it's really completely unhelpful unless you know how much each cup holds in weight, what the calorific value of the dog food is, and what size kibble you're feeding. Of those, the calorific value is the only thing that matters and you need to look on the bag of food to find out what the recommended amount is for your size of dog. However .. I've usually found that the dog food manufacturer will greatly overestimate the amount you need, so it's best to work it out for yourself, using that as a starting point only.

 

I feed Ranger (my skinny, hard-to-get-weight-on guy) three cups of kibble a day, plus a healthy amount of home-cooked or canned meat (or fish) add-in. Not that he likes fish much, so that's rare.

 

I feed Sid (inclined to put weight on too easily) less than two cups of kibble plus the same amount of add-ins.

 

In addition, because of their different metabolisms, over time I've worked out that it's best that Sid has a lower 'quality' (read 'calorific value') food than Ranger, so he can eat a little more and put less weight on. So Ranger gets James Wellbeloved and Sid gets Burgess Superdog Sensitive.

 

As others have said, you also need to take into account the amount of exercise your dog is getting.

 

 

One problem I had in answering this was that 'cup' could mean anything! The cup we get with the JWB dog food is huge and holds about 150g of this particular kibble. Also, being in England, our standard cup measure for baking is different to yours. I answered 'three cups' assuming they would hold 100g each.

Edited January 13, 2012 by silverfish

[LadyGrey]

Formula I give twice per day: 1 cup of dry kibble, 1/2 cup of can food, very warm tap water to mix it all in well. If I have left over beed broth, I heat it in micro and give that instead of the water. She has been doing that for about 5 years and loves it. Pedigree kibble for senior and Pedigree can of choppped chicken.

 

Oh and I cannot forget to mention the cookies she gets throughout the day (small dog biscuits). Maybe a piece of my dinner meat? Maybe a treat?

 

[6greyhounds]

EZ gets 1 cup low residue Iams and 3/4 cup Kirkland Kibble

Penske & Arby -get 1 3/4 cup Kirkland Kibble

Hershey gets 1 cup Kirkland Kibble

they all get about 1 tablespoon of canned food and 1 oz water and are fed 2 x day.

 

EZ is on the low residue Iams due to Sibo

[Mistysmom]

I'm so glad to read all this information. Misty has been eating three plus cups of food a day, especially after a dental cleaning and removal of a tooth that was bothering her. It seemed like a lot, but she lets me know when she is hungry...with those huge brown eyes and a look I think she learned from the cat in Shrek...never should have let her see that movie! I'm happy to learn that this amount is normal.

[Guest issy]

Enzo is a little over 80# and he gets 4 cups per day of Natures Domain salmon and sweet potato, which is the TOTW equivalent I believe. The bag says it has 336 cals per cup, and we usually walk him about 45 minutes per day, if that helps.

[Guest goofydog]

Get Em at 73# gets 1 and a quarter cup AM & PM. Morning is dry and evening has lukewarm water added. He adores his Costco chicken and rice kibble. I supplement with baby carrots, green beans and beef treats. When he gets his eye drops BilJac liver training treats are required

[Cricket57]

Mulligan gets 3 cups split into 2 meals. Mostly we serve it dry, but sometimes we add a little water.

 

Cricket

[Guest capers7]

Theo gets 1-1/2 cups twice a day with water which cuts out the coughing. He seems to cough with just dry. I sometimes add a few tablespoons of canned food, veggies, baked potato, whatever as a special treat. He gets his twice daily pill in a small spoonful of canned catfood right after the liquid meds which he does not like.

[Guest Matty]

Nemo is 88lbs, and gets 4 cups a day in two two-cup servings. I've never thought of wetting his food - I wonder if he'll enjoy it? He does tend to scarf down food really quickly so maybe it will help stop the occasional hack/cough.

[Guest Jacks_Human]

2x a day, 2 cups of kibble each time. I moisten it was lukewarm water, and sometimes add some suppliments (banana slices, fish, yoghurt, or fish oil). When I first got Jack he was underweight, so he got a midday snack, plus potatoes or meat in his kibble. As he got back to proper weight, I eased off the extras, but he doesn't seem to mind.

[revamp]

I got my dog ~6 weeks ago and he weighed 68lbs, with a racing weight listed at 75lbs. I am hoping to get him to 75-80lbs and was feeding him 2c of Flint River Ranch Trout and Potato twice daily (with some yogurt added in the evening). After 4 weeks I took him in to be weighed and he LOST a pound (67lbs). So for the last two weeks I've been feeding him 3c twice a day and I'll take him back in for a weight in another week or so to see how he's doing. His poops are well formed and only 2-3 times a day so he seems to be absorbing everything okay. He is negative for parasites. I do wet his food after I saw it recommended and it has completely eliminated his occasional hacking up of kibbles while eating.

 

I'm hoping to be able to put some weight on him then back off on the food to a maintenance amount, because his appetite is currently costing me an arm and a leg.

[Guest Jacks_Human]

I got my dog ~6 weeks ago and he weighed 68lbs, with a racing weight listed at 75lbs. I am hoping to get him to 75-80lbs and was feeding him 2c of Flint River Ranch Trout and Potato twice daily (with some yogurt added in the evening). After 4 weeks I took him in to be weighed and he LOST a pound (67lbs). So for the last two weeks I've been feeding him 3c twice a day and I'll take him back in for a weight in another week or so to see how he's doing. His poops are well formed and only 2-3 times a day so he seems to be absorbing everything okay. He is negative for parasites. I do wet his food after I saw it recommended and it has completely eliminated his occasional hacking up of kibbles while eating.

 

I'm hoping to be able to put some weight on him then back off on the food to a maintenance amount, because his appetite is currently costing me an arm and a leg.

 

Jack was like that-- DBF nicknamed him 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. He was well under racing weight and very bony. Some Scottish greyhound folks told me that feeding carbs, like cooked potatoes and whole wheat pasta, would help him put on weight, and it definitely did. It seems to do more than the usual high-protein hound chow.

[revamp]

Jack was like that-- DBF nicknamed him 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. He was well under racing weight and very bony. Some Scottish greyhound folks told me that feeding carbs, like cooked potatoes and whole wheat pasta, would help him put on weight, and it definitely did. It seems to do more than the usual high-protein hound chow.

 

If i don't see a significant improvement at the next weigh-in, I'll give the carbs a shot for sure. Thanks for the advice!

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

My dogs eat dry food currently (except one super senior who eats canned). I feed once a day, and I don't wet it. My Greyhound sized dogs get four cups.

[Guest team_tonio]

Antonio gets 2 1/2 cups twice a day. Seems like a lot but ive already cut him back a cup since ive got him andhes maintaining a healthy weight. I add a little water to avoid hacked up kibble and a tablespoon of yogurt to each meal... without the yogurt he could clear the room with his gas!

[Guest snoopycomehome]

Gypsy gets 2.5 cups and Dragon 3 cups, both fed in the evening. We add in 1 egg, yogurt or cottage cheese, tomato sauce or low sodium Campbells soup (their new fave!), 1 fish oil capsule, sardines or chicken hearts, and whatever leftovers we have (veggies, rice, etc). During the cooler months we feed raw chicken drums and thighs, but they don't do well with that when it is over 100*. Sometimes they eat it all at once, and sometimes they eat half and then snack off and on for a few hours (especially lately, with our temps in the 109-118* range. (I don't have much of an appetite lately either! WAY too hot!)