dog food feeding tips

Maintain a regular feeding schedule, twice a day or three times a day depending on your schedule and your animal.  Due to the fact that puppies have smaller stomachs, they will need to eat at least three times a day.  By the fifth month your puppy can be fed twice a day.  Don’t let your pet eat when he/she feel like it.

Measure out the food that your pet should eat in one sitting.  Dog foods packaging will have a serving suggestion based on the weight of your dog.  But also consider the energy of your pet.  The best rule of feeding is first start with the amount of food he/she eats within a 15-minute period, which will be what he/she needs per feeding time.  Adjust the amount of food being fed based on the weight gain or loss of your pet.  Soon you will have just the right amount of food.

Each dog should have his or her own dog food dish.  Supervise that one of the dogs is not taking the other dogs’ food.  Using this method will allow you to notice if one of them has lost their appetite indicating a health problem.

Feed your pet in various places--inside, outside, in the kitchen, or anywhere that works for you.  This will come in handy when you have to travel with your dog or if he/she has to be placed in a kennel that will have its own way of feeding them.

Don’t change dog food brands and types on a regular basis.  Change of food can cause upset stomach and possibly diarrhea.  A good quality dog food will provide everything your pet will need in nutrition.

If you do have to change dog food, change it gradually.  Start making the transition by mixing a little bit of the new dog food with your dog's current dog food.  Over days increase the new food and start phasing out the old food.

Wash the dog food bowls and water dish regularly.

Don’t leave food and water outside while your pet is inside overnight.  Unwanted critters can come along to freely eat out of your dog’s food and water bowl putting your pet at risk of catching disease or illnesses.

Store the dog food in a container that you can close to protect it from getting stale.  The older the food gets the more nutrients it will lose.  Don’t purchase more than a months worth of dog food that your pet can eat.

Expecting mothers will need more protein and calcium added to their deit .  Change her food over to puppy type dog food and mix it with cottage cheese.