Dogs also have an ideal weight, a few healthy kilos that should be known to avoid being overweight or too thin. Knowing the weight of your pet is very important, even more so when you need to give it some medication. So how do you know how heavy should your dog be? The veterinarian is, regularly, who calculates the weight of your dog each time you take him for consultation. However, it is best to regularly monitor your pet’s weight yourself to see that it is developing well.
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How much should I feed my dog?
The ideal weight of a dog depends on the breed, sex, age, and other circumstantial factors such as if it has a garden to run or is in a small apartment in the city, or if it lives with elderly or well with young people since the lifestyle, they will lead will be different. Either way, there are ways to check that our dog is not fat or that he is not too skinny, without having to use a scale.
Read more: Best dog breed
The first thing about the heaviness of your dog you should do is to pay attention to whether your dog walks tired, slowly, and with his tongue sticking out, without having previously made an effort to justify this attitude. If you, do it regularly, you may have a few extra pounds. In these cases, it is also necessary to rule out that your dog is not suffering from respiratory diseases, such as asthma.
The excess fat of the dog can be observed very easily when the animal is walking. Check to see if the lower body is hanging and swaying from left to right as your pet walks. In the same way, if you have doubts about whether he is too skinny, you can check with the naked eye if his rib bones are showing, which would be a sign that he is under the ideal weight. So, how much you should feed your dog is a dietary plan.
Ideal weight table according to the type of dog breed
Next, we present some parameters in kilos about the ideal weight of an adult dog. How heavy your dog should be depending on the size of the animal’s breed.
- Mini breeds: from 1 to 6 kilos.
- Small breeds: from 5 to 25 kilos.
- Medium breeds: from 14 to 27 kilos.
- Large breeds: from 21 to 39 kilos.
- Giant breeds: from 34 to 82 kilos.
In any case, if you notice sudden weight changes in your dog, it is best to go to the vet for an examination.
Adequate food portions for your dog:
Based on this information (size, breed, weight, age, and activity level), we can calculate the ideal amount of food to meet the energy needs of our pet. Keeping our dog at its ideal weight is an essential factor to avoid health problems.
5 types of nutrients are necessary for the proper functioning of a dog’s body:
- Proteins
- Carbohydrates or sugars.
- Lipids or fats
- Vitamins
- Minerals
A dog must consume a minimum amount of each of these nutrients daily for its nutritional needs to be met.
Pet food manufacturers develop their formula in such a way that, by eating the ratio established on the package, the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of all nutrients is ensured. Additionally, food labeling must specify the type of dog for which it is intended, especially age. There are foods for puppies, adults, and older adult dogs, and their composition is different since the nutritional needs vary at each stage of life. Because they all weigh differently according to age, and how heavy they are ultimately depending on that.
For this reason, it is advisable to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to set the amount that our dog should eat. Likewise, it is also useful to have a measuring cup. If we know the necessary amount of food, this utensil will provide us with the exact dosage.
Last but not least, going to our vet is always a good option. He will get to know our dog and, therefore, his specific nutritional needs.
