Feeding Amount
How Much Raw Food to Feed My Dog?
Here at Outpost Dog Food, this is one of the most common questions we get. There are a few factors that go into it, but generally speaking, an adult dog (1 year+) should get 2-3% of their body weight each day, and split into two meals (Breakfast and Dinner). As an example a 60 lbs Dog would eat about 1.5 lbs per day (0.75 lbs for each meal). Active dogs may need more food, while less active dogs may need less. Read on to find our more about the factors you should consider.
Age + Breed
Age can affect how much food your dog needs. Puppies and adolescent dogs (less than a year) require more food as they are growing! During this time puppies are putting on weight, growing, and progressing through developmental stages. They are also higher energy and have a faster metabolism. Dogs’ metabolisms also slow down as they age, and they may require less food.
For puppies, we recommend feeding them between 5% to 10% of their body weight. For puppies that grow into larger breeds, they would be on the upper end of that range, while smaller breeds would be closer to the 5% range.
Activity Level/Life Style
Your dog’s activity level can be a reflection of a dog’s breed, their personality, your lifestyle and the weather. Most people in Vancouver are less active with their dogs during the rainy months so we recommend cutting back their feeding amount if that is the case. However, in the Spring, Summer and Fall when your dog is more active, you can increase the feeding amount. The amount you fluctuate should still be within the 2% to 3% of their body weight range.
Outpost makes feeding time easy!
Our food is conveniently portioned out into 1/4 Ib blocks. This makes for easy portioning and even easier math!!
At Outpost, we recommend feeding 1 block for every 10 lbs of body weight (That works out to be 2.5% of their body weight). For Puppies we recommend feeding 2 blocks for every 10 lbs of body weight (this works out to be 5% of their body weight).
For Senior dogs you could feed slightly less, and for puppies slightly more, but a great reference tool is the body shape chart below.
If you have any questions about how much you should be feeding your Doggo, get in touch with us today!
How Much Raw Food to Feed My Cat?
An adult Cat will eat about ¼ lbs of raw food per day. Feeding amount would depend on their activity and breed (Sphynx, Munchkin and Bambino cats for example eat a lot more food than a tabby cat) but a safe place to start is half a block in the morning and half a block in the evening.
If your cat starts to lose or put on weight, on that amount, then you can adjust the amount a little bit at each feeding. Cats prefer their food to be soft so we suggest thawing it out in the fridge the day before.
If you are transitioning your cat off kibble to raw food you can mix a bit of kibble into the food to start and gradually cut back the kibble each day. ** This can only be done for cats not dogs. Mixing kibble and raw for dogs is not recommended.
Body Shape
If you can see your dogs' ribs then they are too skinny.
You should be able to easily feel but not see your dogs' ribs. A clear waistline and tucked in belly is the ideal shape for your dog. If you look from above, your dog should have an hourglass waist (this doesn’t apply to all breeds: English Bulldogs and Pugs for example).
If your dog looks like the last illustration s/he is carrying too much weight and it’s time to cut back on the food and get moving.
