Ok, so assuming you are feeding your dog homemade raw dog food but your not sure how much your canine companion needs to eat each day, the first question you need to answer is, how much energy does your dog have?
- Does he or she literally bounce off the walls, jump up and down, run around a lot and is just busy, busy, busy always on the go with tail held high?
- Does your dog get about in a nice even pace with tail held roughly about straight out following the line of the spine, happy to see you but not too much fuss, is quite chilled out most of the time except when it’s walkies time or dinner time, then there is some excitement and fuss?
- Does your dog get about in a pretty calm manner, is very relaxed about life in general and does not get too excited beyond fierce tail wagging at walkies or dinner time and generally carries their tail lower than straight out when out walking?
So the 3 examples above are high energy, medium energy and low energy dogs. Also you must take into account the size of your dog and it’s lean body weight.
- Small dogs generally eat more food per pound/kilo of body weight than larger dogs due to a higher metabolism.
- Lean body weight is the difference between your dogs lean muscle weight versus it’s total body weight. So if you have just started a dog raw food diet and your dog is overweight, roughly subtract his or her pure fat weight from overall body weight to get lean body weight so your not overfeeding.
Examples of dog types you may own: Based on total weight (check and subtract body fat on your dog if it is not lean (lean is when you can just feel the ribs when you run your fingers along side of your dogs ribcage)
- Chihuahua about 10lb in weight and is high energy: Feed between 3% to 5% of lean body weight per day which is going to be 5oz to 8oz per day of meat-on-the-bone food.
- Beagle about 40lb in weight and is medium energy: Feed between 2% to 3% of lean body weight per day which is going to be around 3/4lb to 1&1/4lb per day.
- Labrador about 80lb in weight and is low energy: Feed between 1% to 2% of lean body weight per day which is going to be about 3/4lb to 1&1/2lb per day.
Below is a table to help you understand how much raw homemade dog food to feed each day.
|
Energy level of Dog |
10lb Dog | 40lb Dog | 80lb Dog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Energy1-2% | 1.5oz to 3oz | 6.5oz to 13oz | 13oz to 1.5lb |
| Medium Energy2-3% | 3oz to 5oz | 13oz to 1.25lb | 1.5lb to 2.25lb |
| High Energy3-5% | 5oz to 8oz | 1.25lb to 2lb | 2.25lb to 3.75lb |
The great thing about feeding a raw food diet to dogs is that the vast majority of dogs simply eat as much as they 
need without over doing it as can happen with commercial dog food, why? Because commercial dog food confuses their sensory perception as it’s filled with additives designed to make them eat more of it. MSG is one such ingredient that causes this, another is the coating of kibble which is sprayed with fat that has chemicals in it to fool cats and dogs into eating more of it.
On the other hand, raw food is synergistic to your dogs body and far easier for your dog to work out how much to eat to be naturally satisfied. This helps greatly to get your dog to a nice lean weight naturally without you having to worry about obesity problems and associated vet costs. Did you notice that your dog would just keep eating that kibble or canned food if you gave them more of it (they had no idea when to stop)?
Homemade Raw Dog Food Recipes: My Dog Rocco’s Daily Meal Plan Example:
My dog Rocco weighs 45lb, eats one meal per day, fasts one day per week and is high energy. Most days he eats raw dog food recipes homemade consisting of 1.5lb minced beef organ mix, some days up to 2lb. If he wants more, I give him some extra of what he just ate or whatever else is available on the day. If I have nothing else unfrozen then an egg or two or maybe some table scraps will suffice. His appetite, size and weight tell me how much to feed him.
If your interested to get the entire picture on how to switch your dog over to a raw dog food diet with all the tricks and tips I have learnt over the decades then check out my book—>Click Here.
If this article has helped you in any way, please pass it on to friends, family or work collegues using the social buttons.
All the best with your dog, Dan.
About Dan
The links to your book do not work….they keep taking me back to your home page. I tried clicking on the book, as well as the link above that says “Click Here”. ??????
Hi Terrie, so sorry -should of left a note- but page taken down as new 2014 edition is out next week, so please check back after the 18th Oct.