# Amount of food per day?



## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

I think 4 cops a day is a lot for any 60lb dog. She is no longer a growing puppy.

I'm sure others will have great advice for you but I think you are almost double if you are giving her a lot of treats.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Hi there! Sounds like you're doing pretty well! Dog's usually act like they're starving just as a matter of behavior  So I wouldn't worry that you're actually starving her  She's eating just under 800 calories a day in kibble, with a variety of treats/chews, so I would say you're in the comfortable range. If you wanted, you could drop a little bit, maybe 25 calories and eventually end up at 750ish calories a day, but I wouldn't go much lower for a dog of her size.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

Mine get 2 -2 1/2 cups a day. They are slightly smaller.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

I'd scale back a cup- so 3 cups total, 1.5 cups per meal then weigh her in 2 weeks to see if she's lost any weight. if she has and still needs to lose more then drop it again till she is on 2 cups a day. 

If you cup her from 4 cups to 2 cups, she'll probably act even more ravenous than usual, so cut back slowly.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

Tagrenine said:


> Hi there! Sounds like you're doing pretty well! Dog's usually act like they're starving just as a matter of behavior  So I wouldn't worry that you're actually starving her  She's eating just under 800 calories a day in kibble, with a variety of treats/chews, so I would say you're in the comfortable range. If you wanted, you could drop a little bit, maybe 25 calories and eventually end up at 750ish calories a day, but I wouldn't go much lower for a dog of her size.


1600
She is getting 4 cups a day plus treats


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

Keep in mind that dogs, like people, can vary significantly in terms of how many calories they need to stay at a healthy weight. We all have "that friend" who seems to live on Big Macs and ice cream and still stays rail thin, while we _think _about a second helping of salad and gain a pound!  I haven't fed kibble in years (my dogs are raw fed), but when I did I had two dogs that maintained at about the same weight (mid-60s)... One was fed a cup of kibble twice a day and one was fed only 1/2 a cup twice a day (and the second one was the one we had to watch for weight gain).

Also - I think we all underestimate how many biscuits and other treats we give our dogs. A few years ago my housemate had a work from home job and I noticed the dogs were getting heavier, even though they were getting more exercise and we hadn't changed how much we fed them. Then I noticed that the biscuit jar I filled on Monday was half gone by Friday! A "food is not love" note on the jar (and briefly a baggie with the day's allotment of biscuits) fixed that problem... but you get my point! Those "doggie candy bars" add up fast!

I'd go by your particular dog. Can you easily feel, but not see, her ribs? Does she have a bit of a "tuck up" between the end of the ribs and her back legs? There are some visual charts online that will show you what a dog at a healthy weight should look like (you may need to envision your dog when she's soaking wet).

If you find that you have to feed what seems like a ridiculously small amount of food to keep her at a healthy weight, you might look for a food with a lower Kcal/cup (although what you're already feeding sounds pretty low to me). Fewer calories per cup means you can feed more to reach your calorie goals. You may also want to have her thyroid tested (_only _if cutting back on the food doesn't make a big difference), as low thyroid will cause weight gain and is pretty common among Goldens.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

That's about twice what she needs. Most adult female Goldens only need about 1 cup, twice per day. While they are growing they eat much more than that.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Depends on the kcals (calories) pet cup of food of the brand your feeding. Most goldens will need between 900-1200 kcals a day on average. So a food with about 400kcals the dog should be fed roughly 2-3 cups a day and also be adjusted some based on tests and chews they may be eat like a bully stick. I would feed about 1/2 to 2/3 cup less food a day, not per meal so they aren't getting a lot extra. Wanna maintain their weight not add.

So that's a guideline, a place to start and adjust if they add or lose weight. There really isn't 1 amount for all dogs or for every time of food fed. Activity, age, metabolism all play a factor. Also never free because they look for food and will eat it. Dogs will just eat most of the time regardless if they are full or not.

Huge meals puts a lot of weight in the stomach and can lead to increased risk of bloat and/or gastric torsion.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Dunmar said:


> 1600
> She is getting 4 cups a day plus treats


Thank you! That’s what I get for speed reading. 1600 is definitely a lot of calories and many Goldens comfortably eat twice that OP  I think you can safely cut back.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

At 2 years old, she is pretty much finished growing. PP is a high quality food, so one cup, twice a day, is really all she needs going forward. Her level of activity is not really that high, so no need for more.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Tagrenine said:


> Thank you! That’s what I get for speed reading. 1600 is definitely a lot of calories and many Goldens comfortably eat twice that OP  I think you can safely cut back.


Are you saying that goldens comfortably eat 3200 kcals a day? 😂 That is not a correct statement and that dog would have the runs seriously! I don't know if any golden that would comfortably eat 8 cups of food a day. Unless I misinterpreted your meaning, not true. Maybe you meant they eat half the 4 cup total?


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> Are you saying that goldens comfortably eat 3200 kcals a day? 😂 That is not a correct statement and that did would have the runs seriously! I don't know if any golden that would comfortably eat 8 cups of food a day. Unless I misinterpreted your meaning, not true. Maybe you meant they eat half the 4 cup total?


You know, I'm definitely having an off day lol. I definitely meant half that! Thank you for correcting me. I'm thinking maybe I should take a break😅


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Tagrenine said:


> You know, I'm definitely having an off day lol. I definitely meant half that! Thank you for correcting me. I'm thinking maybe I should take a break😅


It's all good, we've all been there.


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## anelson0808 (Oct 18, 2018)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> Depends on the kcals (calories) pet cup of food of the brand your feeding. Most goldens will need between 900-1200 kcals a day on average. So a food with about 400kcals the dog should be fed roughly 2-3 cups a day and also be adjusted some based on tests and chews they may be eat like a bully stick. I would feed about 1/2 to 2/3 cup less food a day, not per meal so they aren't getting a lot extra. Wanna maintain their weight not add.
> 
> So that's a guideline, a place to start and adjust if they add or lose weight. There really isn't 1 amount for all dogs or for every time of food fed. Activity, age, metabolism all play a factor. Also never free because they look for food and will eat it. Dogs will just eat most of the time regardless if they are full or not.
> 
> Huge meals puts a lot of weight in the stomach and can lead to increased risk of bloat and/or gastric torsion.


Thank you, we are planning right now to phase some of it down in the coming weeks/months. We started the other day with lowering her nightly food intake by .5 of a cup.

Is there any benefit to feeding more in the morning vs at night (what we're doing now)? We noticed she goes to bed normally 4-ish hours after eating at night so figured it'd be better for her to have more food while she's awake and to sustain her throughout the day - is this okay to do until we get to a balanced point of giving her equal parts in the AM and PM?


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

We used to fight to get Molly to eat in the morning as she seemed to prefer one meal.
Now I feed her the same amount morning and night. If she only eats a half of a cup in the morning, she isnt going to get 2 cups in the evening , just the 1 cup again. She evened it out herself within a day


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

anelson0808 said:


> Thank you, we are planning right now to phase some of it down in the coming weeks/months. We started the other day with lowering her nightly food intake by .5 of a cup.
> 
> Is there any benefit to feeding more in the morning vs at night (what we're doing now)? We noticed she goes to bed normally 4-ish hours after eating at night so figured it'd be better for her to have more food while she's awake and to sustain her throughout the day - is this okay to do until we get to a balanced point of giving her equal parts in the AM and PM?


Nope you juat want to level out the meals and feed 1/2 in the AM and 1/2 in the evening.


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## Obedience rocks (Feb 17, 2020)

anelson0808 said:


> Hi all,
> I have an almost 2 year old golden named Gracie and we are trying to figure out the best amount of food to give her daily. Right now she weighs around 60-65lbs (at least the last time we went to the vet) but is starting to look like she's packing on pounds. Our last golden was overweight that came on unnoticed over time so we want to make sure we're not falling into that same pattern with Gracie.
> 
> Right now, Gracie is on Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Chicken dry food. She gets 2 cups, twice daily along with occasional treats or chews. Acts like she's starving at dinner time ALWAYS. Purina's website says it's 396 kcals/cup for her food.
> ...


My dogs get MAX two cups a day, plus hamburger, chicken, or hotdog when training. My older dog (not a golden) put on some weight when she turned three. Right now she gets 1.5 cups a day. It is best to keep dogs lean, leaner even than what what some consider “average weight” for the dogs long term health and longevity. Most of the dogs I see today are overweight. I am glad to see you are so conscientious of your dog’s health! Do not follow the guidelines on the bag, most of them are way to high, even for an active dog. Start reducing her food by a half cup or so, until you reach an amount that she is losing and/or maintaining a healthier weight. This could be 3.5 cups, or it could half a cup. Also, my dogs always act like they’re starving too, it’s no big deal. To help, you could try a slow feeder bowl, or freezing the kibble in a kong with water. To make a homemade slow feeder bowl, flip a regular metal bowl over, and put the food in the inside. Good luck, and I hope these suggestions help!


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

Sandy, Mr. B, and the puppy Pearl get 2 cups a day of PPP Sport 30/20. Pebbles, is on Fromm Weight Management Gold - she puts on weight easily and is lazy.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

That is the same food we feed to our 73 pound, 2+ year old boy. He gets 2 cups per day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.


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