How much food should I feed my dog or cat?

This is a question I answer nearly every day. The answer is: It depends.

Start with what the bag says. If you're feeding an appropriate food for your pet (puppy for puppies, senior for senior, etc) then look at what the bag suggests. The bag assumes normal patient with average metabolism. The number listed on the bag is in 8oz measuring cups.

Look at the cup you are using to measure. When in doubt - check how much the cup you are using holds. Typically, you can feed 25% above or below what the bag suggests. Anything outside of that, and the pet needs to be on a different formula food. For instance, if the bag suggests 1 cup of food per day, you could feed anything between 3/4 and 1 1/4 cups and be within an acceptable range.

Puppies - don't worry too much until they are around 4-5 months. If a puppy seems hungry and wants a little more - that's OK. Just keep it reasonable.

Remember, feed the pet, not the bag. If your pet needs more or needs less, feed more or less (within that 25% window). If you're having trouble getting your pet to loose weight and you're already feeding the smaller amount, you really need to have a talk with your veterinarian so you can discuss a veterinary diet that is designed for weight loss. Weight loss is a great topic for another post.


AMH