How Much Should I Feed My Dog? Stop Guessing

Feeding guidelines on a bag are calculated for an average intact active dog of that weight. Most South African pets are sterilised, live in a suburb and get a walk a day, which means the bag number is usually too much — often by twenty to thirty percent.

Use your hands, not the bag

Body condition scoring takes ten seconds and it is what vets actually use.

Ribs: run your fingertips flat along the side. You should feel each rib easily with light pressure, like the back of your hand. If you have to press, there is too much fat. If they stick out visibly, too little.
Waist from above: looking down, there should be a visible narrowing behind the ribcage.
Tuck from the side: the belly should rise up from the chest toward the back legs, not run straight or sag.

Do this monthly. Weigh at the vet every few months — most practices are happy for you to walk in and use the scale.

Adjusting

Change by about ten percent and hold for four weeks before judging. Weight changes slowly and daily fluctuations mean nothing. Measure with a proper cup or, better, a kitchen scale — eyeballing a scoop is where most overfeeding starts, and grams are far more consistent than volume.

Count the extras

Treats, chews, training rewards, the crust off the toast and what the children drop all count. Treats should stay under about ten percent of daily calories, and they come out of the meal, not on top of it. A dental chew can be a meaningful fraction of a small dog's daily intake.

Why it matters more than it sounds

Excess weight is the single largest modifiable factor in canine joint disease, and it shortens life measurably. Lean dogs live longer and develop arthritis later. If your dog is already overweight, ask your vet about a proper weight loss plan rather than just feeding less — crash dieting is unsafe, particularly in cats.

Special cases

Puppies need feeding by age and expected adult size, not current weight, and large-breed puppies need large-breed puppy food specifically. Sterilised dogs need roughly ten to twenty percent fewer calories, starting immediately after surgery. Seniors often need fewer calories but more protein. Working farm dogs need considerably more than the bag says, not less.