Dog Nutrition Blog
Published by DosageGuide · Reviewed
Practical guides and expert advice on feeding your dog right
These twelve articles cover the feeding questions that come up between the breed guides: how much a puppy eats week by week, how to change food over seven to ten days without a stomach upset, how to run a weight-loss plan that survives past week three, what a label actually tells you, and what a treat costs a 5 kg dog. The figures behind them come from the energy equations used in veterinary nutrition and from the AAFCO and FEDIAF nutrient profiles, which define what a complete dog food must contain. Where a question is genuinely unsettled, as with grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy, the article says so rather than picking a side. Each page carries the date of its last real check rather than the date it was served, and none of it replaces a vet who can examine your dog.
Puppy Portions by Age: How Much to Feed, Week by Week
Learn exactly how much to feed your puppy from 8 weeks to 12 months. Covers feeding schedules, portion sizes by weight, and how to adjust as your puppy grows.
Dog Food Ingredients to Avoid: What to Watch For
Identify harmful and low-quality ingredients commonly found in dog food. Learn which fillers, preservatives, and additives to avoid when choosing food for your dog.
Switching Dog Food Safely: A 10-Day Transition Plan
A step-by-step guide to transitioning your dog to a new food. Learn the ideal 7-10 day schedule and how to handle digestive issues during the switch.
Overweight Dog Diet Plan: A Weight Management Guide
Help your overweight dog reach a healthy weight safely. Includes calorie calculations, exercise tips, and a step-by-step weight loss plan approved by veterinarians.
Best Dog Food for Allergies: Identifying and Managing Food Sensitivities
Learn how to identify food allergies in dogs, the most common allergens, and how elimination diets work. Find the right hypoallergenic food for your dog.
Raw Diet for Dogs: A Beginner's Guide
Everything you need to know before starting your dog on a raw diet. Covers benefits, risks, how to balance meals, and safe handling practices.
Senior Dog Nutrition Guide: Feeding Your Aging Dog
Nutritional needs change as dogs age. Learn how to adjust your senior dog's diet for joint health, weight management, organ support, and overall vitality.
Dog Food Labels: How to Read the Whole Bag, Line by Line
Decode the information on dog food packaging. Understand ingredient lists, guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statements, and marketing claims versus reality.
5 Balanced Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Five veterinarian-reviewed homemade dog food recipes with complete ingredient lists and preparation instructions. Includes a supplement guide for nutritional balance.
Dog Treats and Calories: How Treats Affect Daily Intake
Treats can secretly add hundreds of calories to your dog's diet. Learn the 10 percent rule, calorie counts of popular treats, and healthier alternatives.
Grain-Free Dog Food: Separating Facts from Marketing
The truth about grain-free dog food, including the FDA investigation into a potential link to heart disease. Learn whether your dog actually needs a grain-free diet.
Seasonal Feeding Adjustments: Summer and Winter Dog Nutrition
Dogs' calorie needs change with the seasons. Learn how to adjust portions, hydration, and food choices for hot summers and cold winters.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
From the energy formulas used in veterinary nutrition and from the AAFCO nutrient profiles, which define what a complete dog food must contain. Where an article cites a study or a regulatory position, it names it. Each page carries the date of its last real check rather than the date it is served, so an article that has not moved does not pretend to be current.
Start with the one that matches your dog's stage: the puppy guide during growth, the senior guide after seven to ten years depending on size, and the treats article if the weight is drifting. The label-reading guide is the one that makes all the others easier, because most feeding questions are settled by the small print on the back of the bag.
No, they answer a different question. A breed guide gives the ration for a given weight and age; an article explains why a rule exists and when it does not apply. Reading the ration without the reasoning leads to feeding a number rather than a dog, which is how a perfectly calculated portion still produces an overweight animal.
When the underlying position changes, which for regulatory matters such as the grain-free investigation means following the agency rather than the news cycle, and when a figure quoted here is superseded. Nutrition advice moves slowly: most of what these articles say has held for a decade, and the parts that are contested are flagged as contested.
No. These articles describe what is generally true of dogs, and your dog is a particular one: a diagnosed condition, a medication or a pregnancy changes the answer, and only someone who can examine the animal can weigh that. Where an article and your vet disagree, your vet has information this site does not.
No, and this is one of the few places where guessing does harm. Cats are obligate carnivores with a dietary requirement for taurine, arachidonic acid and preformed vitamin A that dog food does not meet, and a cat fed dog food long-term develops deficiencies that can be irreversible. Nothing on this site applies to cats.