Small Dog Breed Feeding Guides

Why Small Breeds Are Not Simply Scaled-Down Dogs

Energy needs do not fall in proportion to body weight. A small dog burns considerably more calories per kilogram than a large one, because the share of the body made up of metabolically busy organs is higher and because heat is lost faster from a body with more surface relative to its mass. A 5 kg terrier can need close to 60 calories per kilogram a day while a 45 kg mastiff needs nearer 35. That is why a small-breed formula is more calorie-dense, and why cutting a big dog's portion in half does not produce a small dog's ration.

The consequence for portion control is uncomfortable: the margin for error is tiny. Twenty extra calories a day, one small biscuit, is under two per cent of a Labrador's ration and around seven per cent of a Chihuahua's. Over a year that difference shows on the scales. For dogs in this group a kitchen scale is not fussiness, and treats are broken into pieces rather than given whole.

Blood Sugar, Meal Frequency and Toy Puppies

Toy-breed puppies have very small glycogen reserves and can become hypoglycaemic within hours of missing a meal. The signs, wobbliness, glazed eyes, shivering, in severe cases collapse or a seizure, come on quickly and are a genuine emergency. Until about four months a puppy of this size eats four times a day, and the last meal of the day matters most; owners of very small puppies are often advised to keep a glucose gel or honey to hand and to know that rubbing it on the gums buys time to reach a vet, not a cure.

Adults are far more robust, but two meals a day remain better than one for a dog whose stomach holds so little. Where a small dog is a persistently fussy eater, the usual culprit is the treat and table-scrap total rather than the food: a few morsels can be a third of the daily calories, after which the bowl is genuinely surplus. Removing everything but the measured ration for a fortnight usually settles the question.

Teeth, Kibble Size and What Small Dogs Actually Die Of

Periodontal disease is close to universal in small breeds by middle age, because the same number of teeth are crowded into a much shorter jaw. That has a direct bearing on feeding: a dog with a painful mouth eats less, loses condition, and is often labelled fussy when it is in fact sore. Yearly dental assessment, brushing, and products carrying the VOHC seal do more for a small dog's long-term nutrition than any change of brand.

Kibble size is worth attention too. A small-breed formula is made in pieces a short muzzle can pick up and crush; a large-breed kibble is either swallowed whole or left. For a dog with few remaining teeth, soaking the kibble or moving to a wet diet is a reasonable adjustment, made with the calories recounted rather than estimated. Small breeds also live long, many reach fifteen or sixteen, so the diet has to be sustainable for a decade and a half rather than optimal for a season.

Frequently Asked Questions