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As canine nutritionists, we know there’s no shortage of answers and advice when it comes to food. That’s why, to keep things simple, we’ve rounded off the most important Bep Ben feeding-related questions.

These include:

1. How much Bep Ben should I feed my dog (Adult/Puppy)?
2. How to monitor my dog’s body condition
3. The importance of keeping your dog lean
4. Why food quality is key for weight management
   

This way, you can understand more behind portion sizing and weight management, to ensure your dogs live long and healthy lives.

How Much Bep Ben Should I Feed My Dog? 

Just like humans, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Every dog is different and unique. How much to feed depends on factors like your dog’s breed, age, daily activity level, and whether they are neutered or intact. Furthermore, you have to take their personality and preferences into account. You could have a picky eater that requires encouragement, one with a sensitive stomach, or an overzealous eater that requires boundaries. With different needs and situations at play, it can be confusing as a pet parent. You’re responsible for feeding your dog the right proportions and nutrients, but it can be tough to know just how much food your dog really requires.

Below is a feeding guide for Bep Ben fresh dog food. Do not use this guide for commercial dog food (kibbles/wet dog food) because of the difference in caloric density. 

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Adults

According to the MSPCA-Angell, an international leader in veterinary medicine, they recommend feeding about 3% of body weight for adult dogs per day, to begin with.

For example:

• A 5kg dog will eat 150g/day (5,000g x 0.03)
• A 10kg dog will eat 300g/day (10,000g x 0.03)
• A 15kg dog will eat 450g/day (15,000g x 0.03)
• A 20kg dog will eat 600g/day (20,000g x 0.03)
• A 30kg dog will eat 900g/day (30,000g x 0.03)
  

Each Bep Ben roll is 400g. Please slice the appropriate amount for your dog and divide the daily portion based on the amount of times you feed your dog per day.

Daily Portion / No. of times fed per day = Grams per feeding

For example:

• Hachi, a 5kg dog, will eat 150g/day. Hachi is fed twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). Hachi therefore eats 75g each serving.

(150g/2 times a day = 75 grams per feeding)

Remember, these are just starting points. You will need to adjust up or down based on your dog’s body condition and whether they are gaining or losing weight. We’ll show you how to assess your dog’s body condition below. 

Puppy

Puppies have different dietary needs than adult dogs. Growing puppies require more calories, fat, protein, and essential nutrients per kilogram because their bones, brains, and other organs are developing. 

That’s why it’s extremely important you pay attention to:

• Quality of food 
• How much you’re feeding
• The number of times fed per day
  

Quality of Food: Puppy food has a higher nutrient profile and requires a more stringent quality standard. You’d be happy to know that Bep Ben’s fresh dog food is formulated for all life stages. It exceeds the AAFCO minimum nutrition standard required for puppies as well as adult dogs. You can feed your puppy Bep Ben as they slowly wean off their mother’s milk.

Below, we’ll go into detail concerning how much you should feed your dog and how many times you should feed them a day based on their lifestage.

Puppies: 1 to 6 weeks

• For the first four weeks of their life, ideally the puppy will be with their mother and receive the nutrients from the mother’s milk. 

• At three or four weeks of age, you can offer small amounts of Bep Ben to stimulate food intake. You can feed small amounts or even dip your fingertips in the food and then into the puppy’s mouth. This will help stimulate the puppy’s interest in solid food. Puppies should be eating sufficient quantities of solid food at 5 to 6 weeks of age.

Puppies: 6 weeks to 6 months

As with feeding any dog, when it comes to nourishing a young puppy, there is no-one-size-fits-all formula. Remember, it’s important to provide sufficient nutrients for your growing puppy, but avoid feeding them too much food.

That’s why you need to get the calories right.

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How often should you feed your puppy?

• The short answer is 4 times a day.

• The long answer is that there are many different frameworks on frequency of feeding for young puppies among veterinary nutrition experts. Some suggest free feeding however, this can predispose the dog to obesity and in large breeds, induce skeletal deformities at a young age.

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We recommend you structure meal size and time - feed a correctly portioned amount of food to a young puppy around 4 times a day until around 6 months. Frequent small meals are easy for puppies to digest, and can keep their energy levels steady. While puppies grow quickly, they can still gain too much weight. Work with your vet and use the body condition tests to ensure your puppy is in a healthy weight range. 

How much Bep Ben to feed your puppy:

1. Look at these charts from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP). You can find your dog’s breed and establish your puppy’s predicted adult weight.
2. Determine the number of calories you should be feeding your dog based on that weight. If you know your puppy’s same sex parent, you can use their weight as a good indication as well.
3. Once your puppy reaches five months of age, if they are in a good body condition, you do not need to increase the food since the peak calorie consumption should be at about five months. (Read below to learn more about body condition).

For example:

1. Eevee’s (female French Bulldog puppy) predicted adult weight is 8 to 12 kg. 
2. Since the average weight is 10kg, we decided to feed Eevee 300g per day to begin with (10,000g x 0.03). After talking to the breeder, we discovered that her mother's adult weight is 12kg. We decided to increase the amount to 400g per day (12,000g x 0.03). We fed Eevee 4 times per day (100g every portion).
3. At five months, we noticed that she had a good body condition and continued to feed her the same amount into her adult year, twice a day.

Adopted Dog/ Unsure of Adult Weight:

If your dog is adopted and you’re not sure of the breed, or if your dog is a mixed breed and you’re uncertain of the predicted adult weight, the animal humane society recommends you:

1. Feed your puppy (6 weeks+) four times a day until 6 months of age
2. Feed your puppy as much as will be eaten in 10 to 15 minute intervals. If overeating occurs (use the body condition tests as a guide - down below), you can offer smaller more frequent meals
3. Work with your vet and continue to examine your puppy’s body condition to see whether you’re under or overfeeding.

Monitoring your Dog’s Body Condition

A healthy dog is a lean dog. If you’re not sure whether your dog is overweight, healthy, or underweight, here’s a simple way to find out.

Rib Test

Stand behind, or slightly straddle your dog. Look at and feel their ribs, feeling all along their rib cage. You should be able to easily feel, but not see each rib, and your dog should have a waist or a tucked up area in front of the hind legs.

The Standing Test

While you’re behind or straddling your dog, take a look at their shape from above. Gently run your hands down your dog’s body from their rib cage to their hips. Look for the pelvic bone and feel their lumbar vertebrae or spine.

Your dog is:

• Too lean: You can clearly see all their ribs. Their hip bones and spine should also be visible and have a bony feel. 
• Ideal: You can easily feel but not see their ribs. You should also see a slight hourglass shape, narrowing into a waist in front of their hind legs when looking from above.
• Overweight: You can only slightly feel their ribs due to a layer of fat. A waistline may be visible but won’t be prominent, or their body shape appears straight from rib cage to hips.
• Very overweight: You can’t feel their ribs because it’s under a thick layer of fat. You can feel pads of fat on the back, base of the tail and neck. There’s also no visible waistline. Overweight dogs also tend to have a barrel shape when viewed from above.
  

If your dog’s body condition isn’t ideal, have a look at our article on Weight Management for Dogs to learn more about the calories you should feed them per day.

Puppies (before 4 months) may not have a defined waist and may have a rounder belly, and other marks of a healthy, fast-growing pup. After 4 months, you can begin tracking their body condition using the same standards as an adult dog. 

These tests are extremely helpful when it comes to gaining an accurate picture of their body condition because weight alone doesn’t tell the whole story. If you’re having difficulty reading your dog’s body condition, please contact us. These tests work for almost all breeds (except English Bulldogs and Pugs due to their stockier shape and excess skin).

The importance of keeping your dog lean

Did you know that excess weight is one of the biggest health threats pets face? If your dog is overweight, they face a lot of health consequences including arthritis, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, and cancer. A few kilograms might not be such a big problem in human terms, but they can be a major health hazard for dogs.

At the same time, it’s important your dog isn’t too lean because they could be losing muscle mass and healthy body fat. It’s hard to know what the right amount is, but if you portion control and continually assess your dog’s body condition, you’ll quickly find out the optimal serving size for your dog.

Why food quality is key for weight management

The amount you feed your dog also depends on the quality of your food. Dogs are just like humans; for good health and well-being, you should always provide healthy options like fresh vegetables and lean protein as opposed to a diet of fries and hamburgers. 

Thankfully, Bep Ben is the freshest and healthiest dog food available in Vietnam. 

Our food contains a mix of:

• High-quality proteins: For muscle and joint development
• Fats: For energy to help absorb essential vitamins, including A and D
• Fiber: For intestinal function and healthy poops
• Vitamins and Minerals: For regulating metabolism and protecting the immune system
• Moisture/Water: To help ensure your dog doesn’t become dehydrated

With Bep Ben, your dogs will receive healthy, nutrient-dense meals. We avoid fillers and byproducts, unlike cheaper local alternatives and commercially available dog food.

In summary, knowing how much to feed your adult dog or growing puppy can be challenging. We recommend focusing on these three key takeaways:

1. A lean dog is a healthy dog
2. For portion size per meal (Adult and puppy 6 weeks+): Expected adult weight x 0.03/ No. of times fed per day 
3. Continuously monitor your dog’s body condition: Conduct rib and standing test
   

Remember, if you run into any problems or have any questions, our support team is always here to help.