Poodle Feeding Guide

Hello, my lovely poodle parent! Welcome to my ultimate guide to feeding poodles.

I have created this ultimate guide to solve your dog’s nutrition problem. This guide will cover many issues, like how much to feed your poodle, how often to feed your poodle, when to feed your poodle, what to feed your poodle, and many more.

You can read the article to the end, or go through the table of contents below and jump to the section that answers the questions you have on your mind.

Poodles are energetic, smart, and have athletic abilities. Athleticism and energy, if these traits are to be maintained in your poodle, then specific nutrients have to be added to their food to enable them to remain healthy.

This guide has been specifically created to help you with your poodle feeding problem. The range of nutrients, measurement of the quantity of feed, and type of feed will be covered by this article, just ensure you read carefully and thoroughly.

Let’s jump into the article.

What Are The Nutritional Requirements of Poodles?

Given that Poodles are naturally athletic, their nutritional requirements have to be the utmost priority because anything else, like feeding your dog low-quality food, will lead to a host of other health problems stemming from malnutrition, including weight loss problems, skin issues, coat issues, bad breath, and digestive problems.

Your Poodle meal when they are in their growing phase should majorly consist of 23% protein, as adults 18% proteins, 8% fats as adults 5% fats, and fiber, carbohydrates, and minerals.

Your poodle’s source of fiber should come from broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and sprouts, while its source of protein must come from animal flesh like fish, poultry, beef, and organ meat. Its source of fat must come from vegetables and fish oil.

Nutritional Requirement for Puppy Poodle

The diet of a puppy Poodles and adolescent should consist of 22% protein, 8% fat, and 6% fiber. Your puppy would need a large amount of these nutrients when compared to other stages of development to facilitate the growth of healthy muscles and strong bones.

Nutritional Requirement for an Adult Poodles

The meal plan for mature and adult Poodles should consist of 18% protein, 5% fat, and 4% fiber. Your adult Poodle will require a lower percentage of nutrients at this stage to prevent them from gaining excessive weight that would affect its athletic abilities.

Nutritional Requirement For Senior Poodles

The food your pet will eat at this stage of its life should ideally consist of 23% protein, 9% fat, and 7% fiber. Poodles at this stage of life need a larger percentage of these nutrients in their meal to prevent certain health issues that may arise as a result of old age.

What Factors Affect The Feeding Of Your Poodles?

There are some factors that will affect the diet of your Poodles such as the size of the breed, its age, its activity level, and its underlying health conditions.

Let’s take a quick look at those factors before we jump into the quantity of food to feed your dog.

Size consideration

The average length of a Poodle, Standard (18-24 inches), Medium (14-18 inches), Miniature (11-14 inches), and Toy (9.4-11.0 inches) from the sole of its feet to its shoulder. The weight of the poodle is around Standard (44-71Ib), Medium (33-42Ib), Miniature (26-31Ib), and Toy (14-17Ib).

The size of the poodle will determine the number of calories it can consume per day, males are usually larger than females, so males usually need more calories than females.

Age consideration

As different weight sizes will require different intakes of calories, so too will different age groups require suitable levels of nutrition to match their stage of development.

Poodles grow fast, therefore the nutritional requirements of a poodle puppy will be different from that of a senior Poodle to maintain its health and agility.

Activity Level

Poodles are athletes, and as such, they must maintain a strict diet to keep their energy level balanced. Your poodle should never feed on low-quality feed.

You wouldn’t want to feed your pet a food high in fat and sodium like cheap fast food which would make him sluggish and lethargic.

These fast foods don’t consist of the nutrients that would make your dog perform to the best of its abilities and make them slow to learn new tricks or obey your commands.

Health Consideration

Poodles are prone to certain health conditions, which should be taken into consideration in their diets if you wish to manage or prevent those issues.

Some health issues that affect your dog breed include Kidney problems, Epilepsy, Addison’s disease, retinal atrophy, gastric torsion, thyroid issues, and skin problems.

These health issues could be prevented or mitigated by taking or avoiding certain foods right from the start rather than waiting to treat them when they pop up.

It might be tempting to cut corners and go for the cheapest food. But engaging in such activities, in the long run, could lead to pain in seeing your furry friend sick, frequent visits to the vet, and thousands of dollars in expenses.

How Much To Feed Your Poodle?

Your Poodles just like any other dog breed will require different amounts of food according to their stage of development. The amount of food a puppy will need will be different than the amount of food an adult will need according to their nutritional requirement.

On average, feed your puppy Poodle 1 cup of food that has 117 to 1230 Kcal per day; feed your adult Poodles 1 to 2 cups per day that has 800 to 1230 Kcal per day, according to its activity level; and feed your senior Poodles 1-2 cups per day, that has 450 to 1,100 Kcal per day.

I will provide you with charts below to help you plan your dog’s meals from its puppy years to its senior years. However, this meal plan is not a one-size-fits-all. It’s just a general guideline that should be followed based on your dog’s needs and recommendations from your vet or dog nutritionist.

How Much To Feed Your Puppy Poodles?

The meal meant for your puppy and adolescents should be very rich in protein and contain a moderate amount of fat that can be gotten from animal meat for them to grow into healthy adults.

A puppy poodle whether Standard, Medium, Miniature, or Toy should be given 1 to 2 cups of food per day that contains 117 Kcal to 1230 Kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The feeding requirements of your puppy are given in detail in the charts below:

Puppy Poodle Feeding Chart

Following the guidelines above will aid in bone development and muscle growth, and strengthen their immune systems to fight off common bacteria and viruses that can lead to some health complications.

How Much To Feed Your Adult Poodle?

The nutritional requirements in the meal of an adult Poodle are different than that of a puppy. The food of a mature Poodle should have a lesser percentage of proteins and fats to prevent obesity.

A mature and adult Poodle should be given 1 to 2 cups of food per day that contains 800 to 1253 Kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The chart below will give you an understanding of the daily consumption needs of adult Poodles to help you with their meal plan.

Adult Poodle Feeding Chart

How Much To Feed Your Senior Poodle?

Senior Poodles are generally less active than their younger counterparts due to fragile bones and joints. This means their meals will contain lesser quantities of calories, protein, and fat.

Geriatric Poodles often have a host of health issues like a sensitive stomach and tend to be picky eaters when it comes to commercial dog food and their favorite kibble.

Senior and Geriatric Poodles should be given 1-2 cups of food per day that contains 450 to 1,100 Kcal of nutrients based on their age, weight, size, gender, and health issues.

The table below gives you some details about the meal plan of older Poodles.

However, you must still ensure that they get the essential nutrients they need.

Senior Poodle Feeding Chart

You can continue giving your senior dog the same food you gave them as an adult, only in a a smaller quantity as they don’t need as many calories as adult dogs. However, you should still consult your vet or pet nutritionist to be on the safe side.

How Often Should You Feed Your Poodle?

Your Poodles meal frequency will vary the same as the feeding amounts, which is majorly dependent on its age. Below is the list of how often to feed your Poodles:

How Often Should You Feed Your Puppy Poodle?

• During the weaning process or at 8 weeks old and below: feed them four times a day at equally spaced intervals.
• 8 weeks to 9 months old: feed them three times a day at equally spaced intervals.
• 9 months to 12 months old: gradually transition to feeding them two times a day with 12 hours of spacing between meals. Ideally, one meal in the morning and the other in the evening.

How Often Should You Feed Your Adult Poodle?

You should feed your adult Poodles two times a day, with 12 hours of spacing between meals.

How Often To Feed Your Senior Poodle?

You should feed your senior Poodles two times a day except given a specific schedule by a vet.

When Should You Feed Your Poodle?

• Poodles’ puppies should be free-fed or fed in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night due to a faster metabolism in comparison to their adult colleagues
• Adolescent Poodles should be fed in the morning, afternoon, and evening to help them transition properly into an adult.
• Adult Poodles and Senior Poodles should also be fed in the morning and in the evening unless stated differently by your vet or pet nutritionist.

As a general rule, you should feed your Poodles a few hours before going to bed in the evening, so they have enough time to digest the food before going to sleep.

In total, we shouldn’t spoil our companions with treats as they may grow too attached to them. Treats should be used mostly as a reward when training your dog.

What Kind Of Food Should You Fed Your Poodles?

The food you feed your Poodles should specifically cater to large breeds and contain the required nutrients necessary for a strong and healthy dog.

The kind of food to feed your Poodles includes dry dog food, wet dog food, a home-cooked diet, and Biologically Appropriate Raw food to ensure your dog eats a balanced diet.

Let me touch on these few points to make you understand what to feed your dog:

• Dry Food: Dry dog or kibble is a portion of commercial pet food made by grinding and mixing up ingredients like meats, grains, and nutritional additives, which are then shaped into little kernels and cooked at high temperatures to remove the water content. Dry dog food contains more carbs, less fat, less water, and sometimes less protein and is often recommended by vets due to its lower cost, dental health benefits, convenience, weight loss support, and playtime perks.
• Wet Food: Wet dog food or canned food is made by mixing up and cooking the ingredients before adding or extracting varying amounts of water. Unlike dry dog food, wet dog food contains more water, fewer carbs, more fat, and often, more protein. They are recommended by vets due to their high-water content, taste, ease of eating, and high nutritional profile.
• Home-Cooked Diet: Home-Cooked diets are a great option for pet parents who are not into commercial dog food, and want to go the extra length to prepare a meal for their furry companion. Feeding your dog, a home-cooked meal will give you control of its nutrition and can put you at ease knowing that you will always give your dog the best treatment.
• BARF Diet: Biologically Appropriate Raw Food is a type of food that contains raw meat, raw eggs, crushed animal bones, fruits, vegetables, probiotics, and other natural ingredients. BARF diets are used as a substitute for processed foods with preservatives. However, consult your vet before feeding your pet a raw diet to avoid health complications from harmful substances.

What Food To Avoid Feeding Your Poodles?

We should take caution against giving whatever food we’re eating to our Poodles. They have large appetites, which makes it tempting to hand them whatever we find ourselves eating.

There are certain human foods, fruits, and vegetables to avoid feeding your Poodles because these foods contain toxins that are harmful to your pet that could lead you to frequent trips to the vet.

The human food to avoid feeding your Poodles includes chocolates, coffee, gums, peanut butter, candies, cooked bones, etc.

The Fruits and vegetables to avoid feeding your Poodles include grapes, avocado, garlic, onions, etc.

You should always check the ingredients on the food label to see if these ingredients are present in the food. Or you can simply consult a vet, or pet nutritionist to check the ingredients with them.

When Can I Transition My Poodles From Puppy Food To Adult Food?

You should transition your Poodles puppy from puppy food to adult food when he’s around 10–12-month years old.

Transitioning your adolescent Poodles from puppy food to adult food is an important stage in your dog’s development. Puppy food contains more calories and nutrients than adult food to meet the nutritional requirement at that stage of life.

However, feeding your adult poodle, puppy food will fill them with more protein and fat than their body requires and will lead to obesity due to the high-fat content the body doesn’t need for optimum growth.

Why Is My Poodle Not Eating?

Your Poodles will not eat if it has one or a combination of the factors listed below:

Illness, Dental Problems, Teething, Medication, Separation Anxiety, Time of Day, Spoiled Food, Stress, and Picky Eaters.

You shouldn’t hit the panic button just yet if your dog refuses to eat. The best thing you can do at this stage is to consult your vet to perform a checkup on your dog.

Why Is My Poodle Always Hungry?

Poodles tend to have a healthy appetite so it can feel like they eat a lot. If you ensure that the food you give is properly measured and that you have chosen food that is suitable for large breeds, then the following are reasons that your Poodles could be showing signs of being hungry all the time.

Your Poodles can feel hungry all the time if they have engaged in lots of exercises, gone through stress and anxiety, have an illness, or have engaged in bad habits reinforced by people around them.

Frequently Asked Questions on Poodle Feeding

Final Thoughts

Whether you have a miniature, medium, toy, or Standard Poodle, As pet owners, we must be sure of how much and when we should feed them. Since Poodles are athletic, we must put extra effort into planning out their diet.

Options such as dry, wet, raw, and homemade diets are all great for them. You can free-feed your Poodle as a puppy but you have to draw a strict plan as they go on. It is also essential to know what foods are healthy and should be avoided, as some foods are toxic.

However, if you desire more on how to take care of your poodle, you should contact the nearest vet for information on essential nutrients and you can also see a pet nutritionist for a regimen schedule for your pet.