What to Feed Your Dog: Simple Steps to the Right Diet

Feed your dog a commercial or vet-formulated food labelled complete and balanced for their life stage, in an amount that keeps them at a lean, healthy body condition, with treats making up no more than about a tenth of their daily calories. Kibble, wet food, fresh food and carefully formulated home-cooked diets can all do that job. What matters most is that the diet is nutritionally complete, safe to handle, and suits your individual dog.

This guide brings everything together in one place: the main food types and their honest pros and cons, how needs change from puppy to senior, how to judge portions using body condition rather than guesswork, which everyday foods are dangerous, how to change foods without upsetting a tummy, and when it is time to talk to your vet. It also points you to the more detailed guides on this site for each topic.

• Complete and balanced comes first. Look for a statement on the pack saying the food meets a recognised nutrient standard (such as AAFCO in the US or FEDIAF in Europe) for your dog’s life stage.
• No food type is automatically best. Kibble, wet, fresh and home-cooked diets can all work; raw diets carry well-documented safety risks for dogs and people.
• Feed the dog in front of you. Pack guidelines are a starting point. Adjust using body condition score: you should be able to feel the ribs easily and see a waist.
• Treats count. Keep them to roughly 10% of daily calories, and know the foods that are toxic to dogs.
• Change slowly, and ask your vet about weight changes, ongoing tummy trouble or any health condition before switching diets.

At a glance

• Feed a food labelled complete and balanced for your dog’s life stage, in an amount that keeps them lean.
• Kibble, wet, fresh and vet-formulated home-cooked diets can all work, while raw diets carry well-documented safety risks.
• Use body condition, not the pack guide: you should feel the ribs easily and see a waist.
• Keep treats to about 10% of daily calories, and keep chocolate, xylitol, grapes, onions and macadamias out of reach.
• Change foods gradually over about a week, and avoid feeding by the scoop instead of weighing.
• See your vet about unexplained weight changes, ongoing tummy trouble or any health condition before switching diets.

What every dog’s diet has to do

Dogs need protein, fats, fibre and a long list of vitamins and minerals in the right amounts and ratios. Too little or too much of one nutrient can cause problems that may not show for months, so the most useful thing to check on any food is whether it is designed to be the whole diet.

Complete versus complementary

In the United States, foods carry a nutritional adequacy statement saying whether they meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profiles for “growth”, “adult maintenance” or “all life stages”. In Europe and the UK, foods are labelled either complete (meant to be fed alone) or complementary (meant to be fed alongside something else, like a topper or mixer), and many manufacturers formulate to the nutritional guidelines published by FEDIAF, the European pet food industry federation. Other countries have their own standards or borrow from these, so check what applies where you live.

If a product doesn’t clearly say it is complete and balanced for your dog’s life stage, treat it as an extra, not a meal. For ingredient lists, guaranteed analysis and marketing terms like “natural” or “human-grade”, see how to read a dog food label without getting fooled.

Choosing a brand you can trust

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Global Nutrition Committee encourages owners to look beyond the marketing and ask manufacturers who formulates their foods, whether they employ a qualified nutritionist and what quality control they use. Clear, open answers are a good sign; pack design and trendy ingredients tell you very little.

Dog food types compared

Most owners choose between five broad styles of feeding. Each can be done well or badly. The table gives a neutral overview; the sections underneath add the safety detail.

Food type	What it is	Main advantages	Main drawbacks	Safety notes
Dry food (kibble)	Cooked, extruded and dried pieces	Convenient, easy to store and measure, usually the most affordable per day; works well in food puzzles	Calorie-dense, so easy to overfeed; some dogs find it less tempting	Store sealed in a cool, dry place; check use-by dates; measure by weight
Wet food (tins, trays, pouches)	Cooked food with high moisture content	Very palatable, adds water to the diet, helpful for some fussy or older dogs	Costs more per day, creates more packaging, spoils once opened	Refrigerate leftovers and use within the time on the pack; discard food left out
Fresh or gently cooked commercial	Lightly cooked food, often chilled or frozen, sometimes delivered	Highly palatable, minimally processed appeal	Usually the most expensive cooked option; needs fridge or freezer space	Check it is labelled complete and balanced; handle like fresh food
Raw (commercial or homemade)	Uncooked meat, organs, sometimes bones	Some dogs find it very appealing	No properly documented health benefits according to the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee; risk of nutritional imbalance	Risk of germs such as Salmonella and Listeria for dogs and people; bones can cause injuries and blockages
Home-cooked	Meals prepared in your kitchen	Full control of ingredients; can suit dogs with specific needs	Time-consuming; most published recipes are not nutritionally complete	Use a recipe formulated for your dog by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist

Dry and wet food

Both are cooked, which reduces the risk from germs, and both can be complete and balanced. The choice is often practical: budget, storage and what your dog happily eats. If you mix the two, reduce each portion so total calories stay the same.

Fresh and gently cooked foods

Fresh-style foods can be a good option if they are formulated to a recognised standard and fit your budget. “Fresh” doesn’t mean complete, so look for the same adequacy statement as on any other food.

Raw feeding: the honest picture

Raw diets are popular, but veterinary bodies are cautious. The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee’s statement on raw meat-based diets says the risks are well documented, including contamination with bacteria and parasites, nutritional imbalances and injuries from bones, while health benefits have not been properly documented, and it recommends against feeding them. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also advises against raw pet food, noting that freezing, freeze-drying or dehydrating reduces germs but does not remove them.

The risk isn’t only to your dog. Germs can spread around the kitchen and to family members, and the CDC lists young children among those at higher risk of serious illness. If you choose to feed raw anyway, talk it through with your vet, choose a product formulated to be complete, keep it frozen until needed, thaw it in the fridge, clean bowls and surfaces thoroughly, wash your hands, and be especially careful in homes with babies, older people, pregnant people or anyone with a weakened immune system.

Home-cooked diets

Home cooking is surprisingly hard to get right. A University of California, Davis study published in 2013 analysed 200 home-made dog food recipes from books and websites and found only nine met AAFCO minimums for all essential nutrients; the few written by board-certified veterinary nutritionists performed well. If you want to home-cook, ask your vet to refer you to a veterinary nutritionist who can write a recipe for your dog, including the supplements needed to balance it, and follow it exactly.

Grain-free and other trends

From 2018 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigated reports of a heart condition, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in dogs eating certain diets, many of them grain-free. In December 2022 it stopped routine updates, saying the data did not establish a causal link, so the question remains unresolved. Discuss grain-free, vegan or other non-traditional diets with your vet first.

Feeding through each life stage

Puppies

Growing puppies need a food labelled for growth (or all life stages) and several small meals a day, reducing to fewer, larger meals as they mature. Large and giant breed puppies are a special case: their developing bones are sensitive to too much or too little calcium, and too many calories can push growth too fast. In the US, growth foods must now state whether they are suitable for puppies expected to be large as adults, so check the label. Small breeds tend to reach adult size sooner than big breeds, which can keep growing well into their second year, so the right time to switch to adult food varies. Your vet can tell you when. The puppy’s first year guide covers feeding alongside the other big milestones, and house-training a puppy explains how regular mealtimes help with toilet routines.

Adult dogs

An adult maintenance or all life stages food suits most healthy adults. Energy needs vary a lot between individuals, depending on size, breed, age, activity and whether they are neutered. A working or very active dog may need far more than a laid-back companion of the same weight. How much exercise your dog actually needs is a useful reality check on activity.

Senior dogs

There’s no single official definition of a “senior” diet. Some older dogs gain weight as they slow down; others lose weight, appetite or muscle. Regular weigh-ins and vet check-ups matter more than the word “senior” on a bag. For more, see caring for a senior dog and joint health in dogs, where keeping a lean weight is one of the most useful things you can do.

Pregnant and nursing dogs

Pregnancy and especially nursing raise nutritional needs considerably. These dogs usually need a growth or all life stages food and close veterinary guidance on amounts.

How much to feed: portions and body condition

The feeding guide on the pack is an average for a typical dog and a starting point only. The best measure of whether you’re feeding the right amount is your dog’s body.

Body condition scoring in plain terms

Vets commonly use a 9-point body condition score, where 1 is severely underweight, 9 is severely obese and 4 to 5 is ideal. At an ideal score you can:

• feel the ribs easily with light pressure, without a thick layer of fat over them
• see a waist behind the ribs when you look down from above
• see the belly tuck up behind the ribcage when you look from the side

If the ribs are hard to find, the waist has disappeared, or the belly hangs level or low, your dog is likely carrying extra weight. If the ribs, spine and hip bones are very prominent, they may be too thin. Thick coats hide a lot, so use your hands, not just your eyes. Your vet or vet nurse can show you how to score your own dog.

A simple portion routine

1. Start with the pack’s guide for your dog’s ideal weight, not their current weight if they’re overweight.
2. Weigh food on kitchen scales rather than using a scoop or cup, which can vary a lot.
3. Split the daily amount into meals, and take any training treats or food-puzzle portions out of that total.
4. Weigh your dog and check their body condition every two to four weeks.
5. Adjust the amount in small steps if they’re gaining or losing, then check again.
6. Ask your vet for a weight plan if your dog needs to lose more than a little.

Worked example: the treat budget

Veterinary nutrition guidance from UC Davis suggests treats and extras should make up no more than 10% of daily calories, with at least 90% coming from a complete and balanced diet. Suppose your vet estimates your dog needs about 700 kcal a day (this is just an example; your dog’s figure will differ). That gives a treat budget of around 70 kcal. Many treat packs list calories per piece, so you can see how quickly a handful adds up. For training, break treats into tiny pieces or use part of your dog’s daily kibble. Positive reinforcement training works beautifully with small, frequent rewards rather than big ones.

Treats, chews and table scraps

Treats are central to kind, reward-based training; just keep them small and count them. Avoid cooked bones, which can splinter, and be thoughtful about hard chews. Chews and chew toys: how to choose safely explains what to look for, and dog dental care covers why no chew replaces brushing.

Food doesn’t have to come in a bowl. Scatter feeding, snuffle mats and puzzle feeders turn meals into enrichment and slow fast eaters down. You’ll find ideas in 20 easy dog enrichment ideas and scent work at home.

Foods that are dangerous for dogs

Some everyday foods are toxic to dogs, even in amounts that seem small. A 2016 review in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, “Household Food Items Toxic to Dogs and Cats”, sets out the main culprits. Keep these well out of reach, including in bins and handbags.

Food	Why it’s a problem	Watch for
Chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caffeine products	Contain methylxanthines (theobromine and caffeine); dark and baking chocolate are the most concentrated	Vomiting, restlessness, racing heart, tremors, seizures
Xylitol (sugar-free gum, sweets, some baked goods and dental products)	Can trigger a sudden drop in blood sugar and may damage the liver	Weakness, wobbliness, collapse, seizures
Grapes, raisins, sultanas, currants	Can cause kidney failure; the toxic substance and safe amount are not known	Vomiting, lethargy, reduced urination
Onions, garlic, leeks, chives (raw, cooked or powdered)	Damage red blood cells and can cause anaemia; signs may be delayed	Weakness, pale gums, dark urine
Macadamia nuts	Cause weakness, particularly in the back legs	Wobbliness, tremors, vomiting, high temperature
Alcohol and raw bread or pizza dough	Alcohol is toxic; yeast dough ferments, producing alcohol and swelling in the stomach	Wobbliness, drowsiness, bloated belly

If you think your dog has eaten something toxic, contact your vet or an emergency vet straight away, even if they seem fine, and don’t try to make them vomit unless a vet tells you to.

Changing your dog’s food safely

Sudden switches are a common cause of loose stools and upset tummies. Pet food makers such as Hill’s suggest about a week, with an extra day or two if your dog needs it. A common pattern is:

1. Days 1 to 2: about a quarter new food, three quarters old.
2. Days 3 to 4: about half and half.
3. Days 5 to 6: about three quarters new, a quarter old.
4. Day 7 onwards: all new food, if stools are normal.
5. Slow down and stay at the previous step if you see loose stools; call your vet if there’s vomiting, diarrhoea that persists, blood, or your dog seems unwell.

Dogs with sensitive digestion may need an even slower change. Dog gut health: how to support happy, healthy digestion goes deeper into fibre, stools and what’s normal.

Special situations: allergies, weight and health conditions

Itchy skin, ear problems or ongoing tummy upsets are sometimes linked to diet, but have many other causes too. Food allergy is diagnosed with a strict elimination diet trial guided by your vet, not by switching brands. Dogs with kidney, liver, bladder or other conditions may need a prescription diet, used only under veterinary supervision. Don’t add supplements to a complete diet without asking your vet, since extra calcium or vitamin D, for example, can do harm.

When to see your vet about food

Book a check-up, or call sooner if your dog seems unwell, when you notice:

• weight gain or loss you can’t explain
• a sudden change in appetite, or refusing food for more than a day
• drinking much more than usual
• repeated vomiting, diarrhoea lasting more than a day or two, or blood in stools or vomit
• a swollen, tight belly with retching that brings nothing up, especially in large, deep-chested dogs, which is an emergency
• any time you are planning a big diet change for a dog with a health condition

If you’re not sure whether something can wait, how to know when to call the vet helps you sort urgent signs from those that can wait for a routine appointment.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Feeding by the scoop. Scoops and cups vary. Weighing is more accurate and makes it easier to adjust portions.
• Forgetting the extras. Chews, training treats, toppers and leftovers all add calories.
• Feeding to the bag, not the dog. Pack guides are averages. Body condition tells you what your dog actually needs.
• Treating a complementary food as a full meal. Toppers and mixers are extras unless they say complete.
• Trusting internet recipes. Most home-made recipes tested by researchers have been incomplete.
• Leaving food out all day. Free-feeding makes it hard to monitor appetite and easy to overfeed. Set mealtimes suit most dogs better.

Quick checklist: is your dog’s diet working?

1. The food is labelled complete and balanced for your dog’s life stage.
2. Your dog is at an ideal body condition (ribs easy to feel, visible waist).
3. Stools are well formed and regular.
4. Your dog eats with interest and has steady energy.
5. Their coat looks healthy for their breed and age.
6. Treats stay within about 10% of daily calories.
7. Fresh, clean water is always available.
8. Your vet has checked weight and condition within the last year (more often for seniors and dogs with health conditions).

Every feeding guide on this site

Use this as your map. Each guide goes deeper into one part of feeding and care.

Choosing food

• How to read a dog food label: decode adequacy statements, ingredient lists and marketing claims.
• Dog gut health and digestion: what normal digestion looks like and how diet, fibre and routine support it.

Life stages

• Your puppy’s first year: feeding, growth and milestones, stage by stage.
• House-training a puppy: how meal timing shapes a reliable toilet routine.
• Caring for a senior dog: changes in appetite, weight and comfort as dogs age.

Weight, activity and health

• How much exercise does your dog need?: balancing activity with what’s in the bowl.
• Joint health in dogs: why a lean weight matters for lifelong mobility.
• Dog dental care: the daily habit that protects teeth and gums.
• When to call the vet: a calm guide to urgent and non-urgent signs.
• Choosing the right dog breed: how size and breed affect everyday care.

Treats, chews and food as enrichment

• Choosing safe chews: how to pick chews that are less likely to break teeth or cause blockages.
• Positive reinforcement training: using food rewards kindly and effectively.
• 20 easy enrichment ideas: turn mealtimes into puzzles and games.
• Scent work at home: let your dog sniff out part of their daily food.

If you like to share the odd titbit, check this list of which human foods dogs can eat, and which ones to keep well out of reach.

Related guide: Dog Ate Chocolate? The Right, Safe Steps to Take Fast.

Related guide: Wet vs Dry Dog Food: How to Choose the Right One.

Related guide: Small Breed Dog Food: How to Choose the Right, Safe Diet.

Sources this guide draws on: the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee’s guidance and its statement on the risks of raw meat-based diets; AAFCO nutrient profiles and nutritional adequacy statements; the FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines for complete and complementary pet food; the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on pet food safety; the US FDA’s investigation into diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy; the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine study of home-made dog food recipes (2013) and its treat guidelines for dogs; Tufts University Cummings School’s Petfoodology guidance on large breed puppy foods; Cortinovis and Caloni, “Household Food Items Toxic to Dogs and Cats”, Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2016); and body condition scoring guidance used by veterinary practices.

Frequently asked questions

What is the healthiest thing to feed my dog?

There’s no single healthiest food for every dog. The healthiest diet is one that is complete and balanced for your dog’s life stage, made by a company with good quality control, fed in amounts that keep your dog lean, and suited to any health needs. That can be dry, wet or fresh food, or a vet-formulated home-cooked diet.

How many times a day should I feed my dog?

Young puppies need several small meals a day, reducing as they grow. Most adult dogs do well on two meals a day, which helps manage hunger and makes it easy to spot changes in appetite. Your vet may suggest a different pattern for dogs with particular health conditions.

Can dogs eat human food?

Some plain foods, such as certain cooked lean meats or dog-safe vegetables, are fine as small treats within the 10% treat allowance. Others, including chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, macadamia nuts and anything containing xylitol, are toxic. Rich, fatty leftovers can also upset digestion, so keep table food minimal.

Is raw food good for dogs?

Veterinary bodies including the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee and the CDC advise against raw diets because of documented risks from germs, nutritional imbalances and bones, and because benefits haven’t been properly documented. If you’re considering raw food, discuss it with your vet first, particularly if there are young children or vulnerable people at home.

How do I know if I’m feeding my dog the right amount?

Use body condition, not the bowl. You should be able to feel your dog’s ribs easily, see a waist from above and see a tuck behind the ribs from the side. Weigh your dog regularly and adjust portions in small steps, and ask your vet to check their condition at routine visits.

Feeding your dog well isn’t about finding a perfect brand. It’s a complete diet, sensible portions, a few safe treats and attention to the dog in front of you. Get those right, let your vet help with the bigger decisions, and mealtimes stay one of the happiest parts of your dog’s day.