How Much Do Whippets Eat Per Day?

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A whippets diet is the foundation of its growth and health, it’s very important to feed a whippet on a nutritious, high-quality diet if you want him to be big and strong.

Feeding a whippet puppy the best ingredients with the appropriate number of calories will help him grow all the way to adulthood.

You’ll want to make sure that you’re giving your whippet the right amount of food each day, to ensure that they grow but don’t get overweight either.

There is nothing worse than seeing a fat whippet that has been fed on a poor diet and not had the exercise it needs.

There are lots of different diets you can try your whippet on, there is dry food, wet food, raw food and many more.

In this post, we are going to focus on how much do whippets eat per day?

So that you know exactly how much food your whippet should be eating when he is a puppy, and also fully grown.

So how much do whippets eat per day?

Let’s find out…

Whippet Puppies vs Adult Whippets

The amount of food that a whippet puppy compared to an adult whippet is slightly different because one is growing big and strong whilst the other is typically fully-grown.

Both adults and puppies need to be fed on a high quality, nutritious diet as well as have regular exercise, but puppies actually need more calories than an adult whippet.

The average whippet puppy needs around 990 calories per day whilst adults need around 894 calories.

This is because puppies need a lot of nutrients to help their bones develop and muscles grow.

There are a lot of variables that also need to be considered, the main being the amount of exercise your whippet is getting.

If you’re coursing with your whippet then you’ll need to up the calories slightly, as he will be burning a lot of calories whilst out training from running so much.

How Often Should You Feed Your Whippet

When it comes to feeding your whippet, everyone is different. Some people like to feed there whippet’s morning and night, which is what I do.

Whilst other whippet owners like to allow their whippet to free feed, which means they leave food in the bowl all day and allow their dog to pick at it whenever they choose.

So when is best to feed a whippet?

There’s no real right answer for this. Adult whippets usually do well eating two meals per day, whilst you can feed whippet puppies 3 – 4 meals per day when they are young.

By the time puppies grow up to be adults, they should also be on two meals per day, usually morning and night purely because it’s the most convenient for most.

It is completely down to you what time you choose to feed your whippet, as long as he is getting the calories he needs each day to thrive then timing isn’t a big issue.

You may want to take into account when your likely to exercise your whippet as if he’s about to go on a 10 mile walk it’s probably best to line his stomach with some food before he goes to keep his energy levels up.

Should you see a whippets ribs?

Many people get concerned if they see their whippets ribs, but this is completely normal and means that they are healthy.

Two or three ribs are meant to be visible, whippets are made to be slim, muscly dogs that have very low body fat, so don’t worry.

What Food Is Best For My Whippet?

There are many different foods that you can feed your whippet on in today’s world, the main thing is that your whippet is getting the macronutrients he needs to grow big and strong, especially as a puppy.

I try to look for a quality dog food that is high in protein and has a large calorie per kilogram count.

It’s also a good idea to try to get dog foods that contain chicken, beef, brown rice, barley, oatmeal etc, ingredients that are good for your dog and will help him grow.

Whippets also have very short fur which makes them intolerant to cold weather, you’ll want to ensure your whippet has fats such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids to keep their skin strong and healthy.

This will help them manage the cold weather a little more, but you should also invest in a dog coat for him too.

You’ll also want to take into account that not all dogs eat the same food, some are fussy eaters and will only eat dog food that tastes a certain way.

You should experiment with your whippet’s food until you find a combination that works for him, my whippet loves chicken flavoured food, so I try to stick to this flavour of dog food whilst also mixing it up every now and again to keep her interested.

Take a look at our best dog food for whippets post for some great recommendations on the best food for your pup.

Every once in awhile I also give my whippet some raw meat, this is said to be excellent for your whippet as it’s closer to what they would eat naturally.

And of course, it’s high in protein which is fantastic for the growth of your dog.

How Much To Feed Your Whippet Each Day

Believe it or not but a whippet puppy needs more calories per pound of body weight than the average adult dog of the same breed.

The National Research Council of the National Academies says that an adult whippet weighing 30 pounds needs 894 calories per day.

Whilst a puppy that weighs 10 pounds and will grow to be 33 pounds at maturity needs 990 calories per day.

This is quite a lot of calories for such small dogs, but they have large muscles which help them run at high speeds, so need to be fed on a diet that’s high in protein, which is why so many whippet owners opt for a raw food diet for their dog.

how much do whippets eat per day?
Image: bbartlomiej

Purina recommends that a dog that will weigh in the 21 to 50 pounds range as an adult should get 2/3 to 1 ¼ cups of food per day when they’re between one and a half to three months old.

From ages four to five months of age they should get 1 ¾ to 2 1/3 of cups. At six to eight months they should be fed 1 1/3 to 2 cups.

From nine to eleven months they should be fed from 2 1/3 to 2 ½ cups. Between the ages of one and two years old, they will get between 2 1/3 to 3 ½ cups each day.

This is purely a guideline that has been set by Purina but will vary between dog to dog as they start to grow and mature.

There are lots of variables that need to be taken into account, as whippets that are training for racing or working dogs will be getting lots of exercise, so may need more calories in their diet.

Speaking with a veterinarian is your best resource when it comes to feeding your whippet the right amount, as they’ll weigh him and take into account exercise and other variables to come up with a diet plan for your whippet.

Final Thoughts

So how much do whippets eat per day?

That really depends on the whippet lifestyle factors such as exercise etc.

However, I feed my adult whippets twice a day and give them a combination of both dry and wet food, as well as a raw meat treat every now and again.

This keeps my whippet enjoying her food and excited for mealtimes, she gets lots of exercise so can burn off any excess calories that she may have consumed if she has a doggy treat.

The National Research Council of the National Academies says that a puppy whippet needs around 997 calories whilst an adult whippet needs around 894 calories per day.

This may seem a little strange to some but whippet puppies need a lot of calories in order for their muscles to grow big and strong.

There are many different diets and ways to feed your whippet which I will leave for a different post, but it’s very important to feed your whippet on a high quality, nutritious diet especially if he’s getting lots of exercise or being used for working or racing.

Should you see a whippets ribs?

Yes, this is normal and means that they are healthy, you should be able to see two to three ribs showing through.

After a while, you will start to understand just how much your whippet needs to eat each day based on his lifestyle.

If he’s out running for hours each day then he will naturally need more than a whippet that isn’t exercised too much and chills on the couch most days.

Hopefully, you have learned a thing or two about feeding your whippet in this post, and now have a clearer idea of how much food your whippet should be getting each day.

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