Boston Terrier feeding can be tricky as this breed is known to pack weight quite easily. This is why owners should be responsible enough to know how much to feed a Boston Terrier on a daily basis.
The amount of food to give a Boston Terrier depends largely on its age. Generally, a Boston Terrier puppy can be fed ½ to 1 ¾ cups of puppy food per day, while adults need roughly 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ cups of dog food daily. On the other hand, senior Boston Terriers do best with 1 ¼ cups of dog food each day.
There are also other factors that you need to consider when feeding your Boston Terrier. In this guide, you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about feeding this breed.
What Factors Impact How Much to Feed a Boston Terrier?
A number of factors determine the amount of food that a Boston Terrier needs to eat. Knowing about these variables will help you tailor-fit your dog’s diet to its needs.
Below are some of the factors affecting how much a Boston Terrier should eat:
- Weight: The weight of a Boston Terrier affects how much you should feed it. Generally, larger dogs will need a larger serving of food. However, if your dog is way past its ideal weight, its optimal diet may be less than average to help it lose weight.
- Age: The amount and type of food must be considered based on the physiological needs of dogs depending on their life stage. Puppies may require more proportion to their body size to meet their developing demands, but adults and seniors require only the amount necessary for daily maintenance and general health.
- Activity level: Because of their agility and high activity level, Boston Terriers eat and require a lot of food. This is especially true if they are consistently engaged in physical activities and exercise.
- Spay or neuter status: Spaying or neutering Boston Terriers have a direct impact on their dietary needs. According to experts, spayed or neutered dogs have slower metabolisms, which means spayed or neutered dogs will generally need smaller volumes of food.
Learning about these variables can help you ensure that you are providing the right amount of food to your Boston Terrier. Aside from these factors, sex, genetics, and environment can also affect your dog’s food serving size.
How Much to Feed Your Boston Terrier
One of the most critical parts of feeding your Boston Terrier is to provide it with the right food portions at every age. This ensures that your dog gets the right balance of nutrients to maintain a healthy weight.
This section will walk you through how much food to feed your Boston Terrier according to its age. As you go through them, take notice that these recommendations are only averages and suggested serving sizes.
Changes may be necessary depending on your Boston Terrier’s particular needs, such as medical issues, weight, activity level, or whether it is spayed or neutered.
Boston Terrier Puppy Feeding Chart (1 to 12 months)
A Boston Terrier puppy must feed straight from its mother after birth in order to benefit from the natural antibodies produced by the colostrum present in its mother’s milk.
A puppy-specific formula is usually applied if the litter is too large or if the Boston Terrier puppies are separated from their mother earlier than expected.
They are ready to wean or transition from pure milk to soft puppy food during the third to fourth week of life.
The chart below should help you determine how much dry dog food to feed your Boston Terrier puppy:
Age | Daily Feeding Amount (Cups) | Caloric Intake (Per day) |
1 – 3 months | ½ – 1 | 241 – 479 |
4 – 5 months | 1 | 396 – 503 |
6 – 9 months | 1 ¼ – 1 ¾ | 570 – 758 |
10 – 12 months | 1 ¾ | 769 – 817 |
While you feed your Boston Terrier puppy the required amount of dog food, make sure it is also well hydrated. The proper amount of water in its body promotes growth and development.
Meanwhile, if you’re considering transitioning your Boston Terrier puppy to adult dog food, raw dog food, dry dog food, wet food, or canned food, you may need to consult a vet for the correct food portions.
Adult Boston Terrier Feeding Chart (1 to 8 years)
A Boston puppy normally matures and becomes an adult dog at the end of its first year. By this point, it is vital to transition from puppy food to adult food since adulthood doesn’t need as many calories.
Adult Boston Terriers are still quite playful and energetic, so calorie-dense dog food is recommended to sustain their energy requirement.
Whether it is wet food, dry dog food, or raw dog food, be sure to check how many calories are in the food you give your dog to ensure that your pup stays within the healthy Boston Terrier weight range.
The following table shows how much food you should feed your adult Boston Terrier:
Age | Daily Feeding Amount (Cups) | Caloric Intake (Per day) |
1 – 8 years | 1 ½ – 1 ¾ | 616 – 653 |
You should be mindful that your Boston Terrier requires vitamins as well. However, it is critical to remember that vitamins can break your dog’s diet when given incorrectly.
Dogs eating proper commercial food or good quality store-bought dog food should not require vitamin supplements unless otherwise advised by a veterinarian.
Dogs given homemade food, on the other hand, may require supplements to ensure good vitamin intake. Even so, these vitamins should be given in line with the diet.
As a lover of small dogs, I used to own a female Boston Terrier named Heartie. One thing that I have always paid attention to when giving Heartie a steady supply of clean water for her hydration is the manner in which she drinks it.
At first, I used to pour the water into her bowl. However, I observed that there are times when he creates a wheezing sound right after drinking. I then realized that his short snout might be the one causing this.
Hence, I removed the bowl and replaced it with a water bottle feeder, and that solved the problem.
Senior Boston Terrier Feeding Chart (8 years and above)
By the time a Boston Terrier reaches old age, its metabolism will have slowed, and its level of activity will also have decreased. As a result, older Boston Terriers may be more at risk of obesity.
As a result, they require fewer meals, and their calorie intake must be lowered to match their energy level. Protein-rich diets are also encouraged to help an older Boston Terrier maintain its muscle mass.
The feeding chart that follows shows the proper daily intake a senior Boston Terrier needs:
Age | Daily Food Quantity (Cups) | Caloric Intake (Per day) |
8 years and above | 1 ¼ | 492 – 523 |
The playful and active nature of Boston Terriers is something that I have noticed even when Heartie reached her senior years.
Hence, I added the right amount of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D supplements in her diet to keep her bones and teeth strong and prevent injuries.
Should you wish to add these to your dog’s diet, you must consult a licensed veterinarian first or seek the help of a pet nutritionist.
How Often Should You Feed Your Boston Terrier?
A Boston Terrier’s meal frequency changes with age. A newborn needs nursing 5 to 7 times a day. Once your dog starts eating puppy food, it can eat 3 to 4 times daily. At one year old, its meals can be reduced to twice a day. Lastly, during its senior years, your dog needs only one meal daily.
The feeding chart below shows the recommended feeding frequencies based on the age of your Boston Terrier:
Age | Feeding Frequency |
0 – 8 weeks | Five to seven times a day |
2 – 12 months | Three to four times a day |
1 – 7 years | Twice a day |
8 years and above | Once a day |
If your Boston Terrier is a bit more energetic and does more physical activities, you may increase the number of meals a day. This will help sustain your dog’s energy needs, lowering the risk of hypoglycemia.
How to Transition Your Boston Terrier to a New Food
There are many reasons why you would need to swap out your dog’s old diet for a new one. Switching from puppy to adult food, boredom, health issues, food allergies, or even just testing out a new food can be valid reasons to do it.
However, swapping out your dog’s diet is not as easy as it sounds. The basic rule of thumb for converting your Boston Terrier’s food is to do it gradually while evaluating your dog’s physical and behavioral reactions.
Here’s a meal plan you can use when switching your Boston Terrier to a new dog food brand or diet:
Day | Old Food | New Food |
1 – 2 | 75% | 25% |
3 – 4 | 50% | 50% |
5 – 6 | 25% | 75% |
7 | 0% | 100% |
If your Boston Terrier exhibits any negative responses or physical symptoms during this transition, slow down or stop the process. You may choose to dial back the proportions a bit to help it cope with the change.
Pro Tip: When bringing your Boston Terrier puppy home the first time, it is a great practice to ask its breeder what brand of dog food or diet it is currently using. This should help you transition better to the new diet without any troubles.
Tips on Feeding an Overweight Boston Terrier
The Boston Terrier dog breed is known for being big and happy eaters, motivated by their high activity level and big appetites.
If you can no longer feel your dog’s ribs and can see its sagging waist, swinging belly, or oval-shaped torso, your dog is probably overweight.
This must be avoided at all costs, but if prevention is no longer an option, there are some things you can do to help your dog manage its weight.
Here are some tips on dealing with an overweight Boston Terrier:
- Control intake of food: The feeding chart in this article is based on a Boston Terrier’s ideal weight for its age. However, if your dog is already overweight, you must reduce its food portions. In general, your dog must eat less than its daily caloric requirement to facilitate weight loss.
- Avoid unnecessary dog treats: Treats add to the calories consumed by your pet. Use them sparingly and consider choosing natural and nutritious treats that are suitable for your pet, such as non-toxic fruits and vegetables. This will help your dog cut down excessive weight.
- Maintain a fiber-rich diet: A fiber-rich diet will make your Boston Terrier feel full even when consuming fewer servings of food. Some commercial dog food offers dry dog food with fiber-rich content. You may also prepare a fiber-rich homemade meal for your dog.
It should be simple enough to get your Boston Terrier back in shape with appropriate discipline. It is best to note that these strategies are best complemented with increased physical activities,
If all of these fail to control your Boston Terrier’s weight, consult a pet nutritionist or a licensed veterinarian for a weight loss plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know If I’m Feeding My Boston Terrier Enough?
You will know that your dog is well-fed if its weight is within the ideal range for its age. Your Boston Terrier will also display enough enthusiasm for feeding time and enough energy for its activities.
Physically, if your dog’s waist is overly accentuated rather than a gentle slope and if its rib bones are visible, it may be underfed. Meanwhile, if your dog goes past its ideal weight, it’s most likely overfed.
Why Is My Boston Terrier Not Eating?
There may be several reasons why your Boston Terrier isn’t eating. Dietary or behavioral problems, recent surgery, dental issues, drug side effects, and gastroenteritis or gastrointestinal blockage are a few examples.
While some reasons for lack of appetite are quite minor, others may be significantly more concerning. If your dog hasn’t eaten in more than 24 hours, it may be time to seek medical advice from a vet.
Can I Feed My Boston Terrier With Human Food?
A dog digests food differently from a human. The usual human food is too rich in flavor and too fatty for a dog to digest properly. Hence, eating human foods can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and other health issues in dogs.
However, some Boston owners prefer making homemade dog food with natural ingredients for their dogs. If you wish to do this as well, make sure you are not adding any toxic foods to the ingredients.
Do Boston Terriers Eat a Lot?
As an energetic dog breed, the Boston Terrier may need a lot of food to meet its energy requirements. If you generously feed your Boston Terrier unlimited dog food, snacks, or treats, it will gladly eat and ask for more.
This is why you should stick to a strict routine when it comes to feeding your Boston Terrier.
Can Boston Terriers Eat Bones?
Many Boston Terriers actually eat bones. However, the American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends giving only raw meat bones that fit the Boston Terrier’s mouth.
These bones are high in calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for blood clotting, muscle contraction, bone regeneration, and cell communication. Also, you should only give raw bones — not cooked ones.
Hopefully, you have learned a thing or two in this guide. Meanwhile, if you have some tips or wish to share your Boston Terrier feeding experience with us, feel free to leave a comment below!