Brittany Feeding Guide (Everything You Should Know)

Hello, pet parents! Welcome to my ultimate guide to feeding Brittany.

In this guide, I will cover how much to feed a Brittany, how often to feed your Brittany, when to feed your Brittany, what foods to feed your Brittany, what foods to avoid feeding your Brittany, and other questions you may have about your Brittany’s nutrition.

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.

Brittany are known for their agility and stamina, they were originally bred as gundogs. They are high-energy dogs that will require daily exercise. Brittany thrive when they’re around their human family and function better when their natural instincts for hunting are curbed by exercises.

Brittany makes an excellent dog companion with the right training, diet, and exercise. These traits have endeared them to pet parents around the world, to maintain their energy and vibrance, they have to feed them the best quality nutrition.

I have created this ultimate guide to feeding your Brittany to curious and new pet parents to solve your dog’s nutrition problem. I will go into details from my personal knowledge working for a vet on every feed question you might have.

Let’s jump into the article.

Brittany Nutritional Requirements

Brittany are medium sized dogs that require the proper nutrients in their specific amount to grow healthy. Like other dog breeds, if some of these nutrients are present in excess amounts or less, it would end up endangering the overall health of your dog.

Your Brittany meal when they are in their growing phase should majorly consist of 20-22% protein for puppies, and 18-30% protein for adults. 8-20% fats for puppies, and 5-20% fats for adults. Their meal should also contain fiber, carbohydrates, multi-vitamins, and minerals.

Brittany’s are super energetic and will require the best source of nutrition to keep this energy at an optimal level. Protein sources must be from animal protein like chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef.

Their source of fiber can be fish oil or vegetables. Their source of fiber is from wholesome, healthy vegetables like cabbage, carrots, sprouts, and broccoli. Your Brittany meals should contain an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals for a healthy immune system and bones.

Nutritional Requirement for a Brittany Puppy

The diet of a Brittany puppy and adolescent should consist of 20–22% protein, 8–20% fat, and 6% fiber. Brittany as puppies are incredibly energetic, and their metabolism rate is high. They require protein for building healthy muscles and minerals for strong bones;  carbohydrates for energy, and fats for maintaining healthy fur.

Nutritional Requirement for Adult and Mature Brittany

The meal plan for mature and adult Brittany should consist of 18–30% protein, carbohydrate, 5–20% fat, and fiber. Brittany are very active at this stage and will need protein and carbohydrates to keep their weight and energy level optimal. However, you should avoid overfeeding your pet at this stage as Brittany are prone to obesity and will develop health complications.

Nutritional Requirement For Senior and Geriatric Brittany

At this stage of your dog’s life, it is less active than at other stages. At this age, your pet’s food should ideally contain 20% protein, 10% fat, and fiber. Senior Brittany will need minerals and vitamins added to their food to keep their immune system and bones healthy.

Factors Affecting The Feeding of a Brittany

Some factors will affect the diet of your Brittany, such as the breed’s size, 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 Brittany for males is 48–56 cm, and for females, is 46–51 cm from the sole of their feet to their shoulder. A male Brittany weighs 18-23 kg, and a female Brittany weighs 20-25 kg.

Male Brittany are bigger and heavier than female Brittany, which means the males will require a larger intake of calories to stay healthy and strong.

Age consideration

Brittany puppies will require more calories during their growing stage due to their high metabolic rate. They need to be fed a lot if you want them to grow into strong, healthy dogs.

Adult Brittany do not need to be fed more than two or three times per day. Adult Brittany has a slow metabolism, which can lead to stomach bloating and indigestion if they’re fed excessively.

As a senior, your Brittany is less active and will require fewer calories than at their adult stage. Doing otherwise might lead to obesity and other serious health problems. 

Activity Level

Athletes are required to maintain a strict diet compared to non-athletes, so you should also keep your Brittany away from certain foods if you want to maintain its athletic abilities.

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

These fast foods lack the nutrients that would allow your Brittany to perform to their full potential and make them slow to learn new tricks or obey your commands.

Health Consideration

Brittany are prone to certain health issues, which should be addressed in their diets if you want to manage or prevent them from developing those issues.

Some health issues that affect Brittany include hip and elbow dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy, phosphofructokinase deficiency, retinal dysplasia, heart problems, eye problems like cataracts, and patellar luxation. 

These health problems could be avoided or mitigated by eating or avoiding certain foods from the start, rather than treating them as they arise.

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

Brittany Feeding Amounts

Your Brittany, 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 Brittany 0.33 to 1.75 cups of food that has 127 to 687 kcal per day; feed your adult Brittany 1.37 to 2.34 cups per day that has 479 to 820 kcal per day, according to their activity level; and feed your senior Brittany 1.14 to 2 cups per day that has 400 to 700 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 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 Brittany

For your puppy and adolescent to grow into healthy adults, the meal should be high in protein and low in fat, which can be obtained from animal meat.

A Brittany puppy should be given 0.33 to 1.75 cups of food per day that contains 127 to 687 kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The feeding requirement of your puppy is given in detail in the charts below:

Following the above guidelines will aid in bone development and muscle growth, as well as strengthen their immune system to combat common bacteria and viruses that can cause health complications.

 How Much To Feed Your Adult Brittany

The nutritional requirements of an adult Brittany are different from those of a puppy. The food of mature Brittany should have a lower percentage of proteins and fats to prevent obesity. This is done by reducing the feeding frequency to two times per day.

A mature and adult Brittany’s puppy should be given 1.37 to 2.34 cups of food per day that contains 479 to 820 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 an adult Brittany to help you with their meal plan.

How Much To Feed Your Senior Brittany

Senior Brittany 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 Brittany are often plagued with health issues. Some of these issues can be alleviated by supplementing your senior dog’s diet with vitamins and minerals to help revive his or her weakened immune system and fragile bones.

Senior and geriatric Brittany puppies should be given 1.14-2 cups of food per day that contains 400–700 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 an older Brittany.

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

You can continue giving your senior Brittany the same food you gave them as an adult, only in smaller quantities 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.

Brittany Feeding Frequency

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

How Often Should You Feed Your Brittany Puppy?

•         During the weaning process or at 8 weeks old and below: feed them four times a day at equally spaced intervals.

•         8 weeks to 3 months old: feed them four times a day at equally spaced intervals.

•         4 months to 12 months old: gradually transition to feeding them three times a day with equally spaced time intervals.

How Often Should You Feed Your Adult Brittany?

You should feed your adult Brittany two times a day, with 12 hours of spacing between meals. Ideally one in the morning and one in the evening.

How Often Should You Feed Your Senior Brittany?

You should feed your senior Brittany twice a day unless given a specific schedule by a vet.

Brittany Feeding Schedule

•             Brittany’s 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 Brittany should be fed in the morning, afternoon, and evening to help them transition properly into an adult.

•         Adult and Senior Brittany should also be fed in the morning and the evening unless stated differently by your vet or pet nutritionist.

As a general rule, you should feed your Brittany 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 heavily used as a reward when training your Brittany.

The Kind of Food To Feed Your Brittany

The food you feed your Brittany 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 Brittany 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 help you understand what to feed your dog:

                Dry Food: Dry dog food, 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 veterinarians 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 gives you control over its nutrition and can put your mind at ease knowing that you are always providing the best care for your dog.

                BARF Diet: Biologically Appropriate Raw Food is a diet that includes 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.

The Kind of Food To Avoid Feeding a Brittany

We should take caution before giving whatever food we’re eating to our Brittany. 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 Brittany because these foods contain toxins that are harmful to your pet that could lead you to frequent trips to the vet.

Human food to avoid feeding your Brittany includes chocolates, coffee, gums, peanut butter, candies, cooked bones, etc.

The Fruits and vegetables to avoid feeding your Brittany 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 To Transition Your Brittany From Puppy Food To Adult Food

You should transition your Brittany’s puppy from puppy food to adult food when he’s around 10–12 months old.

Transitioning your adolescent Brittany 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 requirements at that stage of life.

Transitioning needs to be gradual by introducing adult feed bit by bit until you get to 100% adult feed.

However, feeding your adult 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 Your Brittany Is Not Eating

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

Illness, dental problems, teething, medication, constipation, time of day, spoiled food, dehydration, and stress

Brittany are not picky eaters, so when they are eating, it might be a sign of some underlying illness that needs to be treated by the vet. Sometimes it can be something as mild as stress, which can resolve itself after some time, but if your dog is not drinking water or eating, then you need to see the vet immediately. 

Why Your Brittany Is Always Hungry

Brittany, like other high-energy dogs, has a high metabolic rate. So, if your dog engages in more activities than normal, it will be significantly hungrier than normal. Some medical issues can cause this, and another reason may be the lack of an adequate amount of appropriate nutrition in your dog’s food. Worms could be another reason your dog is always hungry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Brittany is a loyal, hardworking, and effective dog. They are intelligent and do not need intense training before being able to pick them up. If they have been properly socialized, they make excellent family dogs and walking companions.   

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

However, if you desire more information on how to take care of your Brittany, 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.