How should I adjust food if my dog is on restricted activity after an injury?

A dog on crate rest or significantly restricted activity is burning noticeably less energy than its normal routine, so continuing to feed the pre injury amount often leads to weight gain during a period when extra weight is particularly unhelpful for healing and joint stress.

The exact reduction depends on how restricted the activity is. Complete crate rest justifies a larger cut than a dog still allowed short, gentle lead walks.

A dog confined and less active can be more food focused out of boredom, so consider splitting the reduced amount into more frequent, smaller meals or using puzzle feeders to add mental engagement without adding calories.

Weigh food accurately during this period, since a slow, steady creep is easy to miss when a dog is otherwise being closely monitored for its injury.

As your vet clears increasing levels of activity, increase food gradually in step with each stage of the return to normal exercise, rather than jumping back to full activity level food before activity itself has caught up.

Weigh every two weeks through the recovery and return to activity period, adjusting the food amount at each stage based on both the vet's activity clearance and your dog's actual body condition.