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The Dog Food Calculator can help you choose the right portion size for your pet. It was based on a study published by the respected Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition in Leicestershire, England. 1.
To use the calculator, you must know what your dog’s optimal weight is. This is the amount you believe your pet should weigh. You also need to know how many calories are in the specific dog food you are feeding him. A dog’s metabolic weight is used by the calculator’s formula 2 to estimate the serving size.
Guidelines for the Dog Food Calculator
The Dog Food Calculator is only meant for use with mature dogs. Not suitable for pups. Furthermore, women who are nursing or pregnant should never use it.
Small breeds are deemed adult when they reach the age of nine to twelve months. as well as medium-sized breeds at roughly 14 months.3.
However, depending on the breed, huge and giant breeds shouldn’t be fed as adults until they are between one and two years old.4
Dogs Who Are Too Fat
Make sure to select the “Overweight” option under “Your dog’s activity level” if you think your dog may be overweight.If so, the suggested serving size is probably going to be very large.
Visit our post on the Best Dog Foods for Weight Loss for more assistance.
Elderly Dog
Dogs that are older use substantially less energy than those that are younger. Thus, it’s simple for them to gain excess weight
Small to medium-sized dogs are typically regarded as seniors when they reach the age of seven. Larger breeds, on the other hand, mature considerably faster; some mature as early as five.
Calculating Calories Based on Serving Size
You will know how many calories your dog should be getting each day once you have input their optimum weight and activity level.You will need to enter the amount of calories in your dog’s food, though, in order to transform them into anything useful.
The metabolizable energy (ME) of a particular quantity of dog food is the number of calories it contains. Usually, a dog food box like this one reports on it.
Cup of calories (kcal/cup)
Kilogram-wise calories (kcal/kg)
The calculator, by the way, is presuming that you feed your dog only once every day.
If you choose to feed your dog twice a day, make sure to split the results in half so that the total for each meals is the same.
The Final Word
It is impossible to determine the ideal serving size for every dog because they are all different
Thus, begin with the feeding guidelines on the packaging, or the quantity our calculator recommends. Moreover, weigh your dog at least once every few weeks.
Then, all you have to do is tweak that recommended serving size to get and stay your pet’s desired weight.
