Tip of the Week: How much to feed your pet
Calories count. Whether you want your pet to lose weight, gain weight, or just maintain, determining your pet’s ideal calorie intake can be tricky.
It seems that most people choose what amount of food to feed their pets by one of two methods: read the back of the bag and go with that recommendation or pick an amount at random. Choosing an amount at random certainly isn’t scientific but if you have previous experience with pets and how much they eat it may be at least an educated guess. The back-of-the-bag recommendations are scientifically based but they still give you quite a range so how’s a pet owner supposed to figure out exactly how much to feed???
The ranges on the backs of food bags tend to overfeed but for good reason. If your food has written on the label “formulated for all life stages” then it will have feeding recommendations for the most calorically demanding of all life stages: lactation/pregnancy and growth (puppies/kittens). Therefore, an adult dog or cat who is either at the correct weight or possibly overweight will be eating WAY too many calories if you feed even the low end of the recommended feeding range.
There are published calorie calculations based on pet nutrition research that can be helpful. These calculations are somewhat complex and require a calculator that works with exponents for most people to work though. Not fun.
You can ask your vet for a good starting point of how much to feed your pet. Your vet will give you an answer based on the size of your pet, weight loss/gain needs, and how many calories are in one cup of your pet’s food. The last part is generally the hardest part to figure out. Some pet foods have it listed with the nutritional information and ingredients usually listed as a number/kcal/cup. Others make it a little more tricky and you may have to track down calorie content information on the product website (I’ll include some of the big name brand websites at the end of this post). If you cannot find calorie content anywhere, calling the company is an option as well.
Once you have a recommended feeding amount from your veterinarian, it is important to measure that amount consistently. One cup of food means 8 ounces or one level measuring cup. A coffee cup is generally more than 8 ounces as are the giant drinking cups from QT. Some food companies give out measuring cups to veterinary clinics to give to clients so if you need a designated measuring cup for pet food, ask your vet if they have a freebie.
The most important factor in choosing the amount of food to feed your pet is what their body condition score is. A body condition score, or BCS, is a subjective rating of your pet’s body fat. Compare your pet’s shape to the images below to determine their BCS. If your pet is less than 4 then it’s time to bump up the calorie intake. If your pet is over 5, it’s time to cut back.
If you have difficulty determining your pet’s body condition score, a veterinarian or a veterinary technician can help.
Links to pet food company websites:
