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One of the most common
questions that I am asked concerning dogs is how much to
feed them. While this seems like a very straightforward
question, there are actually some unique circumstances that
make this question very difficult to answer. This article
will help to explain those circumstances and will help pet
owners choose the right amount of food for their dog.
The importance
of knowing how much dog food to feed
I once had an elderly client that
bred and raised Labrador Retrievers. Whenever she brought
her dogs in to the clinic I was consistently impressed with
the fact that they were always about the perfect weight with
beautiful coats and good muscle tone. Finally, one day I
asked her what her secret was that allowed her to feed her
dogs in such a way that they were always the perfect weight.
She thought for a few seconds and then leaned forward and in
a serious whisper divulged, "when they are skinny I feed 'em
more and when they get fat I feed 'em less." Years and
hundreds of nutritional consultations later, I am still
impressed with the simplistic truth of that statement.
Despite our determined efforts to devise a 'one size fits
all formula' that will tell us exactly how much to feed a
dog of a given weight, we still do not have one, and it is
very unlikely that we ever will.
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What that owner displayed was years
of experience that allowed her to make slight adjustments in
the dogs' diets to keep them at the perfect weight.
Unfortunately, most owners do not have years of experience
and hundreds of dogs under their care to allow them to
become good at regulating their dogs' caloric intake. Yet,
maintaining the proper weight is critical to ensuring good
health in your dog. Underweight dogs often suffer from poor
muscle tone, delayed healing, loss of energy, and metabolic
and reproductive disorders. Overweight dogs, which are much
more common, suffer from arthritic problems, an increase
incidence of metabolic disease including
diabetes and liver problems, as well as a lack of
energy, and an increase in skin problems. They may also have
a shortened life expectancy. The health benefits from
providing proper nutrition in the correct amount are
immeasurable. To ensure you are offering the correct diet
for your Pomeranian, read the
Pomeranian
Manual.
What the pet
food labels say
There is one readily available source
of information concerning feeding amounts. Every bag of food
has a suggested feeding guideline based on the weight of the
dog. But there are several problems with these guidelines.
First, there is usually a wide range of recommended
quantities to be fed. Second, determining a quantity to be
fed based on weight is an extremely inaccurate way of
feeding. Third, there is little consistency between brands
in the recommended quantities to be fed. For example, I did
a quick survey of the labels of three of the most popular
brands of dog food. They were all adult maintenance formulas
with fairly similar ingredients, levels of fats, proteins,
fiber, etc. All three labels had different recommendations
on the total daily amount to be fed. One recommended 1¾
cups, the second recommended 2 cups, and the third stated 2¾
cups. This is a discrepancy of over 50% in recommended
feeding amounts between three of the most similar types of
dog food. What happens when you take into account puppy,
senior, performance, and low fat foods? It is little wonder
consumers are confused on this issue. The point is that the
amount on the back of the bag is rarely the amount that
should be fed, but should be considered a rough starting
point.
Understanding
your dog's energy needs
Table 1.
Activity levels and daily energy requirements
Activity
|
Daily Energy
Requirements
|
Weight loss
|
1.0 x RER
|
Neutered
adult normal activity
|
1.6 x RER
|
Intact
adult normal activity
|
1.8 x RER
|
Light work
|
2.0 x RER
|
Moderate
work
|
3.0 x RER
|
Heavy work
|
4-8 x RER
|
Pregnant
dog (first 42 days)
|
1.8 x RER
|
Pregnant
dog (last 21 days)
|
3.0 x RER
|
Lactating
female
|
4-8 x RER
|
Puppy -
weaning to 4 months
|
3.0 x RER
|
Puppy - 4
months to adult size
|
2.0 x RER
|
The first step in
understanding your dog's energy requirements is realizing
that there is no set formula for determining your dog's
individual needs. For people, it is fairly simple to
calculate your recommended daily caloric requirements based
upon your weight because, as people, we are all relatively
similar compared to dogs. As a person, if you want to know
how many daily calories you should
consume all you have to do is look on a chart and there it
is, give or take a few percentages for activity level and
age. But with dogs, there are huge differences between
breeds, size, growth rates in puppies, activity levels, skin
and coat thicknesses, and living conditions. For example,
compare the energy needs of a young Malamute living outdoors
and learning to pull a dog sled to that of an adult
Pomeranian living in a heated apartment, and the pound for
pound difference in caloric needs could be over tenfold.
Those kind of differences rarely happen in humans and these
differences are why it is so difficult to have a set answer
for how much a dog should be fed.
Table 1 gives some guidelines that
nutritionists use for calculating caloric needs for dogs.
This table is based upon a dog's Resting Energy Requirements
or RER. The RER is the basic amount of energy that a dog
would use in a day while remaining at rest. The formula to
calculate RER for animals between 2 and 45 kg (5 - 99
pounds) is:
RER in kcal/day = 30(body
weight in kilograms) + 70
Any activity or variable other than
rest will require an increase in energy (RER) and an
increase in calories to meet the energy needs. Realize that
these numbers are not a reflection of maintenance calories
but of resting energy levels. For example, a normal adult
dog with normal activity is already at 1.6 times the resting
energy requirement.
While this table does not tell us how
much we need to feed our dog, it does show the significant
variability in a dog's energy requirements based upon his
activity. Remember that this table does not take into
account characteristics like breed differences, air
temperature, and coat insulation, which can additionally
alter an individual dog's energy requirement as much or more
than any of the activities listed above.
How to feed
your individual dog
So where should you start? The first
place to start is with the food itself. Feeding a poor
quality food is never a good idea because in addition to
actually being more expensive because of the increased
quantities needed to fulfill nutritional requirements, it
also produces more waste. It is also more likely to create
digestive or behavioral problems. To save your dog going
through this, you can make sure your feeding the right dog
food by reading
Dog
Food Secrets. So, to begin, choose a high quality food
and look at the recommendations on the label to get your
starting point. From there you need to have an accurate
weight of the dog and a projected target weight, whether it
is an adult on a diet or a growing puppy. Look at the table
above and get an idea of your dog's activity level. Remember
to factor in the other environmental variables and any
additional calories in the form of treats or table foods,
and adjust the starting amount accordingly. Ask your
veterinarian's opinion on what your dog's ideal weight
should be and factor that into your feeding amount. Remember
that most dogs are overfed and underexercised so, if in
doubt, I usually tell people to feed a little less. After
you have started feeding the amount that you have calculated
that your dog needs, then you need to weigh your dog at
least monthly to determine if the amount fed is appropriate.
If necessary, increase or decrease the amount of food
slightly until the dog stays at his ideal weight. A handy
trick for weighing your dog on a bathroom scale is to weigh
yourself while you hold the dog and then weigh yourself
without the dog and subtract the difference.
Adjusting to
change
As you can observe from the table
above, the amount of food that you feed your dog will change
throughout your dog's life. Most weight problems develop
slowly and will often begin when a dog goes through the
transition from a growing puppy to an adult. The adult dog's
appetite is often greater than his need. Another time during
a dog's life at which weight gain occurs is when an adult
dog becomes a senior and his activity level decreases. By
being aware of the need to adjust your dog's calories and
performing periodic weight checks, you can avoid overfeeding
during these problematic transition times.
Knowing how much food to feed your
dog can be a confusing problem. Start out with a quality
food, note the feeding recommendations on the bag, add or
decrease the amount fed depending on your dog's activity
level and housing environment, and then start feeding that
amount. From there, by carefully monitoring the dog's weight
and making adjustments as needed, you can keep your dog at
his perfect and healthiest possible weight.
References and
Further Reading
Hand; Thatcher; Remillard; Roudebush.
Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 4th Edition. Walsworth
Publishing Company. Marceline, MO; 2000.
Lewis, L; Morris, M; Hand, M. Small
Animal Clinical Nutrition 3rd Edition. Mark Morris
Associates. Topeka, KS; 1987.
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