As Fed Versus Dry Matter
The percentages of protein, fat, etc., shown on a pet food label are expressed as fed meaning, as the food is delivered in its package. Some percentage of the food is comprised of moisture , which of course contains no protein, fat, fiber, or other nutrients. Kibble generally contains about 10 percent moisture wet foods contain as much as 80 percent or more moisture.
So, think about it: When a label says that a food contains 4 percent fat, in order to really understand how much fat you are about to feed your dog, you also have to know how much moisture is in the food. What you really want to know is how much fat is in the food part of the food the dry matter. Any serious discussion of nutrition, or comparison of dry and wet diets, then, requires the conversion of the nutrient values from as fed to dry matter. Dont worry it sounds technical, but its easy to do.
-To calculate dry matter percentages, first determine the amount of dry matter by subtracting the percentage of moisture from 100. Then divide the as fed percentage by the amount of dry matter to get the dry matter percentage. For example, if a canned food has 75 percent moisture and 4 percent fat:
100 75 = 25 percent dry matter
4 ÷ 25 = 16 percent fat on a dry matter basis
Calories Dont Mean Nutrition: Every Dog Is Different
Why A Calorie Isnt A Calorie In Your Dog Food: Calorie is a common term most often used to describe the energy density of human or animal food. Calories, which only come from food, provide the body with energy to carry out numerous metabolic functions. However, the science behind a calorie, and the energy they supply is not as simple as it may seem. This is because there are multiple factors that dictate how a body utilizes and expends these calories from different foods.
To put the importance of this discussion into context, obesity is an epidemic among pets and people. An alarming statistic shows us that 60% of cats and dogs are estimated to be overweight or obese in America today. As a society we have been conditioned to believe the solution to this is to restrict calories in order to lose or control weight, but is this approach correct? Likely not, or at least it is just one piece of the puzzle. In fact, this dogma has led to some unintended nutrition and health consequences. The entire concept does not give credit to the complexity of nutrition, metabolism or individual differences among dogs. In other words, the concept of calories in, calories out for weight gain, maintenance or loss may not be something that can be extrapolated out for an entire population, human or animal. Thats why a calorie isnt a calorie. As a general rule, it is individualized.
At Rogue Pet Science your dogs health and nutrition is important to us, check us out for more information!
Determine Maintenance Energy Requirements
Me either. use this
Don’t like math?
This is what your dog needs to sustain life. Now, lets talk activity, exercise and lifestyle.
RER is the energy required to perform essential body functions. This includes activities like beating the heart, breathing, and digesting food.Calculate by multiplying your dogs body weight , raised to the ¾ power, by 70.RER = 70 ^0.75Note: Remember PEMDAS. Calculate the exponent first then multiply by 70.For example, a 20 lb. dog: 70 ^0.75 = 366.80 calories per day For example, a 100 lb. dog:70 ^0.75 = 1225 calories per day
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Food Type Matters Too
Most pet food adheres to AAFCO standards, and can thus qualify as complete and balanced. But available nutrition extends beyond the label.
A food with higher digestibility, means that more of the nutrients are able to be absorbed and utilized. Differences in digestibility can occur for several reasons including fiber content and level of processing. The Nom Nom R& D team actually conducted a study comparing our recipes to a kibble with a similar nutrient profile and guess what fresh diets were more digestible on all fronts.
This means for the same amount of food, more nutrients are available to support your pups growth and maintenance.
Heavily processed diets, can also end up being too calorie dense and exposed to contaminants. Likewise they tend to contain more additives and fillers, which could cause skin irritation.
Working & Sporting Dogs:
If you feed a homemade raw diet, youre welcome to use calories to determine how much to feed. But it might not be possible.Finding the calorie content for all of the individual ingredients in your dogs diet may prove to be a challenge. This is especially true for items that are not sold for human consumption. This includes most goodies in an ancestral diet. Like whole heads, poultry feet, green tripe, and other miscellaneous organs and glands.As you can imagine, this can become frustrating and discouraging.But dont beat yourself up or lose sleep over it. If you cant locate reliable nutritional data on the ingredients in your dogs raw diet, this option is dead in the water.Youre still making a good choice. You understand whats wrong with processed pet food and are choosing to feed a fresh food diet instead. Despite what others may say, this is step in the right direction.Dont let anyone make you feel bad for where you are in your raw journey.
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Dog Food Calculator: Quantity Converter
The energy content of dog food is listed as number calories per given quantity of food.
For example: Calories are listed as:
- kcal per cup or
- kilo joules per 100 grams
- kilo joules per kilogram
- kilo joules per pound of pet food
Please note-The terms kilocalories in pet foods and calories in human foods are interchangeable! For example, a large apple is 120 human calories which if fed to a dog is counted as 120 kilocalories.
To convert to your desired quantity measurement use the following conversions:
To convert kcal/ kg to kcal/ lb divide by 2.2
E.g. 3250 Kcal/ kg = 1477 kcal per lb
To convert kcal/ kg to kcal/ oz. divide by 35
E.g. 3250 Kcal/ kg = 93 kcal per oz.
To convert kcal/ kg to kcal/ 100g divide by 10.
E.g. 3250 kcal/ kg = 325 kcal per 100 grams
NB. 1 ounce = 28.35 grams, 1 kg = 1000 grams
The Bigger Picture: Calorie Calorie Why
In this discussion we uncovered several factors that influence the caloric density of various foods. We also know that individuals can utilize the energy supplied in these foods at differing amounts. We also discussed how the age and health status of the animal can greatly impact calorie needs, and how those calories are utilized. Further, malabsorptive and maldigestive disorders as a result of disease can also complicate calorie utilization.
From this information, we now understand why just counting calories by what is listed on a label to in order to feed our pets may not be the best approach. We need to take into account the type of food, the digestibility and nutrient status of that food and individual factors that contribute to digestion and other metabolic processes. When making decisions on your pets food, be sure to ask questions and consider the above points to determine if the option you chose is actually right for your pet.
Remember, at Rogue Pet Science, your dogs health and nutrition is vital to us check out our well balanced nutritious products today.
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How Many Calories Is Enough
The amount of calories a dog requires varies widely from puppy to puppy and dog to dog. Your pets age, size, metabolism, and energy expended determine each dog’s need. On average, large dog breeds need less food per pound of bodyweight than small breed dogs.
- Small breed dogs are those whose adult body weight is less than 20 pounds. Adult small breed dogs require about 50 kilocalories per pound of body weight each day.
- Medium breed adult dogs are those weighing 20 to 50 pounds. Adult medium breed dogs need approximately 3040 kilocalories per pound of body weight each day.
- Large breed dogs weigh 50 to 100 pounds, while the giant breeds exceed 100 pounds as adults. They need 20 to 30 kilocalories per pound of body weight each day or less.
If your puppy isn’t eating enough, a veterinary exam can rule out possible health problems. Adding 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil for every 8-ounce cup of dry food may tempt his appetite, and also help improve his coat condition. A strong-smelling or flavored top dressing like warm chicken broth often prompts dogs to eat up to ten percent more of the food. However, a better choice for dogs with small appetites and big energy needs is a more energy-dense ration, like a complete and balanced super-premium food. Such diets provide more calories even if the puppy eats less volume.
S Of Nutrition Measurement
There are three different ways of measuring amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber in foods:
1. Percentage of dry matter
2. Percentage of calories
3. Grams per 1,000 calories
Dry matter percentages are easiest to use for commercial foods. Grams per 1,000 calories or percentage of calories are simpler ways to measure nutrients in a homemade diet.
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Premade Raw Dog Food Feeders:
Thats because with these animals, performance is of the utmost importance. The caloric approach will allow you determine a more accurate quantity of food to be fed. And it can assist in fine-tuning your dogs nutrition.This is key for sporting dogs look to gain an edge over the competition. But also, working dogs where handlers are looking to increase capacity.
How To Calculate How Much Your Dog Can Eat Per Day
Feeding too little food can deprive your dog of necessary energy, and feeding too much can result in obesity. To determine how much food your dog should eat per day, follow these steps.
Heres another example: if the dog mentioned above can eat 400 calories per day but also eats 5 treats per day , you would determine their intake as follows: 400 calories 100 calories of treats = 300 calories left for food. If the food is 200 calories per cup, your dog can get a total of 1 ½ cups per day.
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Convert Pounds To Kilograms
If youd like to determine your dogs daily caloric need without complicated equations, look no further. I created this simple, easy-to-use calorie calculator that does the work for you.It’s easy! Simply enter your dog’s weight below. Select one of the options in the drop down that best describes your dog. Then, click calculate. The results will be listed below.
Take Your Dogs Lifestyle Into Account
Combine this information with your knowledge of your dogs lifestyle to come up with the initial amount of food to offer your dog.
For example, if I had a relatively inactive 35-pound Corgi who had a tendency to gain weight, I might start with a little less food than the table recommends. On the other hand, if my dog was a 35-pound Border Collie who never sits still, I would feed a little more.
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Calories To Feed Per Day
WSAVA has provided a quick and easy reference of caloric needs for healthy dogs of ideal weight if you want to skip the calculations.
The Pet Food Alliance has published information that simplifies the process of estimating a dog’s MER. The following information is based on this publication and should be used for general purposes only. Consult your vet for help customizing your dog’s MER.
When Feeding Your Dog Commercial Foods:
Pet food labels give you some, but not all, of the information you need in order to really know the nutritional composition of your dogs diet.
-The percentages of protein, fat, and fiber shown on dog food labels are guaranteed minimums and maximums, NOT actual amounts. The real amount of fat in particular may be much higher than what is shown on the label of some canned and raw diets. If your dog needs a low-fat diet, look for products that are lower in calories than similar foods.
For more accurate information, contact the company that makes the food youre interested in and ask them for a nutritional analysis showing the actual amount of protein, fat, fiber, ash, and moisture, as well as the number of calories in the food. Editors note: Some pet food makers may not have a complete nutritional analysis of their products. In our opinion, this reflects a lack of adequate research and investment in the product. When feeding a special needs dog, wed look to a company who has this current information on hand.
-The percentage of carbohydrates is not included on most labels or nutritional analyses. To calculate the percentage of carbohydrates in a commercial diet, subtract the percentages of protein, fat, moisture, crude fiber , and ash from 100. This percentage may be shown as nitgrogen-free extract on a nutritional analysis.
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Dog Calorie Calculator : Kcal/cup Quantity Converter
Cup measurements listed on pet food refer to an 8 oz. standard measuring cup.
It is important to realize that the volume of a cup does not equal the weight of dog food in a cup. So if calorie content is on a per cup basis, to convert to kcal/kilogram or kcal/lb, the weight of the food per cup must be provided.
Example 1: Dog Food contains 310 kcal ME/cup. And the label states that one cup measure of food weighs 110 grams.
To convert kcal/ cup to kcal/ kg :
X number of calories per cup 1000/110 x 310 = 2818 kcal ME/ kilogram.
Example 2: Dog Food contains 320 kcal/ cup. And the label states that one cup measure of food weighs 4 oz.To convert kcal/ cup to kcal/ kg :
1000 divided by X number of calories per cup1000/113.4 x 325 = 2866 kcal ME/kg
** NB. 1 ounce = 28.35 grams 1 kg = 1000 grams
Automated dog food calculators and dog calorie calculators are available to WAGSTA Weight plan members. Learn how WAGSTA Wellness can help your dog regain health and vitality and enjoy improved longevity.
How To Convert The Resulting Calories To A Serving Size
After you have entered your dogs ideal weight, their activity level, and hit Calculate above, you are presented with the daily energy requirement in the form of total kilocalories your dog needs per day.
But you dont just feed your dog all that at once, right? You need to break/divide the total down into the amount of feeding sessions in a day. What to do?
The amount of calories in a particular amount of dog food is called its metabolizable energy or ME. To spot it, look for one of the following on your dogs food label:
- Calories per cup
- Calories per kilogram
It should look something like this:
From there, you simply take the total DER kcal from the calculated results above and decide how many cups to give your dog per serving.
Heres a very basic made up example: Using the image above . If your dog required 696 kcal per day, youd simply feed them 2 cups of food a day.
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When There Is Too Many Calories
Similar to humans, calories are a method for measuring the amount of energy your pet is consuming through food. Through natural biological processes, your dog and cat breakdown the food that they eat and turn it into energy. Your pet then burns that energy throughout the day through play and exercise even snoozing burns some calories. Where understanding your pet’s calorie consumption is important is how it is affecting your pet’s overall health. If your dog or cat is putting on weight, they may be taking in too many calories, or not getting enough exercise. The reverse is true for pet’s that look emaciated.
If you’ve followed your vet’s advice and are feeding a recommended food and getting plenty of exercise, and your pet is not at his or her optimal weight, it may be time for another vet examination to determine if there is an underlying health condition. Your dog or cat’s metabolism might not be functioning properly, which can be affected by a number of health conditions, and therefore is burning too few or too many calories for normal biological function. At this point, your vet may recommend a therapeutic pet food formulated to work with your pet’s metabolic processes or a different course of treatment depending on your pet’s specific case.