Calories matter for your dog’s maximum health. In our last blog, we shared a study that showed fit dogs live almost 2 years longer than less fit dogs. But dog food companies have taught us to feed cups or cans of dog food. But there are no standard calorie counts for cups or cans of dog food. Cups and cans can vary as much as 200 calories per cup or can between and among dog food brands. That big difference that can promote excess body weight and poor health. And the feeding instructions on the labels are always more generous than your dog needs, so ignore those instructions. Every time you change dog food, you need to change the amount you feed!

‍

How to Count Calories

If you already know your dog’s ideal weight and daily calorie needs it is easy. All dog food bag or can labels must state the calories the food contains. It will be hard to find but it has to be there. It will be expressed as: kilocalories (Kcal)/kilogram (kg); kilocalories (Kcal)/cup or can. Kilocalories are the same as calories so don’t be confused by the metric system.

The equation for finding how many calories to feed is:

Daily calories divided by the calories/cup or can = #cups or #cans to feed daily.

We like owners to feed two meals daily, so: #cups or #cans daily divided by 2 = #cups or #cans for each meal.

‍

Don’t know your dog’s daily calorie needs? Go to our last blog for the information we need to calculate your dog’s ideal weight and daily calories. If you live in the Inland Empire, include your address in the email and we will send you a chart that will allow you to calculate any dog’s ideal weight and daily calorie needs.

Count calories and add those 2 extra years to your dog’s life!

‍

Follow our blogs for more health information for your dog

Please like us on Facebook