Calculating your pet’s caloric needs per day to determine raw feeding portions can be confusing for some pet owners, but it is important. Especially for overweight or underweight dogs.
1 oz of raw food in different formulas does contain different calories!
Over feeding can cause many different health issues, but underfeeding is also risking that their diet is lacking in required nutrition for the maintenance of their health/wellness. This is why it is so important to have a good grasp of required daily nutrition.
Math time!
Here are some helpful tips:
1) Determine how many kcal/kg your pet food contains
(tip: 1 kcal=0.999 calories, so to round off is fine, using the concept of kcal almost equal to calorie nutritional conversion)
Eg: Iron Will Raw Duck Dinner (Canine)=1181.87 kcal/kg (metabolized calories-google the difference between gross calories and metabolized calories if you’re interested in learning more
2) Typically pet food is listed as __kcal/kg so you’ll need to know that 1kg= 35.27ounces
Therefore, Iron Will Duck Dinner formula = 33.51 kcal/ounce
NOW, calculate your pet’s approximate caloric needs per day
**use your pet’s IDEAL weight, not current weight, if pet is either overweight or underweight. Feed less for weight loss, feed more for weight gain.
Metabolism, activity level, age etc must also be factored in. This is just an approximate guideline based on a young, adult, active dog.
Daily calories (canine) = Ideal Body Weight (kg) x 30 + 70
Ideal body weight 22lbs = 10kg x 30 + 7=307 calories per day (if feeding twice daily, that’s 153.5 calories per meal.
Therefore, since each ounce contains 33.51 kcal, 307 calories divided by 33.51 per ounce = approx 9.16 oz daily for a younger, active dog.
It is important to monitor your dog’s weight and body condition along the way regularly. If your dog is not lean enough or at an appropriate weight using this guideline, increase exercise or change your raw formula to feed a lower calorie option.
**This is total daily caloric intake. Therefore, you must adjust if you are also feeding treats, chewies etc. Keep in mind that every single food item that goes into their mouth has calories, even the ones you sneak them off of your plate!
How Much Raw Food Should I Feed my Puppy?
If you’ve ever owned a puppy before, you know how fast they grow. It seems like every time you turn around they get bigger and bigger, no matter how badly you wish they’d stay little. As a result of this growth, puppies need the right portion of raw food to provide them with all of the nutrients they require to develop properly including joints, soft tissue, brain, organ and immune development.
We recommend using the following guideline as a start when feeding your puppy. Keep in mind this is based on their age only and is a guideline only.
Please ensure that the raw diet you choose for your pets is complete and balanced! Feeding just raw meat or ground meaty bones is not sufficient nor safe, they must have a balanced ratio of meat, bones, organs and vitamins/minerals.
Toy breed dogs grow at a different rate than large breed dogs and as such will be at a different physical development state at 8 months. Consider that at 8 months of age a Great Dane or Mastiff will be in prime growth at 8 months while a Yorkie or Shi Tzu will have much less to develop physically. It is important to keep in mind that the below – especially for puppies – is only a starting guideline and adjustments must be made based on individual needs, development and diets.
• 2-4 months old: 8-10% of their current weight in pounds per day
• 4-5 months old: 6-8% of their current weight in pounds per day
• 6-8 months old: 4-6% of their current weight in pounds per day
• 8-12 months old: 3-4% of their current weight in pounds per day
• Adults 12 months & older: 2-2.5% of their ideal body weight, depending on metabolism, genetics, lifestyle and ability to maintain weight.
Know Better | Do Better