How Much to Feed?
 I recently switched him from Natural Balance which I liked to Avoderm Lite with half the calories per cup. Question is, if it has half the calories, do I still give the same amount? He weighs now about 97 pounds andstands about 36 inches on all fours. He's a big boy.
He will be 2 years in November. Any suggestions? |
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| I would start by using the instructions on the bag. cutting his calories in half may be very drastic to start with. |
| I think the instructions on the bag are designed to make dogs fat.
I feed my very active almost 4 (I can't believe it!) year old dog 4 cups of food per day plus assorted treats. She weighs 70 pounds. I do think going immediately to half the calories is a bit drastic. You might want to taper him down to a reduced amount slowly. |
| I am feeding Natural Balance Lamb and Rice L.I.D. because of allergies. My Bella is almost 4 and was spayed just after she turned 3. I am only feeding her about 2 1/2 cups a day. She would eat the whole bag if you gave it to her, and she never seems satisfied. She is also a bit chubby since the spay, but she is of big stock too. He dad is very big...just not as round in the middle. Nigel will only eat around 2 cups a day...just not as hungry I guess. |
Valerie wrote: I think the instructions on the bag are designed to make dogs fat.
I feed my very active almost 4 (I can't believe it!) year old dog 4 cups of food per day plus assorted treats. She weighs 70 pounds. I do think going immediately to half the calories is a bit drastic. You might want to taper him down to a reduced amount slowly. four cups is a lot of food. Canidae only calls for 3 cups for a hundred pound dog - that's why I said "start" with the label. Treats count in the calorie count for dogs just like people  |
I used to give him 4 cups - 2 in the am and 2 in the pm. He was cut back to 3 and 1/2 split equally between am and pm. Natural Balance has about 457 calories per cup. The Avoderm has only 297 per cup. So, even though he still gets the 3 and 1/2 cup, the caloric intake is less. Not the amount of food...I think. Am I right?  |
kerry wrote: Valerie wrote: I think the instructions on the bag are designed to make dogs fat. I feed my very active almost 4 (I can't believe it!) year old dog 4 cups of food per day plus assorted treats. She weighs 70 pounds. I do think going immediately to half the calories is a bit drastic. You might want to taper him down to a reduced amount slowly. four cups is a lot of food. Canidae only calls for 3 cups for a hundred pound dog - that's why I said "start" with the label. Treats count in the calorie count for dogs just like people Canidae has some special ingredient to make dogs fat in 3 cups or less that way you need less food. I'm not the only one to think it has the ability to chub dogs out! 
Both my dogs eat 4 cups of Eagle Pack Holistic a day, too. Clyde is a steady 100 pounds. Not fat, just a big boy. Bear (Komondor) is much larger in size but not much more in weight at about 125. I wish I could get him to eat a little more because I'd like to see 10 more pounds on him but Clyde keeps him too active. Guard dogs weren't meant to keep up with herders! |
| Jack is larger and gets 3 cups a day, most days. Nutro Natural Choice or whatever that is. He too would eat the whole bag and our meals and thank us by burping in our face and having diahrrea for a month. |
| I feed 2 cups of Pro Plan Lamb & Rice in the AM & another 2 cups in the PM to my 3 year old male. He weighs in at 88#. Every now & then he doesn't eat the entire portion. |
| If you feed your dog a recommended dog food then the following is a good guide for the amount of food to give your dog. If you weigh the dog then multiply the weight x 7 - 10 gramms per kilo. e.g. dogs weight 40 kilos then feed a less active dog 280 gramms about 2 measuring cups per day, an active dog would be fed 400 gramms this is about three cups per day. |
| have you considered talking to your vet? A vet might be the best person to assess your dog's weight, and help you create a plan to reduce calories and/or increase activity. |
ButtersStotch wrote: kerry wrote: Valerie wrote: I think the instructions on the bag are designed to make dogs fat. I feed my very active almost 4 (I can't believe it!) year old dog 4 cups of food per day plus assorted treats. She weighs 70 pounds. I do think going immediately to half the calories is a bit drastic. You might want to taper him down to a reduced amount slowly. four cups is a lot of food. Canidae only calls for 3 cups for a hundred pound dog - that's why I said "start" with the label. Treats count in the calorie count for dogs just like people Canidae has some special ingredient to make dogs fat in 3 cups or less that way you need less food. I'm not the only one to think it has the ability to chub dogs out! I wish that applied to Chewie! He is a little eater. As in he eats little food. He is on Canidae, currently mixed with the California natural puppy that has over 500 kcal/cup! He eats between 2-3 cups most days..... Still just a skinny guy. I wish I had HIS metabolism!  |
| Nigel is fussy too Dawn...He never seems to want more than a cup at a time. I have never had a boy sheepie who just ate his food. Bella is a piggy however. |
| 36 inches tall is HUGE for an OES....
wow... I worry about the "lite" foods because with lower calories comes lower nutrition... maybe just more exercise is necessary? Some people just keep feeding the regular food but less of it and substitute green beans for filler. |
Willowsprite wrote: 36 inches tall is HUGE for an OES....
wow... I worry about the "lite" foods because with lower calories comes lower nutrition... maybe just more exercise is necessary? Some people just keep feeding the regular food but less of it and substitute green beans for filler. I have a feeling that she's measuring from the head down, not the withers. |
Yes, you are both right! From the head  He is a big boy but not that big If he were, I could save a lot of gas money and just ride him to work
I'm glad to see many feeding about 3 cups instead of the 4. I thought I was starving him to death when I went to 3 cups. I did the green beans/carrots as fillers but it started to give him some "mean" gas problems. Did anyone else find the green beans to give gas? Thanks for all your help everyone! Diane |
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