# Do you really measure out your dogs food?



## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

I am just curious do you all really measure out your dogs food each time? I know they say don't free feed and I'm guilty of overfeeding probably but I just have such a hard time measuring out the food. It seems to be so little that way. I'm guilty of filling up the bowl and just letting them eat.:redface:


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

I always measure. I have measuring cups just for the dog food.


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

Always, Kuma has a measuring cup devoted strictly to his kibble. It's extremely unhealthy for your dog to over feed, you're not doing him/her any kindness by doing so.


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## Loki Love (May 23, 2010)

I feed raw, so we eyeball the amounts now. In the beginning, we used to weigh out everything.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

The problem I have is that 2 of my dogs are very active. They swim daily and we play fetch and we do some training,my son also takes them on a 1 mile jog/run unless its just to hot. If I measure it out they can have the whole amount of food gone in like 3 minutes,and they are looking for more. According to the vet none are really overweight but he told us to keep a close eye on our male lab because he does seem to be very easy to put on pounds. According to my dogs food he should be getting just a little more than 4 cups a day at 80lbs. He's at 84lbs but I just usually feed him the 4 cups.


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

We use a measuring cup for every meal. You can always increase the amount on active days and decrease on less active days or per how your dog is looking (ie skinny or putting on some fat). The bag recommendations are just a guideline and I find them too be too high even though our dog is very active.


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## Niraya (Jun 30, 2011)

Bella has her own measuring cup. She gets 1 1/2 cups a day broken into two meals and each meal is measured. It's on par with Acana's feeding guideline I need to up her exercise a bit more though when the weather stops being so crappy here - she needs to drop about 10 pounds.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

I measure each meal but it's also a bit easier for me as he gets 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup in the evening and I have a 1 cup scoop in the kibble bin. I do adjust slightly based on where his weight is at (ideal is 50#) and how much training (ie how many and type of treats he got) he's done that day. For the most part the adjustments are the scoop just short of full (exactly 1 cup) or slightly brimming scoop.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

Well I guess I should be more cautious and grab a measuring cup. I have some extras. I feel like a turd now,bad dogggie owner award here.


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## JulieK1967 (May 29, 2011)

Loki Love said:


> I feed raw, so we eyeball the amounts now. In the beginning, we used to weigh out everything.


This is what I do, too.


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

> The problem I have is that 2 of my dogs are very active. They swim daily and we play fetch and we do some training,my son also takes them on a 1 mile jog/run unless its just to hot. If I measure it out they can have the whole amount of food gone in like 3 minutes,and they are looking for more.


They're dogs, they'll ALWAYS be looking for more, lol. If you are concerned that they eat it too fast, get them a treat ball and feed them their dinner in it. It will take them longer to eat, they'll feel like they are getting more, and they'll get valuable mental stimulation at the same time.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Yup, have separate measuring cups for kibble here too. I do adjust based on the activity level of the day. Also am adjusting Zoey's quite a bit because she's going through growing spurts. My dogs would tell me all day that they are starving to death, they both eat relatively fast as well. When possible I try to give their Kongs in the middle portion of the day (usually stuffed with frozen green beans and sealed with a spoonful of peanut butter) to "hold them over" til dinner time. They act slightly less like they are wasting away, not much though.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Kuma'sMom said:


> They're dogs, they'll ALWAYS be looking for more, lol. If you are concerned that they eat it too fast, get them a treat ball and feed them their dinner in it. It will take them longer to eat, they'll feel like they are getting more, and they'll get valuable mental stimulation at the same time.


Yes, this! Also, yes, I have a measuring cup just for Biscuit's kibble.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Kuma'sMom said:


> They're dogs, they'll ALWAYS be looking for more, lol.


Haha yep, I'm almost convinced Jubel would eat myself to death if given the chance.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

I always measure out my dogs food. I give Faolan 1 cup for breakfast and 1 cup plus half a can of wet for dinner. Legend gets 1/4 cup for breakfast and 1/4 cup plus 2 spoonfuls of wet for dinner. They will both eat any food they can find otherwise such as the cat food (cant keep it on the floor) or dropped people food but Faolan is a perfect weight and body shape (Legend is a bit pudgy) so I won't give them any more than that. I know if I free fed them they'd both be fat as hogs haha.


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Each dog has their own measuring cup since they each get different amounts (this makes it easier for my DH to feed them, each has their own "scoop"). I do adjust the amounts from time to time depending on what their weight is doing. 
They all eat as if it was their last meal, but I can judge by their weight that they're getting enough. I can't imagine what they'd look like if I just filled up their bowls and let them judge how much they should eat, haha.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

What! It takes 3 whole minutes for your dogs to eat?! I think my dogs have their food gone in 10 seconds, LOL.

I kind of measure. In that there is a 1-cup scoop in the bucket. Per meal, Moose gets 2 scoops, Toby gets a little less than 1 1/2, Penny gets not quite 1. It's not scientifically accurate measuring, though . I just kind of eyeball how full the cup is.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I always measure with measuring cups. This way I can adjust accordingly if needed. All dogs are fed twice a day. Abbylynn gets 2-1/4 cups per day. Blu Boy gets 1 cup per day. Eddee gets 1/2 to 3/4 cup per day. These measurements are divided into two meals.


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## Roloni (Aug 5, 2011)

I put a bunch of dog food in their bowls...and then add a lot of table food.
Then we eat Iced Cream....but no Chocolate Ice Cream, That gives us nightamres.


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## mcdavis (May 1, 2012)

We measure the food and normally use slightly below the recommended guidelines so we can add a few treats, then split the food across 3 meals which are eaten within 20 seconds! Currently we're using slightly more than the recommended guidelines as he lost 7lbs with the Blue problems so we need to add some weight.


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## jvee86 (Feb 23, 2012)

I try and measure out the 4 cups a day for my 6 month lab....But he acts soo hungry that I am sure I've given him extra now and then.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I don't feed dry anymore, but when I did I measured it out a few times, then just learnt roughly how much to put in their bowls and stopped measuring it. And then just kept an eye on their weight and adjusted as needed.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

I measure the kibble and eyeball the raw. however I can correctly eyeball kibble very easily, I use a measureing cup because its faster lol. but I work in a boarding kennel and part of my job as a super. is to double check feeding amounts before the dogs are fed so nobody is getting over or under fed...and to make sure food amounts are increased if a dog is loosing weight, dogs are fed in clean dishes etc.. as such I can easily take a quick glance in a dish and correctly tell you the exact amount of food in it lol


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

dagwall said:


> I measure each meal but it's also a bit easier for me as he gets 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup in the evening and I have a 1 cup scoop in the kibble bin. I do adjust slightly based on where his weight is at (ideal is 50#) and how much training (ie how many and type of treats he got) he's done that day. For the most part the adjustments are the scoop just short of full (exactly 1 cup) or slightly brimming scoop.


I pretty much do the same thing. 1 cup in the morning, and another in the evening, with a cup scoop in the bin. Kit is 40lbs, but her activity level would be considered high. The vet once told me she burned approximately the number of calories found in a cup of kibble in our short ~20min appointment. I also adjust, mostly based on activity level and numbers of treats given as rewards that day. My rewards are pretty healthy (salmon cookies and beef heart, mostly), so it's nutritious even if it isn't kibble. I always feed from the hand (as rewards) or from a treat-dispensing toy, never ever from a bowl.


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

I measure my boy's out. It's not that hard, he gets a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

My dog (a 12 lb Chihuahua/Terrier mix who is mostly sedentary--not enough walks tbh though we are working on that) is currently transitioning from free feeding to scheduled meals and she seems to be doing okay so far. Today is the second day. Right now I'm feeding 1 1/Solid Gold Sun Dancer a day split into two 5/8 cup feedings, and with 1/2 cup of that replaced with 1/2 cup Vital Complete Meals every other day. I marked a cup with the various measurements I need each day. At first your dog might ignore the food you put down, but today mine ignored most of her morning meal and inhaled her evening meal! Be careful that you don't add something tasty in if yours doesn't eat at first--my dog prefers the Vital, naturally, but I will only give it if she finishes her kibble. Otherwise I'd be telling her, hey, if I wait long enough something EVEN BETTER comes along and I don't have to eat this hard stuff! I'm really loving doing meal times so far and it's super easy. It's extra time to bond!


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

1 1/4 cups seems like a LOT for a 12-pound dog. My mom's 35-pound dog eats 1 cup a day. . .and not a grain-free!


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Really? I did the dog food calculator on dogfoodadvisor.com and that was about what it recommended... Maybe I can keep an eye on her and change it if she seems to gain weight?

ETA: I seem to have misread it--there is a big difference between .25 and .12 LOL! I will adjust tomorrow! That would be 1 and 1/8 cup approximately, I believe. Her main food is 350 cal/cup if that helps. Any help with my feeding would be really appreciated but I can move it to another thread if need be ^^;


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Hehe, I just ran my dogs' info on there, and according to it I'm seriously underfeeding my dogs, even if I run it with "overweight" or "senior, neutered, inactive". And I still have trouble keeping them from getting chubby! Well, just keep an eye on her and cut back if she starts to look pudgy. Don't stick to any formulas or feeding guides--feed whatever amount keeps your dog at a good body condition, even if it seems like too little. Everybody's metabolism is different.


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## Brieana (May 9, 2012)

When my dogs were eating kibble, I had a 1/4 scoop from a slimfast powder can. They've been on raw for a week and I measured and sectioned all the food by weight before freezing.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Willowy said:


> Hehe, I just ran my dogs' info on there, and according to it I'm seriously underfeeding my dogs, even if I run it with "overweight" or "senior, neutered, inactive". And I still have trouble keeping them from getting chubby! Well, just keep an eye on her and cut back if she starts to look pudgy. Don't stick to any formulas or feeding guides--feed whatever amount keeps your dog at a good body condition, even if it seems like too little. Everybody's metabolism is different.


^^This. I don't even know what the bag recommendations are on Jubel's food for a 50# dog, I've just found that 2 cups a day keeps him close to 50#. Following the paperwork I got from the shelter when I adopted him he was getting 3 cups a day and ended up reaching 57.5# before my vet told me I was making him fat and to cut back his food. He's active enough that once I cut back his food the pounds came off pretty quickly and he's maintained close to 50# for about a year now.


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## joesuits4 (Apr 24, 2012)

Does anyone weigh the dog food kibbles? i.e. 1 cup =8 ounces etc.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

I measured out the food last night for dinner and everyone woofed it up. I have been feeding one time a day for a while but since I was measuring I thought I would split it up for today. This morning only one dog ate anything,the others looked at me all crazy. So I may be measuring but I am thinking they like the one time a day feeding or it may just take them some time to get used to it.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

I punched my dogs into the dog food calculator lol it was correct for Happy, but Happy needs an insane amount of food for her size..the odd time she gets kibble she gets about 3-4 cups a day, raw she gets 2-3lbs a day..she is only 30lbs lol and that amount of food just barly keeps her at a good weight, any less and she gets very underweight.

for Gem it said she should be getting 4 cups of orijen a day....she gets 2 and is on the cusp of getting chunky lol


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

4 cups of food is more than I feed my 8o+lb lab,who is very active and the food is a lower food than Orijen he would be a butterball if I fed him that much.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

jvee86 said:


> I try and measure out the 4 cups a day for my 6 month lab....But he acts soo hungry that I am sure I've given him extra now and then.


May I ask what kind of food your feeding. My lab is 80+lbs and I don't feed that much. That seems like a lot of food.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

hmm... not sure if my calculations are right. From looking it up online the food I feed is 3496 kcal/kg, didn't say and I don't know the conversion for kcal/cup. The calculator says I should feed .37 kg a day. I found a random comment on a site while looking for a conversion to cups saying a cup of dry dog food is about 3.5 ounces and 13 ounces is about .37 kg. *IF * all that is correct the calculator says I should be feeding him ~3 3/4 cups a day. That'd have him fat in short order, even changing from active to typical only dropped it to .33 kg a day which is about a 1/4 cup difference.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Your calculations are probably just fine. The directions on the bags are nearly always far more than dogs need. 

I didn't have a scale when I fed kibble to Sassy and Max but I did weigh out Artie's kibble. I was feeding him super high powered stuff and wanted to get it down to the gram as he is a little guy. On that same kibble I failed feeding it to Max because I was overfeeding by giving him the minimum amount suggested on the bag.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Casper is 18lbs and eats about 2/3 of a cup (of Acana) per day. Crystal is 10 lbs and eats just under 1/2 of a cup (of Taste of the Wild) per day. There is a measuring cup in each of their food dishes, so all I have to do is fill that and dump it in their bowls. Easy! They would eat the whole storage container of food if I let them, I'm sure.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

momof3 said:


> May I ask what kind of food your feeding. My lab is 80+lbs and I don't feed that much. That seems like a lot of food.


Puppies eat a LOT more than adults!


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## Ryden'sMom (Sep 20, 2011)

I feed my 29 pound dog twice a day 3/4 a cup of Acana, for a total of 1 1/2 cups. I keep a measuring cup inside the bag of kibble and use it each time I feed them.


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## Ryden'sMom (Sep 20, 2011)

I feed my 29 pound dog twice a day 3/4 a cup of Acana, for a total of 1 1/2 cups. I keep a measuring cup inside the bag of kibble and use it each time I feed them.


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

Yes, every time. I am extremely picky about how much my dogs eat, just ask my mom. lol I have 1 and 2 cup scoops in the food bin just for the dogs' food. 

It's a lot easier for me to keep track of how much they're eating and how much I need to increase or decrease according to their weight and activity levels. I keep better track of how much food the dogs eat than how much food I eat. LOL


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

I am a bit of slacker when it comes to measuring-- I do put 1 scoop in each of their bowls (1 scoop = 2 cups) and they get cottage cheese rice meat of the day on top the 12 yr old dog has a hard time chewing so the wet mash helps her) and they all switch bowls anyway ( I make sure the 12 year old eats her fill) then the pup (6mo old Berner) cleans up everyone elses bowls and the 3 yearold gets a snack (another half scoop or so) of dry later in night-- I notice she gets the munchies and grabs all the bowls and takes them to her bed to lick so thats when I give her the dry. The young dogs are well conditioned you can feel their ribs, the old one is sort of saggy but she is...old...
SO I guess I sort of measure it out but am not strict about the amounts.... They get bones/ raw chicken in the AM, and another scoop between the 2 young ones if they seem hungry....


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Yes and no. The more exercise they're getting, the less precisely I measure.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Crantastic said:


> Casper is 18lbs and eats about 2/3 of a cup (of Acana) per day. Crystal is 10 lbs and eats just under 1/2 of a cup (of Taste of the Wild) per day. There is a measuring cup in each of their food dishes, so all I have to do is fill that and dump it in their bowls. Easy! They would eat the whole storage container of food if I let them, I'm sure.


Thank you! I was looking for someone with dogs of a similar size to post for some guidance--I was thinking 2/3 cup/day for Roxie so maybe that'll do it  Or maybe less? But either way I feel like underfeeding would be better than overfeeding, and then adjusting--it's a lot easier to GAIN weight than it is to lose it! But either way it means I need to divide her Vital differently LOL, right now it's in 1/2 cup bags! Oughta change that! And I could do more on bike ride days maybe.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

I keep Casper very lean; he had knee issues when young and my vet advised me to keep him lean to minimize stress on the knee. It's been more than a year now, and he seems fine.  He could eat a bit more and still be a healthy weight. Crystal is a healthy weight, although ideally I'd like her to lose one pound.


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

Yes, I measure! My Poodle (ideal weight: 12.8 lb.) gets a level 1/4 c. of Acana 2x daily and my new rescued shih-tsu (current weight 11 lb.) gets a rounded 1/4 c. 2x daily, b/c he needs to put on a couple of pounds. I'll assess his progress and adjust the amount of food I'm feeding him accordingly. My poodle has grade 3.5/4 luxating patellas, and extra weight is very bad for that. My vet wants him on the lean side. He gained 1/2 pound in 6 months, and I almost had a stroke!

My MIL's cockapoo, who I took in to rehabilitate and rehome, was DOUBLE her desired weight (per the vet's recommendation) when I got her. I fed her Wellness Core Reduced Fat (the amount for what she SHOULD weigh) and upped her exercise, and she lost 1/2 her body weight between Jan.-July of 2011. She was a brand new dog, and I found her an awesome home! Fat dogs are unhealthy dogs, just like people.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I measure food for all 3 cats and the dog. They all eat in separate rooms too (doors shut) so no one food steals.


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

I have food containers for the cats & dogs, I keep a measuring cup with the food. We never not measure.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Crantastic said:


> I keep Casper very lean; he had knee issues when young and my vet advised me to keep him lean to minimize stress on the knee. It's been more than a year now, and he seems fine.  He could eat a bit more and still be a healthy weight. Crystal is a healthy weight, although ideally I'd like her to lose one pound.


Thanks so much! My dog kept herself healthy free-feeding, but when I added the Vital I worried about her overeating. I've also noticed a marked improvement in how much attention she pays me already LOL! Thanks so much, you've been a big help


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I feed raw, but yes I weigh their food. My dogs are big enough that I don't need to be exact but I aim for a certain range. Sometimes I'll eyeball it. For example if I'm cutting a 3 lb heart into 4 equal pieces, I probably won't weigh it. I'll just chop it in half, then chop each part in half again and call it good, assuming each part is about 1 lb. I don't care if it's slightly over or under, close enough.

Weighing lets me know exactly how much my dogs are eating. If my dogs are getting too thin or too chunky it's easy to adjust.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I actually had trouble getting Sydney to eat enough to keep weight on when she was free fed (this was long time ago, though, and she was on some crappy generic). For most of her life now she's been on better food that I measure out twice a day and she gobbles it up. She gets 1/2 cup or slightly less at each feeding and weighs around 20 pounds. If I free fed now I think she would be severely obese. ;p


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I've always measured, using measuring cups.


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

I bought measuring cups specifically for scooping dog food so I just leave the 1 cup in the bag. Buster gets 2 scoops (2 cups) in the morning and 3 at night. Even just rounding the scoops will cause loose stool so each meal is carefully measured.


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## swellmomma (Apr 21, 2012)

I measure it. If I put too much in the bowl she gets the runs. So everything is measured exactly.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Yup, I do.

I change it up depending on his activity too.

I mainly keep 1/4 scoops and 1/3 scoops around.

In general, he (at 16lbs, in shape, and very active) gets 2/3 cup of Acana each day. If he's REALLY active (like lots of swimming and running) I'll up it to 3/4 cup per day if he seems hungry.


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## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

I measure it out for them.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Now I'm feeding 1/4 cup Solid Gold Sun Dancer and 1/4 cup Vital per day and an extra 1/8 cup of Solid Gold if we bike, since that uses more energy and she's kind of out of shape right now. Not used to so much work! She seems to be doing pretty well on this schedule, maybe even losing a little weight but it's hard to say since it hasn't been long.


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

I always measure. Dixie gets 1/4 cup of kibble twice a day. She also gets a small scoop of yogurt with her evening meal. I like to measure for small dogs because even a tiny variance can make a huge difference.


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## PackMomma (Sep 26, 2011)

When I feed my dogs kibble I measure roughly, usually if they get kibble its on a weekday morning, and they always get raw for dinner so because its sort of tough to measure how much they should each get a day when feeding raw and kibble, I try to feed less than half of what the bag of kibble recommends, and depending on what I'm feeding for raw, if its prey model I eye ball, if its commercial patties then I feed half of the recommended amount.

My highly active 50lb Kelpie mix gets 1 cup of kibble (when I do feed him kibble) on a weekday morning, and he will usually get about 9-10oz of raw 12 hrs later. If I dont feed kibble, he gets anywhere between 16-18 ounces of raw for the day.

My 20lb Shiba Inu, moderately active, gets about 1/8 cup of kibble in an AM, and about 6-7 ounces of raw in the PM. If I don't feed kibble then he eats approx. 12-15 ounces of raw for the day.

They will both occasionally get a snack like some goat cheese or goat yogurt or leftover/tablescraps for a treat..

Sometimes I adjust their portions accordingly depending on how active they have been, etc but they've both maintained a great weight, poops are small and less frequent, they don't typically beg for food or act like they're starving but they are opportunists that's for sure. lol. My Kelpie mix is pretty lean, can't really see the ribs but can feel them, Cash has much longer hair so its tough to tell but he is a little more pudgey than he used to be so I have recently decreased his kibble portion from 1/4 cup to 1/8 cup as he gets older he becomes less active so I have to adjust accordingly.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

Thanks everyone for all the posts. I started last week after I kept reading and I have been measuring each meal. I found that one dog after 2 days really doesn't want the amount of food that they say to feed so I cut it back,while the other acts like its starving so I offered a little more. I think my food is going to last longer because I was over feeding. I also found that mine don't like 2 meals a day they won't eat it so I'm sticking with once a day.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

momof3 said:


> Thanks everyone for all the posts. I started last week after I kept reading and I have been measuring each meal. I found that one dog after 2 days really doesn't want the amount of food that they say to feed so I cut it back,while the other acts like its starving so I offered a little more. I think my food is going to last longer because I was over feeding. I also found that mine don't like 2 meals a day they won't eat it so I'm sticking with once a day.


All I'll say is don't be so quick to believe the one who acts like they are starving when you change the amount of food they get. When I cut back on Jubel's food because he was getting chunky he most certainly put up a fuss at first. To help ease him into less kibble I added a few baby carrots in with his kibble to help fill him up but still cut back the calories. He adjusted pretty quickly . 

That said the most important thing to pay attention to when deciding to increase of decrease how much you feed is you dog itself. Are they overweight, ideal, underweight? Just don't blindly follow the dog ACTING hungry as some will end up quite fat that way, mine sure would.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

All were in good weight according to the vet. I will keep an eye on the one that seem hungry still just to make sure that he doesn't add extra pounds.


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## KaywinnitLee (Jan 1, 2012)

Absolutely. I feed Ziwipeak Venison and use a kitchen scale to measure out the weight exactly for each feeding. When price & health are factors it's very important.


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

A healthy dog will often appear to be starving - looking for more. That doesn't mean he/she needs to eat until satiated. That will cause obesity, just like it would in a human. The amount posted on a dog food bag is often excessive, unless your dog is ultra active. After all, the company is trying to sell you more of their product... Add baby carrots (as a previous poster suggested) or frozen green beans for extra fiber (will cause the dog to fill more satisfied).


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## pawsplus (May 4, 2012)

Loki Love said:


> I feed raw, so we eyeball the amounts now. In the beginning, we used to weigh out everything.


Ditto. I used a baby scale in the early days but now I know what a pound of venison looks like, LOL. 

My one kibble-fed dog, Sophie, who is neurotic and older and refused to transition fully (I couldn't keep weight on her) gets carefully measured rations. I feed once a day and expect the food to be cleaned up w/ in 10 min. I can't imagine just filling the bowl--way to end up with a fat, sick doggie!


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I think certain dogs can handle free feeding and others can't. A relative of mine has 5 dogs and free feeds kibbles 'n bits. Their lab is in really good shape, as is their current great dane. But they used to have an old mixed breed dog that was obese and their current JRT is also very fat. And he's an incredibly active dog so he's obviously eating WAY too much. Regardless though, they would never even know if their dogs lost their appetite as a sign of illness because they don't monitor the food at all. They just fill up 3 pie tins whenever they are emptied. They got really lucky that none of their dogs have developed any food aggression/resource guarding too.


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## Jordan S (Nov 21, 2009)

Always, scheduled feedings are usually ideal. All the overweight dogs I know are free-fed. Chocolate gets 1/3 of a cup of Canidae twice daily unless its's his whole food day, which in that case I measure out with my eye , usually a raw egg and a tablespoon of plain yogurt in the morning and a small tin of sardines(packed in water and salt-free) in the evening He weighs 23 lbs(his ideal weight)


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## Mama Of 3 (Feb 29, 2012)

I measure out our dogs foods. We use to free-free our dogs and bad kibble at that! (beneful) And while they didn't inhale the food because I filled the container every few days. But after we stopped free-feeding and switched to 4-5 star kibble I found out that Sophie (the smallest) didn't really care for the kibble and only ate when she was starved. So I went on a quest to find canned that she would eat. Since we switched the medium size dog has gained a few pounds that I want him to shed so Jack and Ella (the largest dog) are the reasons why I measure out their foods. 



The largest dog (golden retriever) gets 1 cup (measuring cup) of kibble and 1 cup of water added (to make a gravy of sorts and add moisture) along with the difference in her calories in canned food. The amount of canned food that she gets depends on the calories of the kibble (I use three different types and rotate) with the calories in the canned and I have several canned types that I rotate. That way she is getting a variety of different proteins. 

So I actually use a scale and weigh in grams the amount of the wet food. I've even gone as far to make charts and keep them in a binder so I know how much wet food to weight out based on the brand of the wet and the kibble. She's overweight and since we inherited her from my parents when they couldn't care for her because of my mom going through stem cell transplant I'm trying to slim her down. She was free fed before we got her and we continued doing that along with our other dogs. Several months ago we switched from beneful to 4-5 star foods and feeding twice a day. So I used the Dog Food Advisor website and have her daily calorie intake figured out for a 80 lb overweight dog. So she gets 518 calories for her meal twice a day. The other dogs get the calories based on their ideal weight since one is underweight the other is overweight. 

So it's my way of making sure they not only get a variety of proteins, but they aren't being overfed and are getting the right number of calories so the two can slim down along with exercise.


I also use a scale to weight out my own food as I'm trying to slim down as well. I find it's more accurate to weigh foods than go by measuring cups for trying to lose weight myself. 1 cup can be tightly packed or loosely packed and have different weights so that 1 cup can have two very different calorie counts! But you can't argue with the weight of a food so it makes it more accurate when counting calories. Not to mention less clean up, especially for things like peanut butter or similar foods. I weigh in grams rather than ounces because it's more accurate. 1 ounce equals 28 grams.


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