# Feeding amount...calculator?



## devlee (Apr 12, 2009)

Hi,
I've found a couple of calculators online that tell me how much to feed my 2 dogs. One is formula based - 

weight divided by 2.2 = x
x multiplied by 30 = z
z plus 70 = kcal/day required

I've also found one here that is a web-based form.

These calculations come up with different caloric requirements for my dogs so I'm wondering which one to use. I'm feeding Orijen Adult to a 17 lb and an 18 lb Shih Tzu, both neutered, the larger one not being as active.

Any thoughts/suggestions? TIA


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

No calculating needed. Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You
should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different.
Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its
food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good
illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx


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## devlee (Apr 12, 2009)

Thanks for the link Labsnothers. I understand what a healthy dog should look like. The problem is that I've recently switched to a new food (Orijen) and my 3 yr old - who has only lived with me for 2 months - has gained weight on it even though I've followed the manufacturer's recommended daily amount and rather than adjusting the amount down in increments, taking a long time to be able to see a difference, I want to find a general guideline to get started with. I don't want to starve him but I also don't want him to carry the extra weight for too long a period of time as it is hard on his back.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

One thing you could do is figure out how many calories he was getting on the old food and calculate how much of the new it would take to match. That may quickly get you close, and refine it by the dog's ribs. 

There is no calculating it exactly. I have had similar Labs that varied by almost 50% in how much they needed of the same food.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Woah that first calculation was waaay too much for my dog. She's 6 lbs and needs about 1/2 cup of Orijen/EVO per day. Which calculates to about 220 kcal per day but the calculator told me she needed 400+.

I find Orijen's feeding recommendations to be very very vague because it goes like 1-10 kg 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup... I highly doubt a 1 kg dog needs 1/2 cup. My 2.5 kg very active dog gets 1/2 cup..I've also heard some people's 10 + lbs dogs get 1/2 cup Orijen too. 

I recommend cutting down on food a little. 

Just curious, how heavy is your dog and how much are you feeding?


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## devlee (Apr 12, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir, I got 152 kcal/day for your 6 lb dog using the calculation at the top. My dog is almost 20 lbs and should be between 18 and 19 lbs according to the vet. I was feeding 1 cup per day but have lowered it to 2/3 cup now.

Labsnothers, I don't know what type of food the previous owner was feeding other than it was a grocery store brand. I immediately switched him to Orijen when I got him as he tolerated it well.


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

I have used this calculator as a rough guide. You put in the dogs weight & if you want to maintain that weight or gain or lose.
Click on the "raw pet food" link on the left hand side of page

http://www.milestonefarms.com/index.html


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## tnis0612 (Jul 2, 2009)

Iv'e been feeding my 40lb Golden that's 5 months old a little more than 3 cups per day. He gets lot of exercise though. The vet says he looks great, everyone else says he looks skinny. You can't see his ribs but he is definitely lean. I think that amount works perfectly for us right now. It equates to about 1100 calories. But he also gets a fair amount of calories from treats throughout the day so who knows how much more thats adding. I'm about to switch to Innova Puppy that has about 100 more calories per cup...so...we'll see how that goes. Might scale it back some.

He's probably getting about 1500 calories per day. That calculator says he should be getting 615 calories per day. Obviously that's not for a puppy


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