Factors Affecting Feeding Amount

September 30, 2021

Why might the feeding calculator be inaccurate for my pet?

Well… your pet may not be the average, middle of the road animal the calculator is built for, and that is okay.

When it comes to feeding our pets, keeping them in tip top shape is important and a significant part of this is feeding them the correct amount of food. Determining the correct feeding amount is not always easy and straightforward, it often requires periodic changes in order to find the “sweet spot”

The reason isn’t straightforward because there are many factors that go into determining the appropriate feeding about for your specific pet and some of those factors are:

• Breed size - on average, small dogs require more calories per pound than medium and large breed dogs with Great Danes being an exception (often require up to 20% more calories than other breeds in their size class).
• Lifestage - young adults often require more calories and thus more food than middle aged pets and seniors (there are always exceptions).
• Activity level - the average pet who receives two walks per day will require less calories than your average working dog or competition dog, even if they are the same breed.
• Neuter status - intact pets appear to burn more calories at rest than their altered counterparts.

Our feeding calculator should be used as a guide or starting point, it is built for the average, middle of the road pet. Please do not be surprised if you find yourself needing to alter your pets feeding amount once they are on their new diet, this is a common occurrence.

Note: if your pet is having weight fluctuations, requiring significantly more or less food than they have in the past, we recommend you speak to your veterinarian to make sure there are no underlying conditions causing this.
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