Pet Feeding Guide

How much are you suppose to feed your pet? This depends on the size of the pet, genetics and lifestyle. The feeding guide on the bag of food gives you a range, but remembers they are trying to sell more food.

Kittens:

Until they are spayed or neutered which can be done at 4 months of age, can be free fed a good quality kitten food.  Most kitten foods have approximately 500 kcal/ cup. Once they have been altered their caloric requirement decreases and they should be fed meal times of 1/4cup/ twice daily. When they are a year of age you can switch to adult cat food.

Cats:

Obesity is the number one health disease in cats and can take up to 5 years off their life. The average life span of an ideal weight cat is 18-20 and overweight cat is 13 years.  You are not doing your cat any benefit overfeeding it a premium food. Cats only need about 20-25 calories per pound. A good rule of thumb is ¼ c / twice daily. If it is a small boned cat or you are feeding a premium food then the cat will need a little less.  The cat should not have a swinging pouch. Meal times are one of the best things you can do for your cat.

Puppies:

They come in all shapes and sizes and feeding requirements. The small and toy breeds caloric requirement is almost twice that of the big dogs.  Large breed puppies also require less fat calories to prevent orthopedic developmental problems.

The first 4 months puppies have a high caloric requirement that decreases almost in half when they are 4 months old. That is also the time they are being spayed or neutered which also decreases caloric requirement.

The first 4 months the puppies need approximately 60 kcal/# for the big breeds and 80kcal/# for the small breeds. Decrease that by 25% when they turn 4 months old. Decrease another 20% when they become adults.

Dogs:

The toy and small breed dogs generally have a requirement of 35kcal/ # which decreases as the size of the breed increases. A 50# dog would have a requirement of 23kcal/# and a 90# dog would be around 20kcal/#.

There is a wide range of calories/cup depending on the brand and the ingredients. Canidae and Blue Buffalo have around 500kcal/cup which is what is in most performance foods. Most other adult maintenance foods will be in the range of 370-400kcal/cup. Large breed, senior and weight management foods will have less.

These are guidelines. Do not forget to count the calories from treats and table food.

To monitor your dog’s weight at home feel him behind the elbows. It should feel like the back of your hand. If it feels like your knuckles he’s too skinny. If it feels like your palm and you’re not feeling the ribs, he’s too heavy.

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) is a group of veterinarians and veterinary healthcare experts dedicated to reducing the pet obesity epidemic.
petobesityprevention.com/.

The average life span of ideal weight big dogs is two years longer than for obese dogs. The average life span of ideal weight cats is 18; the life span of an obese cat is 13.

Guides on the pet food bags are too large, which causes a lot of fat pets.

Body Condition

It is not enough to simply feed your dog the amount indicated in the chart on the back of the bag.  Like people, each dog's body uses food differently, and changes in age and activity level may alter the number of calories a dog needs. If you feed your dog more than he needs, the extra energy may be stored as fat and could lead to obesity- the number one nutritional disorder among dogs.

This extra weight puts dogs at risk for certain health problems involving the cardiovascular, respiratory and skeletal systems.  Knowing how to recognize the signs of your dog being overweight and taking corrective action is important.  But it's more important to know how to keep your pet in good body condition from the beginning, thus avoiding  the development of obesity in the first place.

Maintaining Ideal Body Condition

Start by figuring out where your dog falls on the 9 point purina@bodyconditionchart. In order to do this, you will want to conduct three checks of your dog.

• Rib Check ( Healthy hugs): Place both of your thumbs on your dog's backbone and spread both hands across his rib cage. You want to be able to feel his ribs. It should feel like the back of your hand. If it feels like your palm, he is too heavy. If it feels like your knuckles, he is too skinny. Feeling your dog is important, as the coat of many dogs will make a visual check difficult.
• Profile Check: Examine your dog's profile- it's best if you are level with your dog. Look for the abdomen to be tucked up behind his rib cage.
• Overhead check: Looking at your dog from overhead, identify if you can see a waist behind the ribs. Most dogs at a healthy weight should have an hourglass figure.

Obesity Awareness

It has been estimated that nearly half of US dogs and cats are overweight or obese. pet obesity can be caused by genetics, high-fat diets, overeating, lack of exercise and health problems such as hypothyroidism ( low thyroid levels)

Whhile gaining 1-2 pounds may not make a lot of difference to your body, for a cat or a dog with a comparatively smaller body, a few pounds can add a lot of stress to bones and organs. If left untreated dogs and cats may experience serious health issues secondary to obesity. Excess pounds can shorten your pet's life span.

Common health problems associated with obesity include:

• Lamesness, Arthritis and other Joint Disorders
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Exercise Intolerance and Overheating
• Increased Anesthetic and Surgical Risks
• Skin Problems
• Reduced Life Span