How much to feed?

[Corgi_Lover]

I feed my two 5 month old corgis a total of 2 cups of kibble a day spread out to be fed 3 times a day. Trevor eats his fast and well, Abby only sometimes eats, if i feed her with wet food she is more into eating but still eats slowly. am i feeding her to much? or does she just not like eating, she only ways 13 pounds

[glencorgi]

Abby's the red & white in your avatar? IF so, she's a small girl and will likely always be on the smaller side. Sounds like she's eating what she wants/needs and her weight is likely in proportion to her size. Not every corgi eats their food in one inhaling. <G> Some are more grazers, some will eat a piece at a time, it is just their way. The more you fuss over her food, the more a tendency to develop into a picky eater grows. Try cutting her back to 1 1/2 cups split up and see how she does on that amount.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

I have never given Taylor as much as two cups of food to cover a 24 hour period this includes treats, table scraps and normal meal with supplements but does not include the daily Eukanuba biscuit or the weekly canon fresh meaty bone. He is a medium size Pem.

[Cheetah]

I like to use this calculator as a guideline:
Metabolic Energy Requirements For Dogs

I know it's a cocker spaniel website, but the calculator is for all dogs, and I have been told by a nutritionist friend of mine that it is fairly accurate for coming up with a guideline to start out with.

I just take the daily kcal requirements the calculator comes up with and use that in conjunction with however many kcals are in each cup of kibble (the bag should say). I never trust the feeding guidelines on the bag, because, them being a dog food company, it's only expected that they'll want you to feed more of their food lol...

[Michael Romanos]

I don't believe that trusted producers of dog food will provide incorrect feeding quantities data in order for the buyer to repurchase in quicker time than necessary. I suppose generally speaking, the quantities recommended by trusted producers are reliant on no other food been given and on the food recipient being Mr or Miss dog average.

[glencorgi]

These are puppies, not adults and puppies can need more food.

Feeding recommendations direct from a number of sample bags of AAFCO *approved* foods:

25 - 20 LBS 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups
20 - 30 LBS 1 1/3 to 1 3/4 cups
20 - 30 LBS 1 to 1 1/2 cups
20 - 30 LBS 1 1/2 to 2 cups
20 - 50 LBS 2 to 3 1/2 cups

Debbie

[Corgi_Lover]

Well, my pup is only 13 pounds so that chart doesnt really help...lol

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Corgi_Lover

Well, my pup is only 13 pounds so that chart doesnt really help...lol

Well the charts were just an example of the ranges of recommended amounts that can be found on a variety of foods made by trusted producers of dog food. The weights are for adult corgis.

As I suggested earlier to you for your puppy, for her size and age try her on 1 1/2 cups.

Debbie

[MyPemCharlie]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

I like to use this calculator as a guideline:
Metabolic Energy Requirements For Dogs

I know it's a cocker spaniel website, but the calculator is for all dogs, and I have been told by a nutritionist friend of mine that it is fairly accurate for coming up with a guideline to start out with.

I just take the daily kcal requirements the calculator comes up with and use that in conjunction with however many kcals are in each cup of kibble (the bag should say). I never trust the feeding guidelines on the bag, because, them being a dog food company, it's only expected that they'll want you to feed more of their food lol...

That's a cool calculator Cheetah! I prefer to go by kcals rather than cups. The food I switched Charlie to last month has 30% more calories, so I cut back on the # cups to get the same kcals.

Still, I believe, the very best method to determine the amount of food is to look at the dog. If you can see the ribs, feed more...(hah! Does this ever happen with a Corgi????). If you cannot feel the ribs or the dog does not have a visible waist, feed less.

[Michael Romanos]

Two things here. Firstly, dog food from producers range in content such as calories, carbos etc so that what one product has a recommended quantity according to weight, it may be up to half the recommendation of another product. Secondly, AAFCO-approved food does not necessarily equate fully to that of a producer who has total integrity. The two aspects are not a complete allignment.

[Bailey's driver]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

I don't believe that trusted producers of dog food will provide incorrect feeding quantities data in order for the buyer to repurchase in quicker time than necessary. I suppose generally speaking, the quantities recommended by trusted producers are reliant on no other food been given and on the food recipient being Mr or Miss dog average.

I agree about the dog food makers, the problem is primarily lots of variables with different dogs make it only a guidline. No one can account for the differences in metabolisim, amount of exercise, medicine being taken, just habits of eating, amount of treats in a day, etc. The amount on the package is the starting point you try first if you don't know where to start, and then you adjust it if you need to.
No one amount can be perfect for an exact weight for all dogs, it's impossible. Nothing can be done about that.

[Michael Romanos]

Obviously a normal dog of around 25 pounds is going to need about half the daily quantity of food of a normal dog of around 50 pounds. So any feeding instructions should make this point qiute clear. If a Corgi should be 25-28 lbs but weighs in a 32-35 lbs, then he/she should be fed on the scale of 25 lbs not what they actually weigh if they are overweight.