Hey do you guys ever calorie count your dog's diet? My dog started getting chubby so I cut back on his food. That did the trick and he's probably about the right weight now. What I'd like to do is figure out a good calorie count for him so he stays where he is and doesn't put the weight back on.

According to several canine calorie calculators online, it seems like he ought to get about 1,500 calories per day. That's for a 73 lb dog with moderate exercise level. Since he's actually probably more like low-moderate exercise, I figure I should deduct 100 calories, and then maybe another 100 to make up for training treats. So, let's make it 1,300 per day.

Honest Kitchen Embark is 488 cals/cup, so dividing 1,300 by 488 I get 2.6 cups per day. Seems about right, though I think it might be *more* than I was feeding when he put on weight. I'm pretty sure I was feeding 2 cups per day when he started bulking up. To get him to lose weight, I cut him back to 1.5 cups, but that would only be 732 cals/day, which is about 1/2 of what the calorie calc says, though that *was* a reduced calorie diet to get him to lose weight. It's pretty clear why it worked (and why his food drive has gone up).

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has had any experiences along the same lines and has any advice or comments -

I don't count calories...but ribs<g>.

If you just stay aware of where your dog is at, in terms of the fat cover over his ribs, and adjust the food up or down accordingly, it's pretty easy.

Even way back when I was feeding kibble, I never went by bag suggestions...the manufacturers want you to feed as much as possible!

JMO
leih

I count calories for my lab. He is 94lbs and should be just under 80 for his size. He is on about 1000 calories a day. His kibble is 419 per cup. Two cups a day plus a biscuit and misc treats puts him there.

He is on the low low energy side, but gets daily bike rides.