{"id":3369,"date":"2019-09-08T13:41:26","date_gmt":"2019-09-08T10:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/how-much-and-what-should-dogs-eat\/"},"modified":"2021-10-19T15:52:24","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T12:52:24","slug":"how-much-and-what-should-dogs-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/how-much-and-what-should-dogs-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much and What Should Dogs Eat"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nA Dog\u2019s Ideal Diet<\/span><\/p>\n

Wolves love to prey on other animals, like deer, goats, sheep, etc. They will scavenge, eating plants when prey is scarce, but don\u2019t prefer to. Most scientists agree that dogs, or almost all dog breeds, descended from wolves. Like wolves, they are mainly carnivores.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even wild or stray dogs will scavenge when they have to (stray dogs probably have to a lot), but dogs prefer animal meat to anything else. Their sharp teeth were designed to grab, hold, rip and tear at meat. Their bodies were designed to thrive off of animal protein, meat and fats, Not plants or carbohydrates.<\/span><\/p>\n

The majority of popular dog food brands on the market today are mainly plant based, or created mostly from plant ingredients. Manufacturers do this not with the health of the animal in mind, but in an attempt to create a cheap product and still meet minimal nutritional requirements. It\u2019s much cheaper to grow your own ingredients than raise and feed them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Dogs are Meat Eaters<\/b><\/p>\n

Remember, dogs are carnivores, and their bodies do better with proteins found in animal meat, as opposed to plant based proteins. Not all proteins are the same, and this does make a huge difference. This is why we don\u2019t want to simply stop at a basic chart listing off calories.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Amino Acids: Why Dogs are Meant to Eat Meat<\/b><\/p>\n

All proteins are built from a mixture or combination of smaller compounds called amino acids. The amino acid mixture that builds the proteins found in animal meat is different from the amino acid mixture found in plant proteins. A dog who eats mostly plant based food might find it hard to get the right mixture, in the right amount, of amino acids he needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How Much Should Dogs Eat\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You should also ask yourself what type of calories you are feeding your pet. There is far more to dog nutrition than the simple question: How many calories does a dog need? Understand you could meet this amount by mostly feeding your dog fat, or mostly carbs (like the \u2018poor quality\u2019 example below). Proper nutrition is about the <\/span>type of calories<\/b> more than the amount.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wet food<\/b><\/p>\n

The most canned foods\u2019 caloric value is about 25-30 calories per 1 ounce\u00a0 (~88-105 calories per 100 g), unless indicated otherwise on the package.
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<\/div>
<\/th><\/th><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Dog\u2019s weight <\/td>kilocalories\/day <\/td>Food \/canned\/ <\/td><\/tr>
7 lbs 3.2 kg <\/td>200 <\/td> ~ 6.7 \u2013 8.0 oz ~ 190 \u2013 227 g <\/td><\/tr>
11 lbs 5.0 kg <\/td>280 <\/td> ~ 9.3 \u2013 11.2 oz ~ 267 \u2013 320 g <\/td><\/tr>
22 lbs 10.0 kg <\/td>470 <\/td>~ 15.7 \u2013 18.8 oz ~ 443 \u2013 534 g <\/td><\/tr>
44 lbs 20.0 kg <\/td>790 <\/td>~ 26.3 \u2013 31.6 oz ~ 752 \u2013 897 g <\/td><\/tr>
66 lbs 30.0 kg <\/td>1080 <\/td>~ 36.0 \u2013 43.2 oz ~ 1029 \u2013 1227 g <\/td><\/tr>
88 lbs 40.0 kg <\/td>1340 <\/td>~ 44.7 \u2013 53.6 oz ~ 1276 \u2013 1523 g <\/td><\/tr>
107,8 lbs 49.0 kg <\/td>1560 <\/td>~ 52.0 \u2013 62.4 oz ~ 1485 \u2013 1773 g <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>Wordpress Table Plugin<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n


\nDry food<\/b><\/p>\n

Dry food is much more calorific than canned food. Assuming that its contents is 90-120 calories per 1 ounce (~320-430 calories per 100 g), the daily volumes based on the dog\u2019s weight are as follows:
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<\/div>
<\/th><\/th><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Dog\u2019s weight <\/td>kilocalories\/day <\/td>Food \/dry\/ <\/td><\/tr>
7 lbs 3.2 kg <\/td>200 <\/td>~ 1.7 \u2013 2.2 oz ~ 46 \u2013 62 g <\/td><\/tr>
11 lbs 5.0 kg <\/td>280 <\/td>~ 2.3 \u2013 3.1 oz ~ 65 \u2013 87 g <\/td><\/tr>
22 lbs 10.0 kg <\/td>470 <\/td>~ 3.9 \u2013 5.2 oz ~ 109 \u2013 147 g <\/td><\/tr>
44 lbs 20.0 kg <\/td>790 <\/td>~ 6.6 \u2013 8.8 oz ~ 184 \u2013 247 g <\/td><\/tr>
66 lbs 30.0 kg <\/td>1080 <\/td>~ 9.0 \u2013 12.0 oz ~ 251 \u2013 337 g <\/td><\/tr>
88 lbs 40.0 kg <\/td>1340 <\/td>~ 11.2 \u2013 14.9 oz ~ 312 \u2013 419 g <\/td><\/tr>
107,8 lbs 49.0 kg <\/td>1560 <\/td>~ 13.0 \u2013 17.3 oz ~ 363 \u2013 487 g <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>Wordpress Table Plugin<\/a>
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Calorie Needs for an Average Healthy Adult Dog in Ideal Body Condition (<\/b>WSAVA<\/b><\/a>)<\/b><\/p>\n

Remember, these are only loose and basic guidelines. You should be more concerned with the type of protein, how many fats and carbs are in your dog\u2019s diet. These amounts can also vary based on the dogs:<\/span><\/p>\n