ADELAIDE, Australia, Nov. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Dog feeding calculators predominantly use the ideal weight of a dog to determine the required calories. The problem is mixed breed dogs have no ideal weight, and while in a perfect world all dogs of a breed are uniform in size, this just isn’t the case.
For example, let’s take two Border Collies. One is large for its breed, and one is small for its breed. If they were given the “ideal” calorie intake for their breed, one would not get enough kcals and one would get too many.
Instead, a more accurate measurement is achieved through using RER, or Resting Energy Requirement. RER is the amount of energy required to sustain the basic bodily functions of a dog, such as breathing, heart function, and brain function.
RER is calculated by using this formula found on the Ohio State University of Veterinarian Medical Science website: Take a dog’s weight. If it’s in lbs., then divide this number by 2.2046. This gives the weight of the dog in kilograms. This figure is then multiplied by the dog’s kg weight raised to the ¾ power by 70.
To then accurately calculate a dog’s Daily Energy Requirement (or DER) other factors are then considered.
For example, a puppy requires 3 X the RER to account for its growth rate. A neutered adult dog requires 1.6 X the Resting Energy Requirement. A working dog would also require a higher multiple of the RER.
This RER multiplied produces the kcals required to meet the DER for that specific dog and not their breed. Meaning, it’s not guesswork based on historical breed data or other outside factors. It’s based on the individual dog’s weight and accounts for their life situation.
After the RER has been multiplied (depending on the dog’s situation), a dog’s owner now has a kcal figure that represents their dog’s Daily Energy Requirement. This daily kcal requirement is then divided by the kcals per cup found on the back of kibble packaging.
The dog’s owner now knows how many cups of their purchased dog food are required to feed their dog for their energy requirement. HoundGames have made this calculation process simple by creating an easy-to-use dog feeding calculator.
After attaining the number of cups required to feed their dog, the owner would then monitor their dog’s weight and use a Body Condition Score chart to determine when their dog’s ideal weight has been met.
For more complex life situations, such as an overweight, neutered adult working dog, a visit to a veterinarian is recommended for tailored professional advice. However, for the majority of dogs, the HoundGames RER dog feeding calculator can make a complex task easy and give a good ballpark starting point for feeding dogs.
https://www.houndgames.com/dog-feeding-calculator-guide/
Media Contact
Geoff Boileau, HoundGames Pty Ltd, 61 0404334022, geoff@houndgames.com
SOURCE HoundGames Pty Ltd
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