jan,
Last year on EngShep, Ellen posted a formula for calculating the caloric
requirements of dogs. According to this formula, using the 1.4
multiplying factor for the geriatric category, Brandy requires 1960
calories a day (for his former weight of 85 lbs.--Ellen said to feed
according to the weight you want, for adult dogs). Based on the calorie
content of ProPlan Beef, Brandy would need 4.5 Cups each day. ProPlan
Beef has 341 calories per cup. Formula follows
**************
Calculating caloric requirements: the formula we were taught is--
70x(body wt. in kg)^0.75 <=(raised to the 3/4 power)( hard to
show in computer-ese === this equals RER or resting energy requirement.
for my Gwin it would be 70x(18kg)^.75 = 612 kcals.
This number is multiplied by a factor that is related to the age and
activity
of the dog.
Normal adult, neutered dogs: 1.6
Obese-prone dogs and geriatric dogs: 1.4
Light-working dogs (e.g. 1-2 hrs hunting): 2.0
Moderate working (e.g. 1 day hunting): 3.0
Heavy working (e.g, sled dogs): 4.0-8.0
Puppies < 4 mos old: 3.0
Puppies between 4 and 12 mos old: 2.0
**************
We use this formula to figure out the changing needs of the puppies, and
also used it to check how much our adult dogs are getting.
By the way, requested a data sheet on ProPlan foods that shows the
nutrient composition of each of their varieties. Was surprised to see
that their Turkey, Lamb, Beef and Chicken Adult formulas do not all have
the same calories per cup, nor do they have the same % of calcium. The
calorie range is from 421/C in adult Chicken, down to 341/C in adult
Beef. And also surprising, the adult Beef variety has fewer calories
per cup than ProPlan Lite (346/C).
Gina
[log in to unmask]
