[Sheila V]

Hi, I feed my dog Fresh Pet. She is 4 years old and overweight. The dog food calculator says she should have 1.14 cups a day, which I would divide into 2 feedings. I understand 1 cup but can someone tell me where is .14 on a standard measuring cup? Math was never my strong suite. LOL. Thank you.

[aimee]

Hi Sheila,

0.14 cups is a tad more than 1/8 cup.

If you are striving for weight loss an alternative method to determine amount to feed is to take an honest assessment of everything that crosses her lips over the course of a day, add up all the calories and then decrease by about 20 %. The best way to measure food esp for weight loss is to use a kitchen scale and weigh the food

Individuals vary so much on caloric needs so a calculator can be used as a starting point but typically an individuals needs may vary by 50% from what ever amount is generated.

If your intent is for your dog to lose weight a weight loss food would likely be more appropriate. Does fresh pet have a weight loss food?

[Sheila V]

Thank you for your input, aimee. Far as I know, Freshpet doesn’t have a weight loss food. I do have a kitchen scale, if I plan on feeding 1.14 cups a day would that be 5 or 6 ounces at each serving?

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Sheila V.

[aimee]

Sheila,

I’d would need to know the exact formula you are feeding and how many calories you want to feed to answer that question

[Sheila V]

Feeding her the Multi-Protein formula-.246 kcal/cup
protein 14.5%
fat 10%
fiber 1.5%
On the Dog Food Calculator I entered her activity level as “overweight” Also, put in what she should weigh and the kcal/cup
That’s how I got the 1.14 cups a day.
Been giving her 1/2 cup twice daily. I try to watch the treats, too. I do give her cooked carrots, green beans, but not too much.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Sheila V.

[aimee]

Thanks for the information. The food has 840kcals/lb or 1848/kg
840 kcals/lb divided by 16 ouces/lb = 52 kcals/ounce.
246 kcals/cup divided by 52 kcals/ounce = 4.7 ounces/cup

1.14 cups X 4.7 ounces = 5.4 ounces

This food takes 29.3% calories from protein , 51% from fat and 20 % from carbohydrates

When feeding high fat foods the volume to feed will be smaller and some dogs may not find this filling enough for them.
What is her current weight?

[Sheila V]

She currently weighs 20 pounds. She is a rescue from a puppy mill. When we adopted her from the Humane Society in 2018 she weighed 14 pounds. I understand what you are saying, she seems like she is always hungry.

[aimee]

Fresh pet does have proportionately some lower fat lines but it look like in general the line isn’t formulated for weight loss.
Has she always been on fresh pet or is this a new food for her

[Sheila V]

No, she hasn’t always been on Freshpet. I have tried other dog foods, even the weight-loss ones but she seems to do the best on Freshpet….when she was on other foods (especially the dry food) she drank lots of water and was pooping 2-3 times every day, a couple of times she pooped in the house. On Freshpet she has one healthy bowel movement a day, usually on her morning walk.

[James S]

Has anyone tried the new Orijen small breed formula yet. Hopefully The Dog food Advisor will give their review soon. Thanks!

[aimee]

Ok, so she has been on Fresh Pet for awhile and weighs 20 lbs but was 14 lbs when you adopted her as an adult 2 years ago. Unless she was significant;y underweight when adopted she is carrying significant;y more weight then desired and it is good that you are working to change that..

How many cups or ounces of Fresh Pet have you been feeding up to this point when you used the dog food calculator to adjust her intake

[Sheila V]

one cup a day total. According to the dog food calculator, it’s not enough? I don’t understand 1.14 cups or 1.64 cups….so yes, converting to ounces is probably more accurate. Too bad the Dog Food Calculator doesn’t do that. Thank you for all your help Aimee, it is greatly appreciated.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Sheila V.

[aimee]

If you have been feeding one cup a day and she is 20 lbs and needs to lose weight then you’d have to feed less food. In general, a calculated value can be off by 50% meaning some dogs would only need 1/2 cup. of fresh pet to lose weight. But at these levels the dog may feel hungry and because the food isn’t formulated for weight loss she may not get all the nutrient needs met.

If she isn’t getting treats, table tid bits, or dental chews, to cut 80% of calories you’d be feeding 3.75 ounces of Fresh Pet a day. this may not meet her nutrient needs. To me It looks like you’d need to change foods for a safe weight loss program for her.

[aimee]

If you have been feeding one cup a day and she is 20 lbs and needs to lose weight then you’d have to feed less food. In general, a calculated value can be off by 50% meaning some dogs would only need 1/2 cup. of fresh pet to lose weight. But at these levels the dog may feel hungry and because the food isn’t formulated for weight loss she may not get all the nutrient needs met.

If she isn’t getting treats, table tid bits, or dental chews, to cut 80% of calories you’d be feeding 3.75 ounces of Fresh Pet a day. this may not meet her nutrient needs. To me It looks like you’d need to change foods for a safe weight loss program for her.

[Sheila V]

@aimee, I looked at the list for the best dog foods for weight loss and decided to go with Dr. Tim’s Metabolite. I had to order it online, hasn’t come yet-maybe tomorrow or early next week. Wish us luck!

[aimee]

Hi Sheila,

I took a look at the website so I could calculate out how much to feed if you wanted to feed 80% of her current intake. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the information on the website is correct. For Dr Tim’s Metabolic it reports that there are 3027 kcals/kg and 268 kcals/cup (116 grams) Something is off … 3027 kcals/kg = 3.027 kcals /grams if there are 116 grams in a cup each cup would have 116 x 3.027 =351kcals not the reported 268.

You should call the manufacturer and see if you can get the correct information.

[Sheila V]

Ok, I will thank you.

[Sheila V]

@aimee- I sent Dr. Tim an e-mail about the Metabolite, here’s his reply:

Cup of Metabolite is 87 grams. I believe the math works out from there ok.
Probably should feed in the one cup a day range.

I did tell him my dog’s age, breed, what she weighs now and what she should weigh.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Sheila V.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Sheila V.

[aimee]

Hi Sheila,

Hopefully they will fix the website. To confirm what you were told is correct weight out 87 grams of food and then see if it is a level cup . If you don’t have a kitchen scale consider investing in one . Using a cup can be highly inaccurate and accuracy is needed when on a weight loss program.

If you feed a cup it will be more calories then you were feeding 1 cup Fresh Pet..

[Sheila V]

Hi aimee,

87 grams on my kitchen scale comes out to 3/4 cup.

[aimee]

Hi Sheila,

Hmmm….I was afraid of that..it appears the company just gave you a number to make the kcals/kg and Kcals/cup to match vs having accurate information.

Personally, it makes me nervous when a company’s information doesn’t “add” up. You could try recontacting them and see what they say.

[Sheila V]

Yeah, I agree. Maybe I should try a different weight loss food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Sheila! I have been disappointed in Dr. Tim’s responses in the past as well. I like how Aimee teaches us to find out the information for ourselves. I’ve learned a lot from her.

I know some are not fans, but, I prefer to stick to the big brands that have a proven history of success. They have a team of experts, own their own facilities and do feeding trials. They are Royal Canin, Purina, Euanuba, Iams and Hill’s. I believe they all have weight maintenance formulas. A couple of them have prescription formulas for weight loss. They could help with the loss and then move to an OTC formula.

My dogs are currently eating Purina One kibble with a dab of canned. My cats all eat Royal Canin kibble with a dab of canned also.

It’s great you are trying to keep your dog trim. It’s a big struggle at our house too. But, I know it’s best for their health. (and mine too 🙂 )

Good luck!

[Sheila V]

Hi crazy4cats, thanks for “weighing in”on the subject! It’s good to know there is someone else out there experiencing the same problems. Yes, Aimee has been very helpful, I really appreciate all her knowledge. I was thinking about Purina One before settling on Dr. Tim’s, it would be easier to purchase because there is a Pet Supplies Plus store nearby that carries it ,Dr. Tim’s has to be ordered online. I too was disappointed with his answer to my questions , if the caloric information on the website is wrong then apologize and correct it.

[aimee]

Hi crazy4xats and Sheila,

Thanks for the kind works. It makes me happy to know that others find my posts useful.

[Sheila V]

Hi Aimee,

Your posts are VERY useful.
I am so thankful for this website and all the hard work Mike puts into it.
You have helped me so much & you did it without talking down to me, I appreciate that.

[aimee]

Hi Sheila,
I agree … thanks to Dr Mike for creating this forum in which we can all help and learn from each other.

[kathryn B]

Fresh Pet dog food lists serving sizes in pound increments. You can’t convert pounds to cups – volume vs density- or something. So how are you all getting how many cups in a pound?

[kathryn B]

dog food calculators ask what your pet’s ideal weight is ??? I have no idea on even how to go about researching that. My 1 yr old, unspayed female is half lhasaapso and half min poodle. I don’t understand. how come they are not asking for current weight and ideal weight to get correct amount to feed ? all greek to me

[aimee]

Hi Katherine,
The Fresh Pet rolls give serving amounts in pounds but the bagged meals list it in cups.

What is your dogs body condition score and weight? As a general guideline on a 9 point body condition scale each point is ~ 10 % weight. So, for example, if the dog body condition score is 6 and weight is 18 pounds the ideal weight would be ~ 18 – 1.8 + 16.2 lbs

Hope that helps.

[Author]

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