"How much should my dog eat?" is a question I hear pretty regularly. Everyone knows on the back of every bag of kibble, can food or raw package there are the notorious feeding guidelines. Pretty simple and straight forward right? Not as simple as you might think. The guidelines are established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) which is basically the group that collects all the research to decide what nutrients your dog or cat requires. Most guidelines are pretty efficient and take up only a small rectangle on the back of the bag to leave room for the ingredient panel and the great big paragraph that tells you why that certain food is the best food ever. One of the problems I notice on these guidelines is the rather large weight range that is covered. There is a pretty big difference between a 10lb dog and a 22lb dog but they are lumped in the same range with feeding of 1/2 cup to 1 cup. If your dog is somewhere in between you are left guessing what amount is best and this also assumes that every dog at that weight range is at an ideal weight. That's a pretty big assumption considering over half the dogs in homes are overweight and the numbers for obesity are increasing at an alarming rate.
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About meMy life has gone to the dogs. I've worked in shelters, dog daycares, veterinary offices and local pet food retailers. I've seen all aspects of the pet world and I've got a theme that keeps popping up. Let's get back to basics, keep it simple. In my mind, it all starts with good food and using what nature has to offer. Archives
August 2016
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