2) Feed the Right Amount – it’s harder than you realise
Most dogs will over-eat given the chance. It is for owners to keep tabs on what dogs are eating and limit their intake to healthy levels.
First things first: feed a balanced diet. The easiest and safest way to do this is with a commercial dog food.
Think carefully about the energy in everything you feed your dog. Overfeeding by even small amounts has a big effect on weight over time. People often get into trouble because they underestimate the energy in the food they give, forget the ‘extras’, or don’t factor in treats and titbits when giving main meals.
Thinking about these facts will help you make the right decisions:
- Dogs need fewer calories per day than people so extras count for a lot. For example, a 25 kg Labrador requires around 1500 kcal a day. So if they snaffle a handful of discarded chips from beside the bin at the park (150 calories) they need 10% less of their ‘regular’ food that day.
- Biscuits/dried kibble are very energy dense. As a rule of thumb, kibble contains about 5 times as much energy as the equivalent weight of tinned food. That means most dogs a need only a very small volume of kibble as their daily allowance.
- ‘Treats’ often taste good because they are fatty and high in energy. For instance, popular dental chew sticks and marrow biscuits each provide around 75 kcal. That’s as much as a digestive biscuit! So a chew in the morning and a biscuit at bedtime use up 10% of a 25 kg Labrador’s daily allowance.
- If you change the brand, you probably need to change the amount you feed. Look on the packets to compare the energy in each diet you use and adjust the amount you give accordingly.
Weigh or measure your dog’s food at every meal. Measuring is simple and particularly important if several different people feed your dogs. Smaller containers avoid confusion or and the temptation to go just over the line.
But… the weight of food is a guide to ensure you don’t over feed. You still need to ask yourself at each meal if your dog has had extra treats or stolen food that day. If so, give a little less of their regular food.
Treats and titbits aren’t forbidden, but must be factored in to other food allowances. It’s a good idea to weigh your dogs’ food once a day then take from that bowl to use as treats for training or elsewhere. Not all of us can be that organised – but do engage your brain!
At minimum, keep a mental record of what ‘extras’ your dog has had each day and subtract equivalent calories from their regular meals. Ideally, make sure you have a selection of low calorie treats as alternatives to the unhealthy ones your dog might ask for. Remember that treats are delicious for a reason and have more energy than regular kibble.
Next: Restricting food kindly – minimising hunger.