I get more questions on this topic than almost anything else, except, of course, litter box questions.
Given the number of overweight dogs and cats I'm not exactly surprised. The answer to the question is not as simple as some would think and it's certainly not as simple as following the recommendations on pet food bags or cans.
The simple answer is to feed pets the exact amount of calories that it takes to satisfy their energy needs and any additional needs like growth, athletic performance or pregnancy and lactation. That is obviously easier said than done. Even adult dogs or cats with the same weight and activity level can have significantly different caloric needs.
This is the main reason that the feeding instructions on pet food bags should be used as a general guide only. These recommendations are based on average needs and as we know, our pets in particular, are not average.
All kidding aside you should start with the suggested feeding amounts on the bag and then adjust from there based on observing your pet. You don't have to wait for your pet to get too fat or too skinny to make a change, though.
Ideally, you want to keep them in ideal body condition. Purina has developed a
body condition scoring system to help you monitor your pet's weight. There are pictures of overweight pets and general appearance guidelines to help you through the process. Take a look at the illustrations of
puppies,
dogs and
cats to start. You want your pet to be in the ideal category.
Along with the illustrations, follow these guidelines:
- You should be able to feel your pet's ribs by gently running your fingers over the rib cage
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You should not have to put too much pressure on the chest to do this. If there is a layer of fat over the ribs he's too heavy.
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You should also be able to see a waist or an indentation behind your pet's ribs when you look down from above your pet. With cats you should see the abdomen tucked in behind the ribs when viewed from the side. Cats can accumulate fat along the mid line of the belly and it can look like something is hanging down between their hind legs. You don't want that.
If you can keep your pet in ideal body condition you are feeding the right amount of food. If they start to change into a body condition on either side of ideal make an adjustment in the amount you feed until things are back to normal. Monitor their body condition at least weekly.
Following these guidelines is the interactive way to do things and keep tabs on your pet's weight. It's proactive as opposed to reactive. Allowing a pet's weight to get seriously out of whack will require more difficult changes like dieting and additional exercise. Like Mom says, "an ounce of prevention is like a pound of cure."