What's the ideal food amount for my 14 lb dog's age & lifestyle?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach. When we calculate the daily caloric requirements for dogs, we use a calculation called RER, or resting energy requirement. For a 75 lb dog, this value is 985 kcal/day. Since he is young and active, we multiply this amount by a factor to account for this. In his case, his total calories that he should ingest per day is between 1200-1300. This should help him maintain the weight he is currently at. Here is a link to a reputable website that offers lots of nutritional information: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/pet-nutrition-basics/. I hope this is helpful!

Hello. This is a great question! She should be eating about 500 -550 calories PER DAY which includes all food and treats. She can eat any food as long as she stays inside that calorie window. If you feed her a lower calorie diet then she will get to eat more food and be less hungry. Purina ProPlan Weight Management Dry Food is 337 calories per cup so if you feed her this food she can eat 1.5 cups per day with a little left over for a treat or two. http://www.petsmart.com/dog/food/dry-food/purina-pro-plan-weight-management-formula-adult-dog-food-5148013.html?gclid=CKrvp4aRkdQCFZBgfgodPccMzA If you don't like this food you can use any diet. Just check the bag, it will tell you how many calories per cup. Take the 525 (using the middle of her calorie range) and divide it by the number of calories in each cup of food and that will tell you how many cups of that food she can have PER DAY. Example as above 525 / 337 = 1.55 cups I hope this helps. Best wishes. Dr. Amber

I recommend a gradual transition over the course of a week or so from your current dog food to Royal Canin Adult Beagle food which can usually be found in PetCo’s and is also available online. I would also look up ‘body condition scoring chart for dogs’ and determine whether Belle is at a normal/lean body condition or if she is a bit overweight or thin. If she is a bit overweight (does not have a noticeable waist from the top view or side view), 2 cups per day would probably be appropriate (2 3/4 cups is recommended on the bag for a 30 lb beagle with a normal activity level). It is best to gradually adjust the food ration based on body condition scoring over the course of several weeks. Different diets have different caloric densities so it is generally best to gauge the appropriate amount to feed based on body condition scoring . Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He should be eating about 450 calories per day. I would also encourage him to exercise to some degree such as frequent walks. You could consider the Hills Science diet metabolic weight management diet which can help tremendously in this case. Have a good day!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Charlie needs around 300-400 calories per day for his weight and age (considering he is a puppy) so I would adjust the cups per day keeping this in mind. As he continues to get older and his weight increases, I would recommend continuing to follow the instructions on the food package label. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

There is a wide range of daily energy requirements for dogs depending on their activity level, if they have been spayed or neutered, and individual metabolism. By my calculation, an average neutered male 17 pound dog with a normal body condition score would require 435-520 calories per day. Yes, vegetable calories count too!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! His caloric intake for now will change as he will continue to grow and his needed caloric intake will continue to increase until he becomes an adult. For now it should be about 500 calories per day. However, this will continue to increase until he becomes an adult. I would encourage you to let us or your veterinarian know as he continues to grow so that we can recalculate his needed caloric intake as he grows up. Good luck and have a great day! I hope you find this helpful.