Treats were not only a pleasant snack for the dog; they also made great training aids and behavior reinforcers. As an owner of a dog, you are aware of how alluring it may be to give your dog whatever treats they want. To avoid overfeeding or fostering unruly behavior, there are rules that must be followed when doing this.
Calorie Calculation for Dogs
Calorie Calculation for Dogs
Let's get to the math now that we've cleared things out. To calculate 10% of your dog's daily diet, you must first determine the number of calories your dog consumes daily. Let's say I give an older German Shepherd dog four cups of Hills Active Longevity every day in accordance with the feeding guidelines on the container, and my vet approves of her weight. It equals 1,456 calories daily.
You finally have a number, 145.6, which is 10% of 1,456. Unfortunately, we had more inquiries. Was this the maximum number of calories you could give your dog on top of her four cups of food, or did you need to change the amount of food you gave her to compensate for these calories? Veterinarians claim that the solution calls for a little more math. However, most veterinary publications you studied advised that treats shouldn't make up more than 10% of your dog's entire diet, which includes treats or snacks. The vet is the best source for estimating the quantity of treated calories that your dog can offer.
In other words, you must reduce the amount of kibble you feed if you give your dog plenty of high-calorie treats in order to make that difference. But if you take away a lot of dog food kibbles, your dog will be missing out on essential nutrients. This would be like counting the calories from ice cream or deciding to reduce the calories in fruits, veggies, and protein to make up the difference.
Additionally, bear in mind that the feeding recommendations on your dog's food bag might not accurately reflect the overall number of calories your dog needs. For instance, your vet advised feeding one of your dogs more than the food manufacturer recommended and much less to the other dog. Consult your veterinarian about the nutritional and calorie requirements of your dog for an especially accurate estimate.
Selecting healthy snacks
Let's now discuss cheese. Due to its high calorie content, cheese might not be an ideal treat for all dogs, but it serves as an excellent example in this case. Cheddar cheese cubes (one cubic inch) are roughly 69 calories each. That represents roughly 5% of a normal 80-pound German shepherd's recommended daily intake. This is not always a problem if fed sparingly, but what happens to that 5-pound Yorkshire Terrier? What harm could one cheese cube do to him?
It only has 182 calories if a 5-pound Yorkie consumes a half-cup of Hills Healthy Longevity every day. 18 calories make up 10% of their daily intake. One cheese cube contains roughly four times the recommended calorie intake, which is equivalent to eating an entire Big Mac for us. On the other hand, a medium-sized carrot has only 25 calories, while a half-cup of thinly sliced cucumbers has just 8. As low-calorie snacks, you might also think about utilizing cooked asparagus and green beans.
An excellent method to understand why low-calorie goodies are better for your dog is to visualize a cube of cheese. In the event that veggies are ineffective at motivating your dog, you can always use your dog's meal and simply deduct the treats you give them from their regular diet.
Combat dog obesity.
It is an excellent choice to be conscious of the calories in any human meals or dog treats you may want to give your dog, even if you don't track calories for a personal diet. By limiting our dog's food intake, we can reduce the risk of health issues, including joint disease, diabetes, or pancreatitis, that are brought on by obesity in dogs.
Additionally, scaling down our mental processes is difficult. For instance, when I was taught the number of calories just one cheese cube could add to one tiny dog's diet,
Things like cheese, sausages, rawhide chews, or pork scraps—which we might not typically consider to be high in calories—can develop into serious issues over time.
The good news is that you can figure out the maximum amount of calories a dog should consume each day by doing a little math and then learn how to modify their diet accordingly. If the dog has become overweight, see your vet regarding the most effective weight loss strategy for them as well as the kinds and quantities of treats that will work best for them. Or you can read this: How to Lose Weight in a Healthy Way for Dogs
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