Determining the right meal size for your pet is essential to ensuring good health and an energetic life. Food needs vary based on weight, age, activity, and health status. Here are simple steps and practical tips to determine the ideal amount of food and calories your pet needs each day.
1. Assess your pet's weight: Is his weight ideal?
Before determining the meal size, you need to know if your animal's weight is ideal, overweight, or underweight:
• Ideal weight:
You can feel the rib cage and spine bones when you touch the animal but they are not prominent. When viewed from above, you will notice a distinct waist. From the side, there is a slight tension in the abdominal area.
• Overweight:
Inability to feel bones easily or the waist disappearing when looking.
• Low weight:
Bones are clearly visible without being touched.
2. Know the current weight of the pet.
Weigh your pet using a home scale if it is small or medium sized. For larger animals, you may want to visit your veterinarian to get an accurate reading.
3. Calculate daily calorie needs
Once you know your pet's weight and activity level, you can use the following formulas to determine daily calories:
For dogs:
• Very high activity:
Daily calories = 125 x (dog's weight in kg) ^0.75
• Normal or low activity:
Daily calories = 110 x (dog's weight in kg) ^0.75
For cats:
• Healthy cats: need 70-90 calories per kilogram of body weight per day.
• Large, overweight or inactive cats: need 50-70 calories per kilogram per day.
Discover specially designed cat and dog meals from Trappy Bites .
4. Adjust calories according to the animal’s condition.
• Very active animals:
Add 20-30% to your daily calories.
• Inactive or older animals:
Reduce calories by 10-20% to avoid weight gain.
• Animals that need to gain weight:
Increase calories gradually to achieve the desired weight.
• Animals suffering from overweight:
Reduce calories by 10-20% per day while gradually increasing physical activity.
5. Divide daily meals
• For dogs: It is preferable to divide the food into 2-3 meals daily to improve digestion and maintain stable energy levels.
• For cats: Cats tend to eat small amounts several times a day (8-16 small meals).
6. Use ready-made guidelines
When you purchase Trappy Bites prepared food, you will find detailed information on the package about the number of calories each serving contains. Use this guideline as a reference to determine the appropriate amount for your pet.
Knowing the ideal meal size depends on factors such as weight, activity, health status, and age. Following these steps will ensure your pet gets the right amount of food, keeping them healthy and happy.
in Trappy Bites , we offer balanced meals designed by nutritionists to meet your pet's needs. If you need advice on the right meal size, contact us directly or learn more about Our healthy meals .