how to calculate grams of protein in dog food
Learn How to Calculate the Protein in Your Dog Food
How to Calculate the Protein in Your Dog Food
Dogs are omnivores, which means they can eat, and thrive on, plant matter and animal matter. But dogs do have specific protein requirements. A study by the National Academy of Sciences determined that most adult dogs need a minimum of 10% of their diet to be protein, although puppies, nursing mothers, and elderly dogs may require up to 50%. A dogs diet should also contain no more than 50% carbohydrates. Other dietary components include fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Your vet can help you determine how many grams of protein, fat, and carbohydrates your dog needs on a daily basis.
Todeterminethe amount ofproteinon a dry matter basis, simply divide the reported amount ofprotein by the total amount of dry matter in the can. Then, multiply the result by 100.
Knowing how much to feed your dog is great, but how do you know that your food provides all the nutrients needed? We prepared a special article right for you on essential nutrients your dog needs
Commercial dog foods are required to list minimum amounts of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of fiber and water. The simplest way to determine how much protein you dog gets every day is to take the grams of food given and multiply it times the percentage of protein. Lets say you feed one 1lb can of wet dog food per day, which is 454 grams. The food contains 10% protein. 0.10 x 454g = 45g. If this matches up to the recommendation of your vet, then youre probably on the right track.
Lets say you want to change your dog food to better meet the needs of your pet. Your vet recommends switching to a food with a higher protein content. How do you compare dog food labels? While it may seem as though you can just compare percentages, you need to be careful.
All pet foods, even dry kibble, has some water in it. Your dry dog food may list crude protein at 26%, and canned food at 8%. On the surface, this looks like the dry food is the way to go. However, the percentage is based on the food as it is fed, with all the water. To truly compare protein percentages, you will need to figure out how much dry matter makes up the food, and calculate the protein in the dry matter. This is easier than it sounds, but youll need to break out the calculator.
Peteducation.com outlines a sample calculation, comparing a dry food to a wet food. The dry food has 10% moisture, which is found on the label. That means that the dry matter is 90%. If the protein percentage is 20%, you divide 20/90 to get 22%. The wet food is 80% moisture, which means there is 20% dry matter. The label says there is 5% protein. 5 divided by 20 is 25% protein So the wet food actually has a higher protein percentage. You can use this calculation to compare dry foods to each other, or to raw diets.
The final consideration in choosing a dog food is the protein source. Dog food labels must list ingredients in order of weight, so a food that lists meat and meat by-products in the first few ingredients is probably a higher quality dog food. The most common carbohydrate sources are corn, rice, and soy. Check with your vet if you have any questions about ingredients.
All these calculations may seem like a lot of work just for dog food, but doing these basic comparisons will help pet owners feel more secure in their dog food choices. By working with your vet and doing your own research, you can choose the best dog food for your furry friend.
Dog Food Calculator
The Dog Food Calculator can help you estimate the proper serving size for your pet. Its based upon a study published by the respected Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition in Leicestershire, England. 1
To use the calculator, youll need to know your dogs ideal weight. This is what you believe your pet should weigh.
Youll also need to know the number of calories in the specific dog food youre feeding him.
The calculators formula2 uses a dogs metabolic weight to suggest an approximate serving size.
Dog Food Calculator Guidelines
The Dog Food Calculator was designed for adult dogs only not for puppies.
And it should never be used for pregnant or lactating females.
Small breeds are considered adults at about 9 to 12 months of age. And medium breeds at about 12 to 14 months.3
However, large and giant breeds shouldnt be fed as adults until they reach around 1 to 2 years depending upon the breed.4
What's the best dog food?
Overweight Dogs
If you believe your dog might be overweight, be sure to choose the Overweight option for Your dogs activity level.
Otherwise, the recommended serving size will likely be too high.
And for help, be sure to visit our Best Dog Foods for Weight Loss article.
Senior Dogs
Older dogs have significantly lower energy needs than younger ones.So, its easy for them to put on extra weight.
In general, small to medium dogs are considered seniors at about seven years of age. However, larger breeds reach senior status much sooner some as early as five.5
Converting From Calories to Serving Size
Once youve entered your dogs ideal weight and activity level, youll know the number of calories per day.
However, to convert calories into something you can use, youll need to enter the number of calories in your dogs food.
The number of calories in a given amount of dog food is known as its metabolizable energy (ME, for short). Its usually reported somewhere on a dog food package like this
- Calories per cup (kcal/cup)
- Calories per kilogram (kcal/kilogram)
By the way, the calculator assumes youre feeding your dog just once a day.
If you prefer to feed your dog twice a day, be sure to divide your result in half so that both meals add up to the full daily calories suggested.
The Bottom Line
Since every dog is unique, its impossible to predict the serving size thats perfect for each pet.
So, start with the packages feeding instructions or the amount suggested by our calculator.
And be sure to weigh your dog every few weeks.
Then, simply adjust that suggested serving size up or down to reach and maintain your pets ideal weight.
Raw Dog Food Calculator
Many dog owners advocate raw feeding as a natural way to avoid added sugars, carbohydrates, and preservatives in commercial kibble. Whether youre new to the world of raw feeding or have been rustling up raw meals for years, a calculator will come in handy to help you create balanced meals.
All raw feeding guidance is based on body weight. As a general rule, sustaining an adult dogs ideal body condition will require feeding around 2-3% of their ideal body weight in raw food per day. This number can be adjusted based on your dogs age, activity level, metabolism, and other factors.
Dog owners preparing raw food from scratch may have questions about the best way to formulate healthy meals. What feeding model best meets your canines nutritional requirements? Which raw meaty bone (RMB) types are safe and appropriate for your dog? How will you factor the RMB meat content into your muscle meat portion? Our calculator will help you out with these questions.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser for the calculator to function
1. Your dog's raw feeding requirements
% What should I enter here?What percentage of bodyweight should I feed?
| Weight loss / low activity | 2% |
| Weight maintenance | 2.5% |
| Weight gain / high activity | 3% |
Start at 2.5% of current bodyweight and adjust as required. Always consult your vet if you're concerned about your dog's weight or diet.
| 7 - 10 weeks | 10% - 8% |
| 10 - 16 weeks | 8% - 7% |
| 4 - 5 months | 7% - 6% |
| 5 - 6 months | 6% - 5% |
| 6 - 9 months | 5% - 4% |
| 9 - 12 months | 4% - 3.5% |
| 12 - 18 months | 3.5% - 3% |
Total Daily Amount 0 oz First, enter weight and feeding percentage. Raw food required per day.
2. Nutrition and meal planner
Preferred raw diet ratio
Enter preferred percentages, or start from a popular preset.
Remaining % to allocate: 0.
Raw meaty bone (RMB)
Choose a common cut, or select 'Custom' to enter a percentage.
Choose a RMB with a higher bone content to meet your dog's bone intake requirements.
Daily Serving Breakdown First, complete previous section.| Boneless meat | 0 oz |
| Raw meaty bone (60%) | 0 oz |
| Liver | 0 oz |
| Organs | 0 oz |
| Veg | 0 oz |
| Total per day | 0 oz |
How much raw food should I feed my dog?
Raw food portions are calculated as a percentage of your dogs body weight. The general advice is to feed adult dogs between 2.5% and 3% of their healthy weight, but remember that an adult dogs calorie requirements are affected by many factors, including the following:
- Activity level: Working dogs, such as sheepdogs or terriers, will burn considerably more calories (i.e., perhaps more than 3%) than a household pet, while senior dogs or those with joint problems may need less (i.e., closer to 2%). Check out our dog calorie calculator to help you determine your dogs energy requirements based on their activity level.
- Neuter status: Dogs have a reduced basal metabolic rate and failing to account for this can lead to weight gain or obesity.
- Your dogs breed: Some breeds are simply more energetic, while others are genetically predisposed toward obesity.
To calculate energy requirements for puppies, youll need to take into account their exact age. Puppies grow quickly and have significantly higher energy requirements than adult dogs. With our calculator, you can use these figures as a starting point:
| Puppy Age | Daily Portion |
| 7 - 10 weeks | 10% - 8% |
| 10 - 16 weeks | 8% - 7% |
| 4 - 5 months | 7% - 6% |
| 5 - 6 months | 6% - 5% |
| 6 - 9 months | 5% - 4% |
| 9 - 12 months | 4% - 3.5% |
| 12 - 18 months | 3.5% - 3% |
Whats the difference between BARF and PMR models?
If you opt for a DIY approach to raw feeding, youll soon encounter the various popular diet ratios. Two of the most well known are BARF and PMR:
- Prey Model Raw (PMR): This model is based on the assumption that dogs are ultimately domesticated wolves, so the ratio reflects the approximate percentages of a whole prey animal: 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% secreting organs (typically half liver).
- Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF): An unfortunate acronym, but a popular ratio! This is an omnivorous diet that is similar to PMR and traditionally includes 10% fruit and vegetables, which are beneficial to some dogs. Some dog owners also opt to include nuts, seeds, or dairy products.
Each of these models has an extremely vocal and enthusiastic following and equally vocal detractors. There are also variations of these models, each attempting to provide a more nutritious, wholesome, or natural ratio for dogs. Some owners eschew ratios completely and instead prefer to feed whole prey, or an assembled frankenprey, insisting that this is the most natural and nutritionally appropriate meal. Ultimately, youll have to decide whats best for your dog based on the advice of your veterinarian and licensed veterinary nutritionist.
What are raw meaty bones?
Bones are absolutely essential in any raw diet. They not only provide the necessary calcium and nutrients for your dogs wellbeing, but are also important to create firm stools. Chewing bones can also help to maintain dental and gum health.
Raw meaty bones (RMBs) are edible bones covered in raw muscle meat and other connective tissue. Youll need to choose a bone that is suitable for your dogs size and age, and not so hard that they will damage their teeth. For help with this, check out the resources listed at the end of this page. Popular options include wings, necks, feet, and rib cages from small birds like chickens and ducks.
Remember that different RMBs contain different percentages of bonechicken wings are only around 40-50% bone, whereas a chicken head is closer to 75%. *You must account for this when you create your dogs meal to avoid risky nutrient imbalances. *
Here is a sample RMB calculation. Your dog needs three ounces of pure bone, and your chosen RMB is only 50% bone. Youll need to double the weight and give them six ounces of your chosen RMB to meet their intake requirements. Youll also need to subtract the muscle meat contained in your RMB from their calculated meat portion. The math can get quite complicated, but our calculator can help. Simply enter your RMB percentage, and the daily serving will adjust accordingly.
Finally, as with all areas of raw feeding, safety is paramount. Always avoid the following:
- Cooked Bones: Regardless of the cooking method, any cooked bone will be dry and brittle. The lack of moisture can cause them to splinter, which can cause serious injury, such as perforation or obstruction of gastrointestinal tissues. Cooked bones can also cause tooth fractures.
- Machine-cut bones: Machine-cut bones are found in many human-grade foods, but may have sharp edges that can injure your dog.
- Weight-bearing bones: Bones from large grazing animals, such as cows, can be very dense, which can cause tooth fractures.
- Bones likely to splinter: This includes bones like turkey drumsticks (i.e., legs).
How safe is a raw diet for dogs?
The CDC does not recommend feeding raw food to dogs and cats because raw meat can carry bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Kibble, canned, and fresh dog foods are typically cooked to a sufficient temperature to kill these pathogens before sale.
Meat purchased from the store for use in a DIY raw diet can carry dangerous bacteria because it is intended for cooking and human consumption. A quality butcher can tell you where meat is from and how it has been handled, but any raw meat has the potential to carry harmful germs. Commercially prepared raw diets go through strict safety checks, but many are still contaminated. Studies show that 30% to 50% of commercially prepared and home-prepared raw diets contain harmful pathogens.
Good sanitation is crucial if you choose to feed a raw diet, especially if anyone in your household has a compromised immune systemincluding young children and seniors. Up to 30% of pets fed a raw diet can shed harmful bacteria in their stools that can make people or other pets sick, even if the pet eating the food does not appear sick themselves. To keep you and your family members safe, thoroughly wash your hands and all surfaces and utensils after touching any raw food. Follow all necessary precautions when storing your dogs raw food or any ingredients intended for their meals.
Because of the large number of scientific studies that show raw-fed pets can spread serious diseases, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) advise against raw feeding in pets. Instead, they recommend feeding commercially made dry or canned food or working with a nutritionist to formulate a safe, balanced, home-cooked diet.
Most healthy pets are not adversely affected by bacteria contained in raw diets, but those with medical conditions are more susceptible to serious infections. If you choose to make your own raw diet, your dog could face problems related to long-term nutrient imbalances. The decision to feed a raw diet is entirely up to you as a pet owner, but you should carefully consider the risks to your household and your pets and speak to a veterinary professional before making your choice.
