Switching to TOTW- quantity help please

[wildo]

I've finally decided to up the quality of kibble that I feed Pimg. She's honestly doing just fine on her current food (that I've feed pretty much all her life, omitting puppy food), but if I can get a higher quality food for the same price- then it seems like a better option.

Current food:
Nutro Natural Choice LBA

Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Bran, Rice Flour, Chicken, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavors, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Salt, Egg Product, Dried Kelp, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Copper Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

Calorie Content: Metabolizable energy (calculated) 3481 kcal/kg, 338 kcal/cup.

New food:
TOTW Pacific Stream Formula

Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Calories: 3,600 kcal/kg (360 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy

I feed Pimg 3.5 to 4 cups per day (2 cups morning, 1.5 - 2 cups afternoon) on the current stuff. My question is if I just match calorie content to determine feeding quantity of the new stuff.

Nutro: 3.5 cups @ 338 kcal/cup = 1183kcal
TOTW: x cups @ 360 kcal/cup = 1183kcal
x = 3.28 cups.

Is that how it works? Is that how I should determine how much to feed her? I'm very pleased with her current weight, and not looking to build weight. Certainly not looking to drop either since she's about as lean as I want her. Currently 68.9lbs, 25.5" withers, 28" long. Very lean- ribs easily felt.

Of course I know to ease her into the new food... My questions are pointed at once I am feeding entirely TOTW. Also- I know many of you switch up formulas. Do you do this cold turkey, or mix it in?

Thanks! I know there are a ton of TOTW threads, and I did search. But I couldn't find these specific questions answered.

[NewbieShepherdGirl]

She sounds like she's about the same size as Sasha. I feed TOTW and she gets one cup in the morning and one cup at night. The bag says to feed her more, but I feel like she's a pretty good size where I have her, can feel but not see her ribs. I would say it's something you'll just have to eye ball. Feed her what seems about right and if she starts getting a little chunky or starts losing too much weight, adjust accordingly.

[jocoyn]

Grim gets around 2 to 3 cups of TOTW a day depending on activity level. He is around 75lbs and 8 years old. I just roughly measure and adjust based on appearance. Vet gave him perfect body score about a week ago.

[Stosh]

Stosh gets 1 c in the morning, 2 for dinner and I leave another 1 out for a bedtime snack. He also gets a few spoonfuls of TOTW canned with the dry. He's 20 mos and finally up to 84 lbs. He really needed to add about 5 lbs so if Pimg is at a good weight, I'd say about 4 cups for her. I feed the high prairie dry, all varieties of canned and I'll get a small bag of some other dry for his snack at night. He's doing better on TOTW than he did on Orijen and likes it a lot more.

[gsdraven]

I just switched my guys to RAW but they were each getting 1 cup morning and 1 cup night of the Pacific Stream. I didn't rotate.

They were both at good weights (not heavy but not too thin). Raven is around 78-80lbs and Kaiser is around 65-67lbs.

Your math looks good but I would think because the ingredients are better, she'd be getting more nutrients so she may not need to eat as much. I'd go with around 3 cups and adjust as necessary.

[DnP]

I also only feed Pacific Stream and Pheonix gets a total of 3 cups a day 1 1/2 in AM and 1 1/2 in PM) and he weighs a lean 80lbs.

I also adjust his amounts by his activity. On rainy days where he's not getting as much activity, I will feed about 1 cup in the AM and then 1 to 1 1/2 cups in the PM feeding. On days of higher activity like hiking/swimming or high activity all day, I'll increase his PM feeding to 2 cups.

[wildo]

Originally Posted by gsdraven

Your math looks good but I would think because the ingredients are better, she'd be getting more nutrients so she may not need to eat as much. I'd go with around 3 cups and adjust as necessary.

Yep- this is the reason I posted. I figured that with the better nutrition, you could feed less. But I wasn't sure about the calorie count; I certainly don't want to put her on a diet (compared to her norm). I went to a GSD Club meeting last weekend and it was super rewarding in the fact that I got to see a few others that were as lean as Pimg. I was a little concerned I had her too lean since I can so easily feel her ribs. But I spoke to a few people about it and we all agreed she was a very nice weight. That said- loosing even a pound or so would probably put her under weight.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I think I will go with 3.25 cups to start with and see if she starts putting on weight. I can adjust from there.

[dogluver]

I feed Ziva 2 cups in the morning and 2 at night. It's seems to be perfect for her. I give her roasted bison.