[LuvShepherds]

I’m feeding 2 2/3 C per day of prescription food containing 3615 kcal/kg. I’m switching to a LID diet which is higher in both protein and fat with 4100 kcal/ kg. They suggested 2 1/3 or more for a 40 lb dog. My dog is a very small GSD. I tried a straight algabraic formula based on the difference in calories but the amount seems awfully small. Any suggestions?

 

[Fodder]

Honestly... I like my dogs on about 3 cups and have always had success when switching foods by starting them at 3, then monitoring their body condition each week. Have only had to adjust any foods by a quarter cup in either direction, and for me that’s the difference of a level cup or a heaping cup.

Never been good at math and never liked obsessing about calories **shrug**

 

[Ken Clean-Air System]

Most foods kcals/cup as well as by kg or lb. Much much easier to figure out equivalent amounts by calorie that way.

Doing as Fodder suggests is even easier, and probably just as effective, though.

 

[MineAreWorkingline]

What does she weigh and why are you switching?

 

[LuvShepherds]

What does she weigh and why are you switching?

40 lbs or a little more. She was vomiting blood and tests didn’t show anything wrong, so the vet thinks it’s ulcers caused by diet. I am switching to a LID that was recommended here. I checked reviews and it is the only LID that hasn’t had any bad reviews. It has similar ingredients to Hills ID which cured the bleeding. If this food doesn’t work, then I will have to keep her on Hills which I don’t want to do.

 

[LuvShepherds]

Fodder and Ken, I go by the dog. She was on 2 cups a day of Fromm, where my male is on 4 1/2 C to maintain. Hills is 2 2/3 C a day but the new food is only 1 3/5 C a day. I’m trying to maintain her weight because if she gets too much, she gets chunky fast. She was much more active before she got sick.

 

[Fodder]

Well yes, I wasn’t suggesting you feed her 3 cups (that just so happens to be the amount I like and aim for and luckily it’s worked for all of my dogs).... my point is, if she did well on 2c of Fromm, my baseline for all foods would be 2 cups. Calories are calories, true, but fat & protein are variables that factor into the complete package and can have an effect on body condition / weight.