K-State Veterinarian Says Owners Should Count How Many Calories Their Obese Pets Take In And Consider Several Factors When Feeding Pets For G...(of food you are feeding your pet your pe...),Health

"Generally, I tell people that unless your pet is overweight, go with the guidelines on the food bag," she said. "If the pet is a little overweight, you should feed it for its ideal weight and not for its current weight."

Nelson said if you want to compare different pet food brands' nutritional information, you have to look at the nutritional content calculations based on the dry matter content. Often, this is not listed on the bag, so you might have to look online or call the company to find the information.

"What most bags list is the nutritional analysis that is formulated on an as-fed basis," she said. "To truly compare the nutrient content of foods, you have to look at the dry matter basis, which takes out water content."

Nelson said it's typically best to start by following the feeding guidelines on the bag. She said people shouldn't assume that feeding one cup of one diet is the same as feeding one cup of another, because pet foods can vary greatly in calories. She also suggests using a standard 8-ounce measuring cup for dry food.

To determine if a pet is too heavy or light, Nelson said owners should look at several factors. You should not be able to see the animal's ribs, but you should be able to feel them easily with a thin layer of fat over them. When you look at the animal from the side, its tummy should tuck up at the flank area and not hang in a straight line.

If you look over the top of a dog, you should see an hourglass shape where it's broad at the shoulders, narrow at the waist and broader at the hips. If the dog starts to thicken out, you should cut back on its calories and/or have it exercise more.

"In general, make sure you're feeding the appropriate diet for the life stage of your pet," Nelson said. "If your pet is pregnant, a puppy or kitten, has special health condition needs or i
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