As we continue to learn about the contents and descriptions of our dogs’ food, we gain a better insight on what exactly we are feeding our dog and how much nutrients pups are really getting. Using some nutrient information from the bag and dreaded but simple algebra, we can determine a closer estimate of what our dog is eating and the quality of those nutrients. Using the guaranteed analysis and some simple formulas we can get a pretty good understanding of just how much nutrients dogs get on a day to day basis.
In order to determine these values we need to look at them on a dry matter basis; meaning we look at all of the contents without any moisture. There is a standard formula for determining these contents [protein, fiber and fat] with only one changing factor, the nutrient percent you’re trying to determine. The formula is as follows:
[Nutrient Content % [from Guaranteed Analysis] ➗ Dry Matter %] * 100 = Final Nutrient PercentCanned diets have an average of 70-80 percent moisture whereas kibble contains around ten percent. To determine the dry matter basis of your food, subtract the moisture from the guaranteed analysis from 100 percent. Now that we have the dry matter basis we can use this information to find things like protein, fat and fiber percentages.
There are a few other content factors such as required calories and carbohydrates that we can determine by using different methods. For determining carbohydrates percent content we will need the three calculated values of crude fat, crude protein and crude fiber. Once determined we will add those values together and subtract from 100 percent. Beyond fiber, protein and fat the rest of the contents typically come from starches and grains as well as some fruits and vegetables.
Lastly, it’s important to determine your own dog’s calorie intake to compare to the calories within the dog food being fed. There is another formula to determine this:
RER(Resting Energy Requirements) = ((Weight [kg])*(70))¾
First, you must first determine your dog’s weight in kg. To do this you can either multiply your dog’s weight to the unit comparison of kg to pound, 1 pound = 0.453592 kg. Or, simply place your input on google to do the conversion for you. Using the weight determined in kg, we then multiply that by (70) and raise it to the ¾.
Because calories have to do with specific body conditions there are some other factors that may need to be applied: Is the dog intact or neutered? Are the obsese prone/inactive or are they a working dog? Are you trying to achieve weight loss or gain? Lastly, how old is the pup? Once you determine which category your dog best fits into, we will use the found RER, and multiply it by a specific integer. The integers are as follows →
Let’s work through an example using the sample image from our last article Guaranteed Analysis Understanding (TAG).
| FORMULAS: [Nutrient Content % [from Guaranteed Analysis] ➗ Dry Matter %] * 100 = Final Nutrient Percent 100% – Moisture % = Dry Matter Basis | True Content % | |
| Dry Matter Basis | 100% – Moisture % = Dry Matter Basis 100% – 12% = 88% | 88% |
| Protein Content | [Nutrient Content % [from Guaranteed Analysis] ➗ Dry Matter %] * 100 = Final Nutrient Percent (32% ➗ 88%) * 100 = ~36% | ~36% |
| Fat Content | [Nutrient Content % [from Guaranteed Analysis] ➗ Dry Matter %] * 100 = Final Nutrient Percent (15% ➗ 88%) * 100 = ~17% | ~17% |
| Fiber Content | [Nutrient Content % [from Guaranteed Analysis] ➗ Dry Matter %] * 100 = Final Nutrient Percent (5% ➗ 88%) * 100 = ~6 | ~6% |
This determined that a 60 pound neutered male should be eating about 459 calories per day.
