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| | + | |title = Feeding Guides |
| | + | |categories = [[Pet Food|'''Pet Food''']] |
| | + | |text = Most pet foods provide owners with guidance on how much, and sometimes how often they should feed their dog or cat. The amount of food a pet needs is a function of the energy content of the food and the [[Energy - Nutrition|energy requirement]] of the pet. Feeding guides should be used as a '''starting point''' to '''estimate''' how much food to offer. Because energy requirements differ among animals, and can also vary for a cat or dog over time, the exact amount to be fed must be tailored according to the needs of the individual. |
| | + | |content = |
| | + | :[[Feeding Guides on Pet Food|Feeding Guides on Pet Food]] |
| | + | :[[Feeding Types of Pet Food|Feeding Types]] |
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| − | === Introduction === | + | |image = Feeding cat.jpg |
| | + | |resources = |
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| − | Most pet foods provide owners with guidance on how much, and sometimes how often they should feed their dog or cat. The amount of food a pet needs is a function of the energy content of the food and the [[Energy - Nutrition|energy requirement]] of the pet. Feeding guides should be used as a '''starting point''' to '''estimate''' how much food to offer. Because energy requirements differ among animals, and can also vary for a cat or dog over time, the exact amount to be fed must be tailored according to the needs of the individual.
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| − | === Feeding Guides on Pet Food === | + | === Introduction === |
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| − | {|border="2" width="35%" align="center" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="4" rules="all" style="float:right; margin-left: 20px; border:solid 1px #AAAAAA; border-collapse:collapse;empty-cells:show"
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| − | !colspan="2" bgcolor="#97C7F7"|TABLE 1: Example feeding guide designed for weight ranges
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| − | !align="center" width="50%" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Body weight (kg)</i>
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| − | !align="center" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Food allowance (g/d)</i>
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|1 - 5
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| − | !align="center"|35 - 74
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|5 - 10
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| − | !align="center"|74 - 101
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|10 - 20
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| − | !align="center"|101 - 215
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|20 - 30
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| − | !align="center"|215 - 301
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|30 - 50
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| − | !align="center"|301 - 485
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|50 - 70
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| − | !align="center"|485 - 625
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| − | !colspan="2"|
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| − | !colspan="2" bgcolor="#97C7F7"|TABLE 2: Example feeding guide designed for specific weight
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center" width="50%" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Body weight (kg)</i>
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| − | !align="center" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Food allowance (g/d)</i>
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|5
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| − | !align="center"|74
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|10
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| − | !align="center"|101
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|15
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| − | !align="center"|159
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|20
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| − | !align="center"|215
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|30
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| − | !align="center"|301
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|40
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| − | !align="center"|397
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|50
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| − | !align="center"|485
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| − | |-
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| − | !align="center"|70
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| − | !align="center"|625
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| − | |-
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| − | |}
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| − | Most commercially manufactured pet foods provide '''feeding guides on the packaging'''. This is a '''mandatory requirement''' for those that are complete and balanced. The key principles and steps used to calculate food allowances are described in the [[Feeding Guides - Nutrition#How Feeding Guides Are Calculated|next section]]. Understanding how these principles are applied is important, as they determine how much food and energy a pet is advised to eat.
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| − | There is '''no international standard defining how feeding guides are calculated''', and manufacturers may take different approaches, and make different assumptions on how they do this. Different products may recommend feeding different amounts of energy for the same pet, and can result in either an over or under-estimate of their ‘actual’ energy needs.
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| − | There is also no standard way in which feeding guidelines are presented on the packaging. For example, dry foods may describe serving amounts by weight (grams per serving), or volume (cup), or both. Wet foods generally describe serving amounts by volume i.e. as fraction and/or multiple of a can, pouch or tray.
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| − | The limited physical space available on package labels constrains how much information can be included, and this is a particular challenge for dog products because of the wide size range that needs to be covered. For example, some products provide guidance for discreet weight ranges (table 1), whereas others do this for specific weights (table 2). In both circumstances, owners may need to extrapolate to estimate a food allowance if the weight of their pet falls between these ranges.
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| − | === How Feeding Guides Are Calculated ===
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| − | Feeding guides are calculated by dividing the pet’s daily energy requirements by the energy density of the food, following the 2 step approach outlined in figure 1 <ref name="Waltham Pocket Book">'''WALTHAM pocket book of healthy weight maintenance for dogs and cats'''. (2010) Ed. German, A. and Butterwick, ''R.F. Pub Beyond Designs Solutions Ltd.''</ref>.
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| − | <br><br>
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| − | :::::Figure 1 – How feeding guides are calculated
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| − | ::::::::'''Step 1'''
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| − | ::::::::*Calculate the pet’s energy needs per day (kcal/d)
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| − | ::::::::*Determine the energy density of the food (kcal/100 g diet)
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| − | ::::::::'''Step 2'''
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| − | ::::::::*[[File:Formula Feeding Guides - Nutrition Page.png|350px]]
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| | <br><br> | | <br><br> |
| | === Estimating Energy Density of the Food=== | | === Estimating Energy Density of the Food=== |