Difference between revisions of "Feeding Guides on Pet Food"
| (4 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
{|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" | {|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" | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | !colspan="2" bgcolor="#97C7F7"|TABLE 1: Example feeding guide designed for | + | !colspan="2" bgcolor="#97C7F7"|TABLE 1: Example feeding guide designed for weight ranges |
|- | |- | ||
!align="center" width="50%" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Body weight (kg)</i> | !align="center" width="50%" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Body weight (kg)</i> | ||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
!colspan="2"| | !colspan="2"| | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | !colspan="2" bgcolor="#97C7F7"|TABLE 2: Example feeding guide designed for | + | !colspan="2" bgcolor="#97C7F7"|TABLE 2: Example feeding guide designed for specific weight |
|- | |- | ||
!align="center" width="50%" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Body weight (kg)</i> | !align="center" width="50%" bgcolor="#D9EAFA"|<i>Body weight (kg)</i> | ||
| Line 59: | Line 59: | ||
|} | |} | ||
| − | 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 [[Feeding Guides | + | 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. |
| − | There is '''no international standard defining how feeding guides are calculated''', and manufacturers may take different approaches, | + | 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. |
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. | 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. | ||
| Line 70: | Line 70: | ||
== How Feeding Guides Are Calculated == | == How Feeding Guides Are Calculated == | ||
| − | Feeding guides are calculated by dividing | + | 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>. |
<br><br> | <br><br> | ||
| − | :::::Figure 1 – | + | :::::Figure 1 – How feeding guides are calculated |
::::::::'''Step 1''' | ::::::::'''Step 1''' | ||
| − | ::::::::*Calculate the | + | ::::::::*Calculate the pet’s energy needs per day (kcal/d) |
::::::::*Determine the energy density of the food (kcal/100 g diet) | ::::::::*Determine the energy density of the food (kcal/100 g diet) | ||
| Line 86: | Line 86: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
[[Category:Feeding Guides]] | [[Category:Feeding Guides]] | ||
[[Category:To Do - Nutrition]] | [[Category:To Do - Nutrition]] | ||
Revision as of 18:09, 5 May 2017
Introduction
| TABLE 1: Example feeding guide designed for weight ranges | |
|---|---|
| Body weight (kg) | Food allowance (g/d) |
| 1 - 5 | 35 - 74 |
| 5 - 10 | 74 - 101 |
| 10 - 20 | 101 - 215 |
| 20 - 30 | 215 - 301 |
| 30 - 50 | 301 - 485 |
| 50 - 70 | 485 - 625 |
| TABLE 2: Example feeding guide designed for specific weight | |
| Body weight (kg) | Food allowance (g/d) |
| 5 | 74 |
| 10 | 101 |
| 15 | 159 |
| 20 | 215 |
| 30 | 301 |
| 40 | 397 |
| 50 | 485 |
| 70 | 625 |
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 next section. Understanding how these principles are applied is important, as they determine how much food and energy a pet is advised to eat.
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.
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.
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.
How Feeding Guides Are Calculated
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 [1].
- Figure 1 – How feeding guides are calculated
- Step 1
- Calculate the pet’s energy needs per day (kcal/d)
- Determine the energy density of the food (kcal/100 g diet)
- Step 2
References
- ↑ WALTHAM pocket book of healthy weight maintenance for dogs and cats. (2010) Ed. German, A. and Butterwick, R.F. Pub Beyond Designs Solutions Ltd.