Free-feeding can have a price

Lately I’ve had eerily similar conversations with several clients.  They go something like this:

Me:  “Bella gained 10 pounds since I last saw her a year ago.  It looks like you’ll have to cut her food intake down a bit.”

Client:  “Oh, I know she isn’t eating too much, because I put her food out in the morning, and the next morning there’s always food left in the bowl.”

Confusing, right?  But I really do understand that thinking, however illogical it might seem.  The underlying assumption is that if dogs have food available to them at all times, they won’t overeat but will consume only the amount they need.

When the food bowl is kept full all the time, we call it free-feeding.   Ad lib feeding, when the dog is fed at his or her request without restriction, is essentially the same thing.

It’s probably every pet owner’s dream that they’d be able to dump a large quantity of dry food in their dog’s bowl and their pet would eat only when she’s hungry, and stay thin to boot.  The reality is different.  My non-scientific guestimate after practicing many years is that 90% of dogs fed that way are fat. 

For the 10% that stay thin, free-feeding is a wonderful convenience.  But what happens when you get another dog?  When there’s more than one pet, free-feeding becomes problematic; usually the second dog is in the other 90% and begins to gain weight.  Another common scenario is that a previously lean free-fed dog starts to pack on pounds due to the decreased activity and slower metabolism of advancing age. 

If you free-feed, maybe now’s the time to pick up the food bowl and change your dog’s grazing habit. 

Converting the free-fed dog to a twice-daily (or thrice-daily, if you prefer) feeding schedule usually isn’t difficult.  The first step is measuring the amount of food she actually eats – not how much you feed her – over 24 hours.  Do that for a few days.  Then take the average amount and divide it into four meals spread evenly throughout the day and evening. Gradually (over several weeks) decrease the amount of one or both of the middle meals to nothing and add that food back to the morning and evening meals.  You’re not changing the total amount of food; you’re redistributing it. 

For the chubby dog, determine the daily average amount of food and decrease it by 20%. Divide that amount into four meals, proceeding as above.   Over time, you’ll need to adjust the amount of food to attain your dog’s ideal weight.  An overweight dog who isn’t losing 2% to 3% of her body weight monthly is being fed too much.  Decrease the amount of food by 10% each month until you reach that goal.  When you can easily feel her ribs, increase the amount of food slightly to maintain a lean body weight.  Body condition scoring can help you visualize what’s right for your dog.  In our practice we use a body condition score range of 1-5 to score every patient, with 3 being the optimal weight.

In the aforementioned method, you measure 24-hour food intake to determine your starting point.  If you’re technically oriented, you can also estimate the dog’s energy maintenance requirements in calories based on mathematical equations (described below).  Once you know how many calories she needs per day, divide that by the number of calories per cup of food.  For example, if your dog needs 600 calories per day, and her food contains 300 calories per cup, she gets 2 cups total a day divided into 4 meals. If she’s overweight, you then feed 80% of that number of calories and proceed as above, adjusting the number of calories fed to maintain a reasonable monthly weight loss.

Here’s the rub:  Very few bags of dog food list the kilocalories/cup of food on their label.  However, most dog food companies print an 800 phone number on the bag that you can call to obtain that information.  You might also find your brand’s information on the Internet.

So if the canine cuisine in your house is a 24-hour buffet and your previously lean pooch is getting a paunch, or if you’re adding a new pup to the mix, it’s time to rethink your dog’s feeding regimen.  You might have to ignore whining or barking demands for food.  Just remember that with a gradual reduction of the number of meals, what you’re seeing isn’t hunger, but a learned response: Yes, you created this monster!   But playing with her, taking her for more walks, and giving her safe objects to chew will help distract her.

It’s easy!  Calculate your dog’s daily caloric needs (resting energy requirement, or RER) at his or her current weight:

Pull out your smartphone, open the calculator, and turn it so it’s horizontal.  

• Calculate the body weight in kilograms: Enter your dog’s weight and divide it by 2.2 = body weight in kilograms (BW)
• Press the x^y button (second row down and to the left of the middle).
• Enter 0.75 and press =
• Multiply this result by 70.  This is your dog’s resting energy requirement in calories.

For weight loss, multiply this number by 0.80, which gives you the energy requirements for weight loss.

Example, 60-pound dog: 

60 ÷ 2.2 = 27.2 kg   Press x^y and enter 0.75 = 11.93

11.93 x 70 = 835 calories/day

For weight loss, feed 80% of the RER:  835 x 0.80 = 668 calories per day

Now divide this number by the number of calories in a cup (or can) of his or her food to give you the amount in cups (or cans) to feed per day.

Feeding her any treats?  You must subtract that number from her total calories.  In the sample above, let’s say your dog is getting 100 calories of biscuits/day.  668 – 100 = 558 calories of dog food/day allowed, plus the biscuits.

RER = (BW[kg]^0.75) x 70