homemade dog food for 80 lb dog

Homemade Dog Food Calculator

Providing fresh, homemade food for your dog is one of the best things that you can do for his health and well-being and you can do it using a homemade dog food calculator.

Whenever pet owners broach this subject with me, they often bring up how difficult a homemade dog food calculator can be.

Yes, creating recipes to meet your dog's nutritional needs can be a challenge. But, thishomemade dog food recipe calculator will make the process a little easier.

Many pet owners believe that they can feed their dog the same quantity of homemade food as recommended by their old commercial kibble brand.

That could not be more wrong!

Homemade dog food is more nutritionally dense than most commercial foods. This means that your dog won't need as much to get the same nutritional benefits.

I've also heard pet owners share misinformation about watching a dog's weight and adjusting the serving sizes accordingly. That's why it is important to use a homemade dog food calculator.

If the dog is gaining weight, lessen the serving size. If he's losing weight, increase the serving size.

Why Do We Calculate Dog Food?

The consequences of feeding your dog too much food are obvious.He'll become obese, which could lead to a slew of other health conditions like diabetes, joint problems, certain types of cancer, and heart and respiratory issues.

Did you know that feeding your dog too much food can also lead to nutrient toxicity? In the case of nutrition, too much of a good thing could be very bad! For example, Vitamin A toxicity can cause bone spurs, lethargy, constipation, stiffness, and limping.

On the other hand, if you're not feeding your dog enough, he couldbecome nutrient deficientquite quickly. If you don't realize your dog isn't getting the proper nutrients, he may become weak and his organs could start to fail. Ultimately, nutrient deficiency can lead to death if it's not corrected.

In short, it's crucial that you discuss a switch in your dog's nutrition with your veterinarian. It's also important to use this homemade dog food recipe calculator as a guideline for figuring out how much food to feed Fido at each serving.

Calculating Homemade Dog Food Recipe

The first thing you'll need to do when following a homemade dog food recipe calculator is to figure out your pet'sDaily Energy Requirements (DER). This is the amount of energy (also called calories) that your dog's body burns in a typical day.

Before you can find the DER, you'll need to find Fido's Resting Energy Requirement (RER).RER is the energy that your pooch needs to perform essential bodily functions like heart functions, brain functions, digestion, and respiration.

To find your dog's RER, you'll need to multiply his body weight in kilograms raised to the 3/4 power by 70. In equation form this looks like this:

70(body weight in kg. ^.75)

Let's take a look at an example. If your dog weighs 53 pounds, that converts to 24 kg. Now, raise 24 to the .75 power and you get 11.2 (rounded to the nearest tenth). The last step is multiple 70 x 11.2, which equals 784. A 53-pound dog's RER is 784.

Once you figure out the RER, you can move on to the DER. This gets a little trickier. To find the DER, you'll need to multiple the RER by a certain factor that meets Fido's description.

According to The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center, these are the factors that you can choose from:

Summary of Homemade Dog Food Calculator

Remember, these are just estimates. They can vary by as much as 50%, so you have to understand that these numbers are just a general starting point. The best thing that you can do is discuss your homemade dog food diet with your veterinarian or a canine nutritionist who can help you understand your dog's caloric needs better.

READ NEXT: How Seasons Affect Your Dog's Dietary Needs

How Much Homemade Dog Food Do I Feed My Dog? A Serving Size Guide

Whatever kind of dog you have, chances are youve struggled with how much to feed them.

On the one hand, you dont want to underfeed them, and feeding your dog makes them so happy! On the other hand, overfeeding your dog can leave them logy and overweight, to say nothing of how it can lead to them leaving you little presents with even greater frequency.

Making homemade food for your dog can help with nutrition and be fun and fulfilling, but portion-setting can be tricky. Are you wondering, how much homemade dog food do I feed my dog? Lets take a look.

What Affects Your Dogs Diet

This is a tricky question to answer, not the least, because many factors affect your dogs optimal diet and, as such, how much homemade food you should feed them. It isnt just food consumption, after all, but the number of calories your dog consumes.

The optimal amount of calories per day will depend, among other things, on age and activity:

• Puppies: 990calories
• Active Adult Dogs: 404 to 2100 calories
• Inactive Adult Dogs: 296 to 1540 calories
• Pregnant Dogs: 518 to 3170 calories

Those numbers make even more sense when you consider them in the context of a dogs lifestyle.

A puppy is still growing, sure, but they often arent doing the kind of work or have as large a body to maintain as a full-grown dog. On the flip side, as with human parents, a pregnant dog is eating for two (and frankly likely far more than that, given the size of dog litters) and so needs way more calories.

Whats more, not all adult dogs live the same kind of lifestyle. A retriever or bloodhound working side by side with their humans on a farm all day will need more calories than a porch hound laying around doing nothing but looking adorable all day. Sure, thats an important job but not a very calorie-consuming one.

How Age Impacts Whats Good for Your Dog

Young puppies are used to their mothers milk or formulas that contain similar ingredients, including lactone. Once they have been weaned, however, most dogs lose the ability to digest this healthily.

Any homemade dog food recipes must be tailored accordingly. Small quantities of lactose may be fine on occasion, but be sparing with it. Otherwise, you risk diarrhea and upset stomachs.

Puppies need to grow fast, so foods with high protein, carbs, and even healthy fats can help.

On the flip side, older dogs arent growing and often arent as active, so they need diets that fit. Their diets often tend to feature fewer cabs, lower sodium and include ingredients specially designed to help combat the effects of aging.

For example, foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants can help combat inflammation. Besides, medium-chain triglycerides can help combat senility and mental decline, making ingredients that include them, such as coconut oil and foods that include it, vital to older dogs diets.

Frequency of Feeding

Age and frequency of feeding are also closely linked.

Puppies may not need as many calories as older dogs, but they need to be fed more frequently than any other age group, as much as four to six times a day at six to eight weeks of age, and two to three times a day at six months of age.

By that point, they should be about 75% of their adult size, diminishing their optimal feeding frequency.

At around one-year-old, your dog should be ready for adult food. If your homemade dog food recipes include different serving sizes for puppies instead of adults, youll want to take this into account when determining the portions to give your dog.

• 6-8 weeks dogs: 4-6 times/day
• 6 months+ dogs: 2-3 times/day
• Adult and senior dogs: 2 times/day

When does a puppy become an adult dog?

The age at which your puppy becomes an adult dog will depend on its breed and size. All breeds are categorized into five sizes of dog: Extra-small, mini, medium, maxi, and giant. Your puppy will become an adult dog at the following ages:

• Extra-small breed (10 pounds): eight months
• Mini breed (10-25 pounds): 10 months
• Medium breed (26-55 pounds): 12 months
• Maxi breed (56-100 pounds): 15 months
• Giant breed (101 pounds and up): 18 to 24 months

Serving Sizes Matter

Just as important as your dogs age and activity level, as well as the nutritional content of the food itself, is the serving sizes.

As a general rule of thumb, you should have between 1/2 and 3/4 cups of food for every 25 lbs your dog weighs. If that doesnt seem like a lot, keep in mind two things, remember a little goes a long way with smaller dogs in particular. This is especially true with nutrient-rich homemade dog food.

• Puppies: 1 1.5 cups (x2 adult dogs serving size) to grow healthy and strong.
• Adult dogs: 1/2 and 3/4 cups of food for every 25 lbs
• Senior dogs: a little less than adult dogs.
• Pregnant dogs: increase the food by 20% during weeks 7 to 9.
• Lactating dogs: increase up to 50% more normal amount of dog food.

Smaller serving sizes that are denser with nutrients are better than larger yet less nutritious servings. Think of a Big Mac versus a lean chicken fillet. One may be physically larger than the other, but youre bound to get a more nutritious meal out of the latter than the former.

The same logic holds with dog food serving sizes. Many commercial dog foods use filler. Meanwhile, your homemade dog food recipes do not, and so while they may be smaller portion-wise, your dog should be getting a more well-balanced, nutritious, and ultimately energizing and fulfilling diet.

Whats more, smaller portions also mean less strain on your dogs digestive tract.

Finally, if you do turn to store-bought options to supplement your homemade dog food recipes, youll want to make sure they are likewise nutritious and fit with your dogs diet.

For example, NaturVet All-in-One Support contains several key ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids, which, as stated above, can have a positive impact on your dogs health. As with your dog food, be sure to check the serving size on any dog supplement package to make sure you arent overdoing it.

So, how much homemade food should you be feeding a dog? There is no one answer, but rather many interrelated factors:

• The younger and more active your dog, the more calories they need, and the more often they should be fed.
• Pregnant dogs need the most food in terms of overall caloric intake.

Portion size can also depend on the type of food you are using in your homemade food recipes. When feeding your dog meat proteins (e.g., poultry, rabbit, beef, lamb, fish, etc.), the Founders Veterinary Clinic recommends a ratio of to 1/3 lbs a day per 20 lbs of body weight. For non-meat proteins, such as eggs, that figure is to lbs per 20 lbs of body weight.

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9 Vet-Approved Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Want to try your hand and learn how to make homemade dog food? The classic proportions are 50% protein (including meat or eggs), 25% vegetables, and 25% carbohydrates (like rice or oats). But which ingredients should you use, and how can you make sure your dog food recipe is healthy?

To help you find the best recipes, weve put together this list of 10 healthy dog food recipes to try today. Making dog food at home can save you money and give you more control over what your dog eats. Scroll down to try one of our favorite homemade dog food recipes! And if you have questions, take a look at our recipe tips at the end.

Top 9 Healthy Dog Food Recipes

1. Beef, Herb, and Egg Dog Food Recipe

This recipe is so easy, it only has one step: combine the ingredients! Your pup will love the mixture of ground beef, protein-packed eggs, and dog-friendly herbs like parsley.

2. Turkey and Rosemary Dog Food Recipe

This is another incredibly simple recipe. You probably already have these ingredients in your kitchen! All you need is a package of frozen vegetables, ground turkey, rosemary, and rice.

If you want to feed your dog human-grade food without the hassle of having to prepare the meals yourself, you need to try Spot & Tango.

Their pre-packaged meals full of human-grade ingredients get delivered right to your door, so all you need to do is pop them into your dogs dish!

Ready to get started? Right now, you can save 50% on Spot & Tango HUMAN-GRADE premium dog food by clicking here!

3. Simple Chicken and Vegetable

Heres another healthy dog food recipe so beautiful we want to try it! This recipe from Damn Delicious combines vegetables like spinach, zucchini, and peas with lean ground chicken. Its a beautiful and nutrient-packed mixture.

4. Instant Pot Dog Food Recipe

If you have an Instant Pot, youll love this simple recipe! You can cook everything in your pot, including rice or oats, lean ground meat, and vegetables of your choice.

5. Non-Allergenic Dog Food

If your pup has food allergies, this recipe might be just what youre looking for. Nikki at Wheres the Frenchie? was inspired by her French Bulldogs newly discovered allergies to create this straightforward recipe, which includes whole grains, pumpkin puree, and ground turkey.

7. Chicken and Bean Dog Food

Heres another incredibly easy Crock-Pot recipe that you could eat for dinner yourself! This delicious-sounding dog food recipe features chicken, kidney beans, butternut squash, and peas. Plus, Katie Crenshaw of A Forks Tale offers great suggestions for supplements and substitutions! Did you know that you could add eggshells or chicken livers to your dogs food?

8. Turkey Macaroni Dog Food

Brought to you by The College Housewife, this dog food recipe substitutes macaroni noodles for the usual rice or oats but still includes plenty of healthy protein and vegetables. Cook up your ground turkey, broccoli, and sweet potatoes, and youll have a delicious, human-grade dog entree.

9. Doggie Meatball Recipe

These meatballs may look mouthwatering, but they are intended for your dog! Best of all, you can use them to get your pup to take medications. Whip some up, sneak in a pill, and youll be the best dog parent ever.

Dog Food Recipe Tips

Trying new foods is fun for humans, but it can be hard on our pets stomachs. The most important thing to remember is to change your dogs diet slowly. Veterinarians recommend mixing new foods with your dogs previous food. Start with about 25% new food and 75% old food. Then gradually increase the amount of new food until you reach 100%. If you notice any changes in your dogs digestion, you may want to stop the transition and talk to your veterinarian.

Like people, dogs can have food allergies. Common dog allergies include wheat, eggs, chicken, and beef. Keep in mind that some ingredients may be particularly toxic to dogs, like grapes, onions, and garlic. If you notice symptoms like gastrointestinal issues, youll probably want to consult your veterinarian about your dogs ideal diet.

Storing Your Homemade Dog Food

These recipes are really simple, but you probably dont have time to cook a full meal for yourself and your dog every night. An easy solution? Make a big batch and divide it into individual portions. Put each meal in a Ziploc bag in the freezer and pull it out at dinner time!

Making Your Own Dog Food: The Bottom Line

Now that youve learned how to make homemade dog food quickly and easily. We hope youve found your new favorite healthy dog food recipe. Cater to your furballs specific dietary needs, learn a new cooking skill, and maybe even save a little money. Your dogs will love their upgraded diets!

Looking for more dog recipes?

Featured image credit: stockcreations, Shutterstock