• EMERGENCIES
Royal York Animal Hospital's logo
Royal York Animal Hospital's homepage
  • Call us on416-231-9293
  • REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT
REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT
  • About Us
    • Meet The Team
    • Careers
    • Hospital Tour
    • Why Choose Us
  • Pet Care
    • Dog & Cat Services
    • New Pet Owner Information
  • Online Store
  • Resources
    • How-To Videos
    • Pet Health Articles
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Feeding Your Pet

Jan 21 2022, 21:51
Share

One of the most common questions we hear during an Annual Physical Exam is: “How much food should I be feeding my pet?”

That’s a very good question! Generally speaking, it’s more common for pets to be overweight than underweight!

Before we determine how much a pet should eat, we need to calculate by their ideal weight. This does not mean what they are actually weighing at the moment. It means that, if a pet should weigh 70lbs but he/she actually weighs 90lbs, we still need to feed them as if they were 70lbs. This is because base metabolism is calculated based on ideal weight. To understand this better, let me use an example:

Let’s compare two people. One person weighs 150lbs and the second one, a football player, weighs 250lbs. Both are in great shape and are at their ideal weight. But their base metabolism is different because of their height/build/muscle mass. If the first person gains 100lbs of fat and becomes 250lbs, does that mean he should now eat the same amount as the second person (the 250lb football player)? No. That’s because even if we gain fat, our base metabolism is calculated based on our ideal weight.

Similarly, when we’re looking at an overweight pet, we need to figure out their ideal weight before calculating how much food they should be eating. When your pet is in for their annual exam, your veterinarian should tell you what their ideal weight is.

Once we have a pet’s ideal weight, we can look at the instructions on the pet food package to find the recommended amount. Keep in mind that this recommendation is usually for pets with an active lifestyle and it’s common for a family pet to not need as much food as what’s printed on the packages. So for most pets, we can start with the lower end of the recommendation, and then adjust up/down as needed.

If you have any questions or concerns the Royal York Animal Hospital Veterinary Medical Team is here to help. If you do not know what your pet’s ideal weight SHOULD be then bring him in so we can get a current accurate weight, compare with previous visits for weight gain/loss and help you determine the proper quantity to feed.

Dr. Lilla Yan

Share
View all blogs

Explore

About UsPet CareOnline StoreResourcesBlogContact Us

Respecting your privacy

Cookie PolicyPrivacy Policy

Royal York Animal Hospital


Copyright © 2023 Royal York Animal Hospital

Company's registered name: Royal York Animal Hospital

|

Registered Address: 4222 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, ON M8X 1Y6

Menu

  • About Us
    • Meet The Team
    • Careers
    • Hospital Tour
    • Why Choose Us
  • Pet Care
    • Dog & Cat Services
    • New Pet Owner Information
  • Online Store
  • Resources
    • How-To Videos
    • Pet Health Articles
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT
  • EMERGENCIES

Call Us

  • Call us on
  • REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT

Our Cookies

We use cookies on our website to make it easier for you to use. Read more.

About Cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browser our website and also allows us to improve our website. See our cookie policy.

Cookie settings

We use 3 different types of cookies on our website. You can say which ones you're happy for us to use below.

Functional cookies

These cookies do things like keep the website secure. They always need to be on.

Analytics cookies

These cookies store information about how you use our website, such as what you click on.

Marketing cookies

These cookies do things like tell us if you've seen our adverts on social media, such as Facebook or Twitter.