Pet World: Siren-howling dog keeps owner up at night

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Nov 11, 2020

—Tom, Jamesport, New York

Dear Tom,

Your veterinarian can calculate exactly how much food your dog should eat based on the type of food you’re feeding him. So, don’t be afraid to call back and ask your vet to do the math for you. They know how to do it.

In the meantime, check the pet food feeding guide on your dog’s dry food bag or on the pet food company’s website. These feeding guides will recommend how much to feed your dog daily based on your dog’s weight and explains how to mix wet and dry food together.

For the Pedigree adult dry food, the website recommends feeding a 40-pound dog 2 1/4 cups (18 ounces) of food daily. It actually recommends 400 to 450 grams of food (which only makes things harder since that is not our country’s measuring system), but a quick gram to cup calculator online confirms it’s about 2 1/4 cups of food. Split that amount into two feedings, twice a day.

In your case, the recommended amount is a little over a cup of dry food at each meal. If you want to add wet food, just know that a ½ can of wet food is equivalent to ¾ dry food. Since you’re probably feeding about ¼ of a can of each of the wet foods (1/2 can), you would only need to add 1/4 cup of dry food to each meal. This is a guideline as every dog’s appetite and exercise are a little difference. You can adjust the dry food ¼ cup at a time based on his activity level and if you think he needs it.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)