Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie May  http://www.phouka.com/dogs/dog_amount.html#cal_req
Here is one. I have no idea how accurate it is and caloric requirements change after the pet has been altered. These charts are only a rough estimate and some people prefer to skip them entirely and feed the amount that their dog does well with. Ellie has a nutritionist that did it for me. 
I know it seems like you are getting conflicting opinions about how much protein to give. That is because you are. There are two sides to it. Half of the homecookers say that dogs are carnivores and only really have to have meat and maybe a few veggies. They don't need grain (or some just give a little bit). The other side to that is that protein is processed through the liver and kidneys, so too much is not good. They believe veggies are very good for dogs and usually grains are given because if you aren't giving a whole bunch of meat, then there would be way too many veggies in the diet without giving grains. I hope I am making sense. Anyway, I lean toward the second side but believe there may be some truth to the first. Ellie gets 24% protein on a dry matter basis. I would like it to be a bit higher but she has some medical issues to consider...
Ellie's recipe is:
1 ounce meat (I use boiled white meat chicken with no skin or fat)
88 grams carb (usually brown rice)
60 grams veggies (mixed veggies)
1 tsp. canola oil
Supplements |
Thanks for your reply and for the recipe. Thanks, too, for explaining why there is this conflict of advice on levels of protein to feed. I suppose it was felt that Yorkies are possibly prone to kidney and liver problems and so it would be safe to err on the side of caution with protein. I think I will increase the protein a bit, as she is healthy.
Luv
Franceen