How much should I actually be feeding my 60-lb adult Goldendoodle?
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jenna_ok·1 day·621 views
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I've had Biscuit for two years now and I still feel like I'm guessing on portions. The bag says 3-4 cups for a 60-lb dog but I've heard that's wildly inflated because the manufacturer wants you to buy more food.
He's on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. Moderately active — two 30-min walks a day, occasional hike on weekends. He's currently around 62 lbs and the vet said he's a 5/9 on body condition score, so ideal.
Do I stick with the bag guidelines or is there a better way to calculate this? I tried the calculator at /nutrition/dog-food-calculator and it gave me 2.5 cups which is way less than the bag says.
2 replies
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dr_yamadaVET· 1 day
The bag guidelines are almost always overstated — they're calculated for the average dog at average activity, and they benefit the manufacturer. For a 60-lb dog at ideal BCS doing moderate exercise, 2.5-2.8 cups of Pro Plan is probably right. The real test is body condition: you should feel ribs without pressing hard. Weigh him monthly, adjust by a quarter cup if he trends up or down over 4 weeks. The calculator you used is more reliable than the bag.
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lucia_m· about 20 hours
Same experience with my Lab. Vet told me the same thing — bag guidelines are a ceiling not a target. I dropped from 3 cups to 2.25 and she actually trimmed down to a better BCS. Now I weigh her food with a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups because cup measurements vary a lot depending on how packed the kibble is.
