Keeping Up with K9 Kamp: How Many Calories Does Your Dog Need

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Last month, we celebrated the first K9 Kamp of 2013 with our “Do More” Challenge.

It was awesome and we were so excited to have so many people join in. Just because our first challenge is over, doesn’t mean our featured kampers have abandoned their fitness plans.

• While Honey at Something Wagging is wilting in the heat, Pamela is finding creative ways to stay fit with Fido indoors.
• Jodi at Heart Like a Dog has been braving some wet conditions to make sure Sampson & Delilah are getting enough exercise.
• Winner of our first K9 Kamp prize, Sharon, Schooner and Skipper report that Schooner is down another 2 pounds. They have been swimming, playing ball, and Skipper chases Schooner to keep him on the move. Great work!
• The SlimDoggy humans barked about how Jack seems to work out a whole lot of his core muscles while he plays at the park.
• Diane and Rocco from To Do With Love are attending a Canine/Human Fitness class.
• Jackie is sharing how walking is also helping build Rita’s confidence and learn some new skills
• Gizmo’s from Terrier Torrent shared his 10 Reasons you should try geo-caching
• Emma from My GBGV Life shared just how big she is and how she did on this month’s Keeping Up With K9 Kamp mini-challenge

That’s right! The K9 Kamp fitness and fun isn’t over.

Every month, our new Kamp Coach Jessica from You Did What With Your Wiener is sharing a mini-challenge designed to be a quick and easy way to ensure your dog’s fitness is on track!

This month’s challenge is to make sure you’re feeding your dog the right amount of food. 

Through my kibble consultations, I’ve learned that when you ask most pet owners this question, they respond with a confident “Yup!” and explain that they carefully follow the guidelines on the bag. The trouble is – the guidelines aren’t always a good fit. In fact, more than 50% of the dogs I’ve worked with were being fed the wrong amount.

It’s important to know how many calories your dog should consume and it’s important to double check that number from time to time.

Changes to your lifestyle and activity level can affect how many calories your dog burns. Recently, Koly, Fe and I moved to an apartment and this has totally changed how much they get to eat. Instead of letting the boys out in the yard, we’re now going on 4 – 6 walks per day – well over 2 hours total. This means that the calories Kol and Fe used to get just aren’t enough anymore. On the flip side, as your dog ages, after surgery/illness or other life changes, your dog may need less calories. It’s all about finding what’s right for your dog, not just trusting what is on the bag.

With that in mind, I set out to complete this month’s Keeping Up With K9 Kamp mini-challenge.

Screenshot from the SlimDoggy App

Our friends (and fellow K9 Kampers) at SlimDoggy have a whole app that can help you make sure your dog is eating right. It’s super easy to use – just put in what your dog eats, how much exercise they get and voila! It shows you if your pet is on track for fitness or if their calories need to be adjusted. It’s not really designed for raw feeders like us, so I have to fudge it a bit, but I’ve found a way to make it work. If you’re an Apple piePhone user, you can get the SlimDoggy app from the App Store.

If you’re not an iPhone user, SlimDoggy can still help you calculate your dog’s calorie needs. They’ve built this handy dandy widget that you can use. It’s as easy as putting in your dog’s age, weight and exercise level. Go try it, then check out the calories in your dog food (usually found on the bag or the website of any good brand.) Click here and scroll about quarter way down the page – the widget is in the right