Kibble in a Cup | Taste of the Wild Pet Food

If you're similar many pet owners, you feed your dog or cat a specific amount of food that you mensurate out using some type of measuring cup. And y'all're pretty darn accurate with your measurement, right?

Would it surprise you to larn that many pet owners aren't all that accurate when measuring their pets' kibble?

That'south right. According to a study washed by University of Guelph veterinary researchers, pet owners need to rethink how they measure dry kibble. Consistent measurement errors such as those found in the Guelph study could lead to undernourishment, but more likely would issue in weight gain or obesity.

Testing domestic dog owners' measuring skills

The study, which was showtime published in Baronial 2019 past the journal Veterinary Tape, asked 100 dog owners to apply one of 3 mutual tools to measure out kibble: a standard ii-cup scoop with graduated markings, sold at a local pet store; a 2-cup liquid measuring cup typically used for blistering and cooking; and a 1-cup plastic dry-ingredient measuring loving cup.

Participating dog owners were then asked to measure out 3 amounts of dry dog food — ¼ loving cup, ½ cup and 1 loving cup — using their assigned measuring cup or scoop. The book of kibble measured past each domestic dog owner was weighed on an electronic gram calibration and compared to the correct weight.

Substantial inaccuracies were found in kibble measurements, which ranged from 48 percent too little to 152 pct too much dog nutrient. However, measurement inaccuracy varied with the loving cup or scoop used and the corporeality being measured. Those domestic dog owners who used the 2-cup liquid measuring cup were most likely to mismeasure all three portions. Those who were well-nigh accurate were those owners who used a 1-cup dry-ingredient measuring loving cup to serve one loving cup of kibble.

Measuring Kibble in a Cup | Taste of the Wild Pet Food

"We found it specially apropos to run across how often participants over-measured the assigned portions, particularly given that there is an ongoing trouble with obesity," said lead writer Jason Coe, DVM, PhD, in a Academy of Guelph news release. "Dog owners can easily overfeed their animals if they don't mensurate out portions correctly, putting their animals at hazard of several obesity-related diseases."

What's a conscientious pet owner to do?

A measuring cup or scoop is the most obvious way to measure out out dry out dog or cat nutrient. But as diehard bakers and food scientists know, measuring cups are imperfect tools. What can responsible dog or true cat owners exercise?

Hither are 4 suggestions to aid yous not mismeasure kibble portions:

  • Utilise a dry-nutrient (or ingredient) measuring cup that's matched to the amount of kibble needed. Consider ownership a set of quality dry measuring cups specifically for your pet'due south food. Before y'all purchase, check out some of the online reviews, like the ones here and here.
  • Be consistent with your measurement technique each fourth dimension you measure. Consider scooping kibble from the bundle, shaking or tapping the measuring cup gently and leveling the amount of kibble so that it'due south level with the rim of the loving cup. (No mounds of kibble in a higher place the loving cup'south rim!)
  • Decrease the number of times you measure kibble during the solar day. Simply measure out the full amount of nutrient your domestic dog or cat needs for the day and place it in a storage container or plastic food storage bag. Then, when it comes time to feed your pet, yous can "eyeball" how you lot divide the food for each meal. If you feed 2 meals daily, and then split the daily corporeality roughly in one-half. If you adopt to feed three meals daily, then split up the daily amount into thirds.
  • Use a kitchen food scale to weigh the corporeality of kibble y'all're feeding your pet. Co-ordinate to Coe and other veterinary nutritionists, the gold standard is to weigh out food portions. Some pet food manufacturers now include the weights (in grams) of serving sizes every bit part of the feeding guide on their dry pet food packages. Other companies report how much an 8-ounce measuring cup of a item nutrient weighs in grams or ounces and so you tin do the math (dry out-ingredient measuring cups measure out by book, not weight).

If yous desire to start weighing your pet's kibble just the feeding guide merely includes book measurements, contact the pet food manufacturer's customer service team for data. Yous tin accomplish the Gustatory modality of the Wild customer service team by calling 1-800-342-4808. The weight of 1 cup of food varies from one formula to the next, so you'll want to know which make and formula you're feeding when asking for information.

Portion size is important

Feeding the correct amount of food is as important to your pet's nutrition and overall health every bit choosing the "right" food. A pet's nutrient requirements aren't just met by the nutrient levels in a nutrient. The amount of nutrient offered and eaten, including treats, assist satisfy a pet's nutritional needs. If you have questions almost what and how much to feed your pet, delight talk with your veterinarian.

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The data in this weblog has been developed with our veterinarian and is designed to help brainwash pet parents. If you take questions or concerns nigh your pet's wellness or diet, delight talk with your veterinary.