Uncooked pet food calculators can come in useful if you happen to:
- are new to uncooked feeding
- aren’t accustomed to the totally different uncooked feeding formulation (prey mannequin vs barf)
- need to double examine your personal math
On this weblog publish, we’ll introduce you to five totally different uncooked pet food calculators, how they work and level out their respective execs & cons.
We’ll additionally share how one can do your personal math because it helps you place the values of uncooked pet food calculators into perspective.
Uncooked Feeding System or How A lot Uncooked Meals Ought to I Feed My Canine Per Day?
If you wish to do the maths your self, right here’s the essential components: Divide your canine’s goal physique weight by 100, then multiply it with 2.5%.
The two.5% is the typical upkeep share for grownup canines. Nonetheless, it could actually vary between 1.5% and 10% relying on a number of various factors:
- Age (pet vs grownup vs senior)
- Exercise stage (low, medium, excessive)
- Life-style (pregnant, lactating, working canine, athlete)
The result’s your canine’s day by day uncooked pet food allowance.
For instance: 50lb/100=0.5×2.5%=1.25lb=20oz
Meaning an grownup canine whose goal/ideally suited physique weight is 50lb and workout routines reasonably must eat 20oz of uncooked pet food per day. If the canine is fed twice per day, every meal must include 10oz of uncooked meals.
As soon as you determine how a lot uncooked pet food your grownup canine must eat each day, that you must break it down additional into its totally different elements:
- Muscle meat (Barf: 70%, Prey Mannequin: 80%)
- Uncooked meaty bone (Barf/Prey Mannequin: 10%)
- (Secreting) organs (Barf/Prey Mannequin: 10%)
- Non-obligatory: plant matter (Barf: 10%, Prey Mannequin: 0)
The maths for puppies is barely totally different as they want extra meals to gasoline their development. Try our weblog publish on Uncooked Meals for Puppies right here to study extra.
5 Uncooked Pet Meals Calculators
The 5 following uncooked pet food calculators all enable you to calculate uncooked pet food quantities. Nonetheless, they’re all barely totally different.
Some solely inform you the quantity of uncooked pet food your canine must eat on a weekly or month-to-month foundation.
These are normally the uncooked pet food calculators of manufacturers that make premade uncooked pet food. That’s honest sufficient as they clearly need you to feed their premade uncooked pet food, and never make your personal.
Others inform you the quantity of meals your canine must eat each day. Moreover, they go above and past in splitting up the totally different elements of uncooked meals.
These are sometimes calculators that aren’t affiliated with manufacturers that solely supply premade uncooked meals.
You’ll see that almost all uncooked pet meals calculators provide the possibility of selecting between canines and cats, whereas a number of choose ones solely present data for canines.
Most additionally provide the possibility of selecting between kilos and kilos.
Some do their calculations with a upkeep share of two% for reasonably lively grownup canines, others select 2.5% or 3%.
On the finish of the day, you’ll have to look at how your canine (or cat) does on the urged quantity of day by day uncooked pet food and alter it from there.
In case your pup begins to placed on extra weight than required, you’ll need to decrease their day by day uncooked pet food consumption and vice versa.
When you’re unsure about your canine’s goal physique weight, examine in along with your vet or breeder.
Darwin’s Pet Meals Calculator
Darwin’s Pure Pet makes pre-made uncooked pet food following the BARF mannequin of uncooked feeding. Meaning they embrace plant matter and oils. I began my uncooked feeding journey with Darwin’s again in 2015 and undoubtedly advocate them, particularly for inexperienced persons.
Their Pet Meals Calculator offers your pet’s weekly and month-to-month quantity of uncooked pet food (scroll all the way down to the pet meals calculator on their homepage, they don’t have a separate tab for it).
This pet meals calculator asks for the next parameters:
- Species (canine or cat)
- Life stage (grownup, pet, senior)
- Exercise stage (very lively, regular, much less lively)
- Excellent weight (weight vary between 5lb and 150lbs)
For my grownup 38lb pup Wally with a standard exercise stage, it urged the next uncooked pet food quantity:
6.1lb per week or 24.4lbs per 30 days.
That’s fairly near what he will get – I feed him round 15oz of uncooked pet food per day. That equates to 105oz per week = 6.5lbs.
I like that it suggests a decrease quantity than what I feed him, that speaks for the model. In my view, it’s higher to recommend a decrease quantity of meals consumption and to regulate from there versus suggesting extra meals proper from the get go.
Professionals:
- Straightforward to make use of
- Presents meals quantities for canines and cats
- Presents further quiz to get a customized feeding plan
Cons:
- Weight is just offered in lbs (no kilos)
- Doesn’t present day by day quantities of uncooked pet food (solely weekly and month-to-month)
- Doesn’t differentiate between totally different elements of uncooked pet food (how a lot muscle meat, how a lot uncooked meaty bone, and so on)
Uncooked Paws Pet Meals Frozen Uncooked Serving Calculator
Uncooked Paws Pet Meals carries premade uncooked pet food in addition to particular person cuts of uncooked meat for DIY uncooked feeders. I’ve purchased each from them and extremely advocate the model.
Their Frozen Uncooked Serving Calculator offers your pet’s day by day quantity of uncooked pet food.
This pet meals calculator asks for the next parameters:
- What number of kilos is your pet?
- What kind of pet do you have got?
- Pet (as much as 6 months)
- Junior Canine (6 to 18 months)
- Grownup Canine (18+ months) – 30 to 100lbs
- Grownup Canine (18+ months) – 100+ lbs
- Senior Canine (8+ years) – as much as 30lbs
- Senior Canine (8+ years) – 30-100lbs
- Senior Canine (8+ years) – 100+ lbs
- Kitten (as much as 12 months)
- Grownup cat
- Senior cat (10+ years)
- Pregnant/Lactating
For my grownup 38lb pup Wally, it urged the next uncooked pet food quantity:
0.8lbs (12.2oz per day) or 0.4lbs (6.1oz) per meal
That’s additionally fairly near what he will get (15oz per day). Once more, identical to with Darwin’s, I like that Uncooked Paws Pet Meals begins their uncooked pet food calculations on the decrease finish.
Professionals:
- Straightforward to make use of
- Minimal enter required
- Presents meals quantities for canines and cats
Cons:
- Weight is just offered in lbs (no kilos)
- Doesn’t differentiate between totally different elements of uncooked pet food (how a lot muscle meat, how a lot uncooked meaty bone, and so on). Contemplating additionally they supply particular person cuts of meat, that may be useful. Nonetheless, they provide free meal consultations which offer the chance to ask any questions.
Feed Actual Canine Meals Calculator
Feed Actual gives uncooked pet food vitamin recommendation and is a department of Actual Canine.
Actual Canine makes single-ingredient canine deal with & chew subscription packing containers, and their homeowners are uncooked feeders.
My canines Missy, Buzz and Wally all had a subscription and beloved their goodies.
Their Canine Meals Calculator offers your pet’s day by day quantity of uncooked pet food.
This uncooked pet food calculator asks for the next parameters:
- How outdated is your canine? (Pet 4-6m, Pet 7-8m, Pet 9-12m, Grownup >12m)
- Your canine’s present weight (permits you to change forwards and backwards between lb and kg)
- How lively is your canine
- Not very lively
- Considerably lively
- Very lively
- Tremendous lively
For my grownup 38lb pup Wally, it urged the next uncooked pet food quantity:
15.2oz/day
That’s spot on, nevertheless it additionally means that they begin their uncooked pet food calculations with a considerably increased worth.
After they recommend your canine’s day by day quantity of uncooked pet food, they go into additional element and ask for:
- Your feeding mannequin (Ancestral Uncooked, Prey Mannequin Uncooked, BARF)
- How a lot bone will you feed day by day?
- 10% (if stools are chalky at 12%)
- 12% (beneficial for grownup transition)
- 15% (if stools are unfastened at 10%)
Fascinating: Along with Prey Mannequin Uncooked and BARF, additionally they embrace a so-called “Ancestral 6x Eating regimen” which they outline as follows:
The Ancestral weight-reduction plan emphasizes the inclusion of animal elements with fiber and fur and/or feathers. As well as, Ancestral focuses on offering 5 to 9 totally different proteins per 30 days and features a wholesome supply of seafood to steadiness the omega 3-6 ratio.
I personally embrace all of these elements in my BARF components and consider in rotating as a lot as potential to keep away from nutrient deficiencies.
As soon as you choose the quantity of bone you’ll feed, it asks you to pick out the kind of bone you’ll be utilizing to your uncooked meal prep:
- Rabbit quarters or bone-in turkey breast (15% bone)
- Hen thighs or lamb ribs (20% bone)
- Hen necks or duck wings (30% bone)
- Hen backs or turkey necks (40% bone)
- Duck necks or beef brief ribs (50% bone)
- Hen ft or duck ft (60% bone)
- Duck heads or rabbit heads (70% bone)
- Hen frames or duck frames (80% bone)
- Ox tail suggestions (90% bone)
After your choice (I went with duck necks or beef brief ribs @50% bone), it breaks down the quantities wanted for every particular person lower of meat – I really like that:
- 3.04 oz duck necks or beef brief ribs
- 9.12 oz muscle meats
- 1.60 oz low glycemic fruits and veggies
- 0.80 oz beef, pork or lamb liver
- 0.80 oz kidney, spleen or pancreas
And simply once you suppose you’re finished, it gives assist along with your buying checklist (7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 28 days)!
Nonetheless, they ask you to enroll in a membership to be able to entry the buying lists. Which, in my private opinion, is honest since they supply a variety of free data.
Professionals:
- Supplies uncooked meals quantities in lb and kg
- Very detailed data, breaks down the day by day uncooked pet food allowance into particular person cuts of meals
Cons:
- Solely gives meals quantities for canines (no cats)
- Feels busy in comparison with different calculators
Hare In the present day Uncooked Meals Feeding Calculator
Hare In the present day carries particular person cuts of meat for uncooked meal prep. I’ve purchased a number of cuts from them through the years and was at all times pleased with what I ordered, particularly their floor beaver and beaver tails!
Their Uncooked Meals Feeding Calculator offers your pet’s day by day quantity of uncooked meals.
This feeding calculator asks for the next parameters:
- Animal’s weight in lbs or kg (doesn’t differentiate between canines, cats and different pets akin to ferrets)
- Feeding share
- 2%
- 3%
- 4%
- 5%
- 6%
- 7%
- 8%
- 9%
- 10%
For my 38lb pup Wally, it urged the next uncooked pet food quantity at 2%:
0.76lbs (12.16oz) per day
0.38lbs (6.08oz) per meal
I personally feed Wally at 2.5%, however they don’t have the choice of selecting half share factors. The following possibility I might have chosen is 3%.
Since they don’t ask questions in regards to the canine’s exercise stage and/or way of life, this calculator assumes you’re a considerably seasoned uncooked feeder who’s accustomed to the totally different share factors.
Professionals:
- Straightforward to make use of
- Minimal enter required
- Weight will be entered in kilos and kilograms
Cons:
- Not nice for starting uncooked feeders
- Doesn’t supply half share factors in its share drop down menu
Completely Rawsome Uncooked Feeding Calculators
Completely Rawsome is a web site hosted by licensed canine nutritionist Ronnie LeJeune.
I’ve used her uncooked pet food calculator fairly a bit to double examine my very own math once I made the transition from premade uncooked pet food to DIY uncooked meal prep. That stated, it’s modified a bit through the years and I personally discover it much less intuitive than it was once.
Completely Rawsome’s Uncooked Feeding Calculator offers your pet’s day by day quantity of uncooked meals. It’s break up up into 4 totally different classes:
- Canine Calculator – Grownup Upkeep
- Canine Calculator – Development & Growth (for puppies)
- Feline Calculator – Prey Mannequin Uncooked
- Uncooked Meaty Bone (RMB) Feeding Quantity Calculator
The Canine Calculator – Grownup Upkeep asks for the next parameters:
- Canine’s weight in lb or kg
- Common day by day exercise
- Weight reduction
- Inactive & overweight susceptible
- Inactive
- Neutered grownup & low exercise (0.5-1h day by day exercise)
- Intact grownup & low exercise (0.5-1h day by day)
- Younger grownup & common exercise (1-2 hours day by day)
- Above common exercise (3hrs day by day exercise)
- Excessive exercise (3-5hrs day by day exercise)
- Excessive exercise & excessive depth (5hr+ day by day exercise)
For my 38lb pup Wally (5 years outdated), it urged the next uncooked pet food quantity once I chosen the younger grownup & common exercise:
1.41lbs or 22.53oz per day together with 1,186 energy
That’s means off. I feed Wally at 2.5% of his goal physique weight of 38lbs which is 15.2oz per day.
After I chosen the neutered grownup & low exercise (0.5-1h day by day exercise), it gave me the next uncooked pet food quantity:
1.13lbs or 18.03oz per day together with 949 energy
That’s nonetheless off, plus Wally will get between 2-3 hours of day by day exercise, however I didn’t have the choice to regulate his exercise time.
This goes to point out that these values are common values. That makes it tremendous necessary to observe your canine’s weight and bodily look and alter their uncooked pet food consumption accordingly!
Notice: Again in 2016-2018ish, it gave you much less exercise choices that have been paired with the upkeep share (2%, 3%, 4%) and didn’t present caloric values. That labored higher for me personally.
After they recommend your canine’s day by day quantity of uncooked pet food, they go into additional element and ask for:
- Uncooked weight-reduction plan mannequin (BARF or Prey Mannequin Uncooked)
When you select your mannequin (I selected BARF), it provides you the day by day values for the person cuts of meat, which is tremendous helpful:
- Muscle meat
- Edible bone
- Liver
- Different organ
- Greens
- Seeds/nuts
- Fruit
It additionally gives the choice to e-mail you their calculations as a PDF in trade to your e-mail deal with.
Professionals:
- Weight will be entered in kilos and kilograms
- Presents a separate calculator only for cats
- Very detailed data, breaks down the day by day uncooked pet food allowance into particular person cuts of meals (together with veggies, seeds/nuts & fruit)
Cons:
- Not as correct because it was once (in my private opinion)
Backside Line
Uncooked pet food calculators may also help you double examine your personal math, however you must take them with a grain of salt.
They’ll solely present common values because it’s not possible to take every canine’s distinctive dietary wants under consideration.
Keep in mind, they rely in your canine’s:
- Age
- Life stage
- Exercise stage
That’s why it’s necessary to have a primary understanding of how one can do the maths your self utilizing a uncooked feeding components:
Grownup canine’s goal physique weight divided by 100, multiplied by the typical upkeep share of two.5%.
Once you make your canine’s personal uncooked meals following the uncooked pet food quantity offered by a uncooked canine weight-reduction plan calculator, bear in mind to regulate the feeding quantity as needed.
As an example, if you happen to discover that your canine is beginning to placed on an excessive amount of weight once you feed them at a upkeep share of two.5%, decrease it to 2% and reevaluate from there.
In case your canine must placed on extra weight, increase your feeding share in 0.5% increments and reevaluate their physique situation.
If you understand of some other uncooked pet food calculators, please share them within the remark part under this weblog publish.
We’d additionally love to listen to if you happen to’ve used any of the uncooked weight-reduction plan calculators talked about on this article – simply remark under if you happen to really feel like sharing your private expertise with any of them.
Blissful uncooked feeding!
