[Ari1405]

"With the Kcals fed around 360-370 Kcals per cup, she will gain weight but the kibble wont be too dense & hard to digest, the higher the Kcals more work for stomach & pancreas…."
This doesn't necessarily mean to stay away from higher calorie foods, right?
Then again what really is a "high calorie" kibble?

 

[Shell]

I have never heard of a kibble being "too dense" if they are talking in a physical sense.

I prefer high protein (30-38%), high fat (18-25%) kibbles which in turn end up being higher calorie around 425-475 kcals per cup usually. Have not had any dog have trouble digesting or thriving on that ratio. But, all larger dogs and mostly quite active so normal meal is 1-2 cups.

However, high calorie kibble can be harder to feed the right amount because the volume fed seems too small to the human eye so its easy to top up the bowl or overfeed.
Some dogs, seems more an issue with small dogs or older and inactive dogs who need fewer calories, can get an upset stomach from not having much food in their stomach. One option is to feed a low calorie bulk food like plain green beans along with the kibble or those doga may do better on a lower calorie food.

 

[Ari1405]

I have to chose between 429 Kcals per cup or 498 Kcals per cup.
The dog right now is at 450 Kcals per cup and needs about 600 calories per day if not he's too slim. He's a Chihuahua who loses weight very quickly. Vet checked him last month and said he just needed more food. But I honestly don't know which one to chose.

 

[CptJack]

If your dog has had pancreas issues in the past, or there is reason to believe that he does, then yeah - low fat is a big deal. Otherwise, no big deal.

 

[gingerkid]

Certainly every dog is an individual, but 600 kcal seems like a ton for a chihuahua, and I'm wondering if you had bloodwork drawn? I'd probably be considering a second opinion from another vet if that was the answer I got.

 

[Shell]

600 calories for a Chi, even a young active and intact one does sound like a lot.

I ran a few calculators for a 10 lbs, active dog and most recommend around 350-400 calories. 10 lbs heavy duty work dog got the calculator up to 600-700 cals.

Between two fooda both between 400 to 500 kcals per cup? Just try one and see how the dog does.

 

[Ari1405]

The vet had recommended 1 cup and a third which is how many calories he consumes per day.
I also questioned the amount but it works for him. I don't want to decrease and have him lose weight again. I'm going to stick with it since it works. If he starts having any issues my next step would be bloodwork.