# Am I feeding 3 cups? Or 6 cups?



## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Just a little confused by the recommended daily portions.

From the bag of NutriSource Grain Free dry food:



> Amount of food consumed will vary based on activity level, age, breed and environment.* Standard 8-oz/250 cc measuring cup holds approximately 4 oz/113 g of Nutrisource Grain Free Heartland Select Formula Dog Food*. Consult your veterinarian if you believe your dog is too thin
> 
> 
> > So if your dog requires 3 cups of food, and you use an 8 oz cup (which is considered standard), are you feeding more than 3 cups, assuming that a cup only holds 4oz of food?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

No....the measuring cup is a volume measure not a weight. 

The only liquid I know of that weighs the same as it measures is water which is 1 gram per 1 cc (mL) at 4 degrees C.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

How many calories per cup? I typically feed based off calories per cup and go from there.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Lucy Dog said:


> How many calories per cup? I typically feed based off calories per cup and go from there.


 
I guess I'm trying to determine what is considered a "cup of dog food".

I have an 8 oz measuring cup at home.
The food recommends 3 cups per day
Common sense tells me to give her three 8oz cups

The packaging I'm using as example, tells me that an 8oz cup, will only yield 4 oz of food.

So does three cups a day mean 3 8oz (24 ounces) cups?


Think about what I'm saying...
I'm a "numbers" person, and this is the type of thing that makes me think too much


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Leave it to Wikipedia
Fluid ounce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

YES
Dont overthink it. I guess your wife does most the cooking, eh?
FWIW I am a chemist. Blow your mind. A nickel actualy weighs so close to 5 grams you can use it to check the calibration on a scale.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Like Nancy mentioned, cups measure volume, not weight. Don't think of cups as a weight thing, only size (volume).

Different kibbles come in different sizes and weights. One kibble's cups may weigh more than the next kibbles cup. 

Does that make sense? Think 7th grade chemistry.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

A cup of dog food is an 8oz measuring cup. A cup of water is an 8oz measuring cup, a cup of feathers is an 8oz measuring cup, and a cup of bricks is an 8oz measuring cup. All of those have the same volume but will have different weights. In the case of your dog food, an 8oz measuring cup weighs 4oz. So you are giving her 3 cups per day, which happens to weigh a total of 12 oz.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

I'm not using weight. I'm using volume of one 8oz cup.

So what is 1 cup of dog food?


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Anthony8858 said:


> I'm not using weight. I'm using volume of one 8oz cup.
> 
> So what is 1 cup of dog food?


1 cup of dog food is an 8oz measuring cup.


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## Stellae (May 13, 2011)

Anthony8858 said:


> I'm not using weight. I'm using volume of one 8oz cup.
> 
> So what is 1 cup of dog food?


This is not a numbers problem, it is a *units* problem. An 8oz cup is actually 8 _fluid_ ounces (see Wiki). A way to see that in the description you quoted is that they call it an "8-oz/250cc measuring cup" and cc = ml = unit of volume. 

When they say the cup holds 4oz of food, that is a measurement of weight, that is: 8 fluid ounces of kibble weighs 4oz = 0.25lbf (pounds-force). For your purposes, weight of the food is irrelevant (useful for calculations of grams of protein/fat/etc.). 

The feeding recommendations are given in volume units (# of cups that hold 8 fl.oz). 


(I am mechanical engineer)


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## TheNamesNelson (Apr 4, 2011)

if you were baking cookies and the recipe called for 1 cup of sugar you would use your 1 cup sized measuring cup. Use the same 1 cup sized cup for your dog food. 

In simple terms.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

I think the problem is that the bag is telling you that your 8oz scoop only gives you 4oz, so you dont know if you should give 3 scoops or 6 scoops, right?


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

How much does a tempest in a teacup weight?
Methinks you are too smart for your own good.
Get a one-cup scoop and give her 2 scoops twice a day.
If she gains too much, give less; if she loses too much, give more.
No need for Analysis Paralysis.

Yes, I know, no need for sarcasm either. ;-)


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## JeepHound (Mar 14, 2012)

Assuming you are using an 8oz measuring cup, its easier to think about it as 1 Cup or 1/2 of a Cup.

Unless you have some magical, Harry Potter style of measuring cup that can compress and convert 1 Cup to 1/2 a Cup of food, 1 Cup = 1 Cup.

If you want to feed 1 Cup of food, fill the measuring cup all the way up, level it off, drop it into the bowl. 3 Cups? Do this 3 times.

From your description, it seems as though the company is letting you know that for every 8oz (*volume) *of food you are getting 4oz in *weight*

Ignore that. If you need to feed 3 Cups - then using an 8oz measuring cup, fill it up all the way 3 times.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

currently i'm feeding Verus. i a small plastic container to scoop
my dogs kibble. the container is the 8oz container you
get you when your're in the supermarket (sm=8oz, med=16oz,
qt=32oz). i put water in a measuring cup. i filled the cup to 
the1 cup line. i poured the water into the small container that
i use as a scoop for my dogs kibble. then i filled the measuring 
cup with my dogs kibble. then i poured the kibble into the 
container that i use for my dogs kibble. the water after usuing 
a measuring cup and the kibble after usuing a measuring 
measured equally in the container i use as a scoop.

so, i use an 8oz container as a scoop. i feed my dog 1 scoop
in the am and 1 scoop in the pm. there's always something
added to the kibble, meat, chicken, fish (fresh or canned),
blueberries, organic yogurt, raw egg, etc. my dog weighs
88 lbs.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

your method is the best method and there's always
room for sarcasm. 



PaddyD said:


> How much does a tempest in a teacup weight?
> Methinks you are too smart for your own good.
> Get a one-cup scoop and give her 2 scoops twice a day.
> If she gains too much, give less; if she loses too much, give more.
> ...


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