# Kirkland Signature food



## WascoGSD (Nov 6, 2011)

Hey, for those of you who have used Kirkland signature adult dog food, how much is the correct amount to feed my 6 month old female GSD? The bag says 2&1/2 cups per day for her weight. Does is differ for puppy's or is it the same amount?


----------



## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

WascoGSD said:


> Hey, for those of you who have used Kirkland signature adult dog food, how much is the correct amount to feed my 6 month old female GSD? The bag says 2&1/2 cups per day for her weight. Does is differ for puppy's or is it the same amount?


I can't say for sure but I have looked up the ingredients in puppy food and adult and they are almost identical Puppy is just smaller bites. My 14 week old puppy is eating 4 cups a day of the puppy food and my five year old is eating 4 cups of the adult food. I think they could both be on the same food but I'm going to leave it this way for awhile. 
I look at the dog/pup to determine the amount. What they say on the bag is just a guess. 
How does her weight look?


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

According to Metabolic Energy Requirements For Dogs a 50lb puppy who is 50-80% of her adult weight would need around 2198, or 2200 kcal per day. Kirkland has 356kcal/cup, so you'd start at 6.2 cups per day. You could feed her 5-6 cups per day and _monitor her poop and her body composition._ Two signs of overfeeding would be if she starts to lose her waistline or if she has soft, pudding-like poops.


----------



## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

Emoore said:


> According to Metabolic Energy Requirements For Dogs a 50lb puppy who is 50-80% of her adult weight would need around 2198, or 2200 kcal per day. Kirkland has 356kcal/cup, so you'd start at 6.2 cups per day. You could feed her 5-6 cups per day and _monitor her poop and her body composition._ Two signs of overfeeding would be if she starts to lose her waistline or if she has soft, pudding-like poops.


I knew that.


----------



## WascoGSD (Nov 6, 2011)

Jack's Dad said:


> I can't say for sure but I have looked up the ingredients in puppy food and adult and they are almost identical Puppy is just smaller bites. My 14 week old puppy is eating 4 cups a day of the puppy food and my five year old is eating 4 cups of the adult food. I think they could both be on the same food but I'm going to leave it this way for awhile.
> I look at the dog/pup to determine the amount. What they say on the bag is just a guess.
> How does her weight look?


She is 50 pounds.


----------



## WascoGSD (Nov 6, 2011)

Emoore said:


> According to Metabolic Energy Requirements For Dogs a 50lb puppy who is 50-80% of her adult weight would need around 2198, or 2200 kcal per day. Kirkland has 356kcal/cup, so you'd start at 6.2 cups per day. You could feed her 5-6 cups per day and _monitor her poop and her body composition._ Two signs of overfeeding would be if she starts to lose her waistline or if she has soft, pudding-like poops.


Thank you very much.


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Jack's Dad said:


> I knew that.


You just figured you'd be a gentleman and give me a chance to say it?


----------



## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

Emoore said:


> You just figured you'd be a gentleman and give me a chance to say it?


Ladies first. I always try to be a gentleman.

Wellllll there are some threads. :shocked:


----------



## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Kirkland Signature Chicken Adult has 393 kcal/cup (Calculated MetabolizableEnergy)--3754kcal/kg.


----------



## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

We feed our GSD pup (8mos.) 3-4 c. a day, split into two meals. I believe he's eating the Kirkland Signature regular adult food now.


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

robinhuerta said:


> Kirkland Signature Chicken Adult has 393 kcal/cup (Calculated MetabolizableEnergy)--3754kcal/kg.


I was going of the info at dogfoodanalysis.com -- incorrect again!


----------



## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

Emoore said:


> I was going of the info at dogfoodanalysis.com -- incorrect again!


Yeah, I was going to say what Robin said but she beat me to it.


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

So the OP would want to divide 2200 Kcal by 400, which would give us 5.5 cups.


----------



## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

That seems like a lot of food for a puppy. If that is what it takes to meet minimum requirements, I'd be looking at better foods. I like kirkland dog food just fine for adults but I prefer the Nature's Domain that they sell!


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

VonKromeHaus said:


> That seems like a lot of food for a puppy. If that is what it takes to meet minimum requirements, I'd be looking at better foods. I like kirkland dog food just fine for adults but I prefer the Nature's Domain that they sell!


Like any calculator or chart, it's just a starting point. That's why I made sure to put in italics that OP should watch his dog's condition and poop and then make adjustments accordingly.


----------



## mntmoses (Oct 24, 2011)

yea, 5 1/2 cups is a ton of food. For my GSD, I give her about 2 1/2 cups a day. She has tons of energy and it's been going well for her. She's very lean, but doesn't look too skinny. Again, the biggest think to watch for is if they start gaining lots of weight, cut it back... and vice versa.


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I fed my DS puppy 4 cups a day MINIMUM while he was growing. He was still a skinny little guy. And this was high calorie EVO Red Meat. 

I feed my puppies based on what their adult weight would be.


----------

