How the treat budget calculator does its sums

The fish treat calorie calculator on our sardine and anchovy pages takes one number from you, your dog's daily calories, and gives back two: a treat budget and the weight of that fish that fits in it. It uses the energy figure printed on the label. It is arithmetic, not feeding advice.

What does the fish treat calorie calculator do?

You type in your dog's daily calories. The calculator then shows the treat budget at its 10 percent default, and the grams and ounces of that product that the budget equals.

Behind the scenes it uses the energy figure from the product's label. That is the kcal ME/kg line printed with the guaranteed analysis. The sardine calculator uses the sardine label's figure, and the anchovy calculator uses the anchovy label's figure.

Here are the steps as you will see them:

1. Type your dog's daily calories into the box.
2. Read the treat budget, which is the share of those calories set aside for all treats.
3. Read the grams and ounces, which is how much of that fish the budget equals.

Grams are rounded to whole numbers and ounces to one decimal. The result is weight only. There are no piece counts, and there are no breed or weight presets, because we do not invent feeding amounts.

You can use it on the sardine page and on the anchovy page.

Where do you find your dog's daily calories?

The calculator cannot know this number, so it asks you for it. Two places have it: the main food bag, and your veterinarian.

The food bag prints calories for what it holds, and your vet can tell you what your particular dog needs in a day. If the two differ, the vet's number is the one that knows your dog.

Use the total for the whole day, not a single meal. Treats share one budget with everything else, so the number you type should be the full day's calories.

A fuel gauge reads the tank, not the trip. The calculator is the same: it reads the number you give it, and it cannot check that number for you.

Where does the 10 percent default come from?

It is the calculator's default setting. The calculator note on the sardine page credits VCA's treat guidance for it, and the sardine listing's FAQ says the same thing for dogs: hold all treats to about 10 percent of the day's calories.

The word "all" matters. Biscuits, chews, training rewards and a sprinkle of fish all draw on the same budget. If you feed a few kinds of treat, the budget covers the lot.

We do not offer a way to change the percentage on the page, so we will not describe one. If your vet has set a different share for your dog, follow your vet's number instead.

This is a dog figure. It is not the bag's rule, and it is not a cat rule.

Why does the calculator answer in grams and ounces, not fish?

Because the fish do not come in a standard size. The listings describe size and color that vary, with no piece counts and no fish lengths given. A count of fish would be a guess, so the tool answers in weight.

Weight is also the unit the label uses. The energy figure is per kilogram, and the label gives a per ounce figure beside it. The calculator divides your treat budget by that figure and hands you back a weight.

A kitchen scale is the easy way to measure out the result. We keep the scale to one sentence here, because how much sardines for dogs covers the portion method and the per ounce numbers in full.

Why is there no calculator for the minnows or the Fish Trio?

The calculator needs a label energy figure, and those two have none to give it.

The minnow listing gives no calorie figure, so there is nothing to divide by. The minnows are also sold out, and the button reads "Sold out, back soon." The Fish Trio holds three different bags, and the Fish Trio page has no single energy figure, since each bag has its own. The figures live on the single pages.

Every fish here is freeze-dried raw, and the sardine heads listing says to wash your hands after handling it. Keep them as a treat or topper, not a complete diet. More label reading and handling notes are in the guides.