Ok... all you math nuts help me on this one

Sharon, I'm thinking that math is not your strong area.  Remember telling me that I should feed six dogs each 2.5 cups of food per day, (15 cups total) and make that 105 cups bag last two weeks?  If you multiple 15x7 there's your 105 cups.

It must have been extremely difficult to decide between the two pics which one to use for avatar.

 
It WAS Ron, I think it was those eyes that did it!!!!

I'm trying to figure out mathematics. What is WRONG w/you people ? My god I have never in my life met such a bunch of people who try to TWIST and DISTORT every simple little thing.

 
What you may not realize is that Lillian (Mordonna) is liked and respected by many of us and it seemed as though you were trying to find fault with her statement.  If you're not that's fine, but I agree that checking with Lillian to see what she meant, would probably answer your questions.  If you'd said something that I had a question about, wouldn't you prefer I ask you what you meant?

I could see her in an internet cafe somewhere, sipping a hot cup of carob and checking email.
 

Sharon, I know you're a member of her ODO board, why would you post this here instead of there?

Kennelkeeper said it best. The density, size, and shape of the food will determine how much food will fit into a 5 oz cup.
 
Even if Mordanna made a simple error in math, it doesn't negate the importance of her point about cost tracking and getting better food for your dollar. I can do calculus in my head but I have used a calculator to find 7 X 8 = 56. A large dry kibble or even large pre-soaked kibble may be close to 160 cups as opposed to accurately measuring every ounce.
 
As for a better method of tracking food cost, it is easier for me to go by the pound. Shadow averages about a pound a day and I buy 40 pound bags.

Sharon,
I admire your passion, but you sometimes come on a bit strong and if you had no ill will, then I appologize. My main point is, if you have a question about someones methods in coming to any particular conclusions, then you should ask THAT person. Instead, you choose to bring it to a public board and make (what seemed to me) to be negative statements as to their abilities. Surely, your motives were innocent, but to some (including myself) it sounds as if you are trying to find fault AND point it out.
 

I could see her in an internet cafe somewhere, sipping a hot cup of carob and checking email.

 
LOL!  

Sharon---I guess you can't PROVE that you weren't trying to stir things up can you!

Jennie, Natural Balance says right on the bag of duck and sweet potato that their kibble weighs 5oz per 8oz measuring cup.

I'm glad you found that, b/c I totally forgot She's in hard labor, and I didn't even end up spending much time at her house. Back and forth to the hospital, waiting for the BABY!

Sharon, I'm thinking that math is not your strong area. Remember telling me that I should feed six dogs each 2.5 cups of food per day, (15 cups total) and make that 105 cups bag last two weeks? If you multiple 15x7 there's your 105 cups.

That makes sense, Glenda. Innova seems to be one of the highest calorie kibbles. It should be more dense, with that many kcals per cup, right?

The density of the kibble itself can make it weigh more, not necessarily the kcals.
For instance, two of the dogs boarding with us at the kennel are on Purina vet diet HA. It looks like Corn Pops (the cereal). It's about the same size and is *puffed* up like them. It's VERY LIGHT WEIGHT. There is absolutely NO (nada, zip, zilch) animal protein in this food. It is full of Soy, wheat, and various other grain/frags/flours. So, if your dog needed, say, 4 oz of this food per day it would be like two cups (just guessing here because I did not weigh the food)! But you could take, say, Eukanuba with the same size kibble and it might weigh 5.2 oz per cup. This is why I feel we should get to the point of feeding our pets based on weights and NOT cups. It's an outdated method that is probably contributing to the obesity of so many pets.
Kcal density is absolutely a factor in how much to feed, but doesn't really have anything to do with the oz/cup. The extrusion process has everything to do with kibble density. This is where air can get added in and the sometimes it may puff up or shrink. Less air makes the kibble more dense, thus weighing more.
Some people I have talked to don't know what size "cup" to use. When the manufacturer says "2 -2 1/2 cups for a 50lb dog, they just reach up into the cupboard and take out a cup and scoop away! I actually had a client ask me the other day about the size of cup he was using for his WAY hyper dobie. The bag says 3 cups daily and he is using a big plastic mug. That's 3 cups right????? Thank goodness this dog is huge and has a very fast metabolism.

What is the HA for? That's an unusual consistency for kibble!!

I think the reason we use cups is for convenience. I feed home cooked, and use a cup. When I use kibble, I use a cup for that. With raw, I eyeball. I don't weigh anything. It took a long time for me to use a cup, instead of just pouring food in the bowl. I'm not a measurer. Most folks probably don't think about the weight of the dog food.

HA stands for Hypoallergenic formula. It appears to be the most HORRID food of all. The most shocking thing of all is, these two little dogs belong to a vet!
 
I think if we could find a container that we can dedicate for use for dog/pet food and weigh our food out in that til we know how much it takes, then the weighing issue is no longer necessary. Just know that if you use "this" container, that you will be giving "this" much food.
The formual that I use to calculate food needs for my dogs uses grams, which you can convert to oz and then to cups if you wish. The weight thing works most accurately for me. My beagles get between 4 - 5 oz daily. This keeps their weight perfect and using the formula to figure which ones get how much based on their age, weight, energy factor and growth factor, I know they are getting enough to meet their needs. I know that seems a bit complicated, but it's just how I was taught and since it works, well......

Wow. Yuck. I wonder why they think soy and grains are going to help allergies????

I guess it's all in the way you think, or the way you've always done it.... I can't imagine weighing out my dogs' food every day. I just scoop it or eyeball it. I'm sure they don't get the same amount every day, but they're within a healthy weight range (Emma's on the low end, but fine... you can't see her backbone any more), and seem to do fine. I'll  give them an extra meal, if they've had a particularly busy day, or give them a little less, when I don't take them out of the house for anything but potty breaks (if I'm sick or they're sick, usually).