How many calories does a dog need? - Calculate Now

Dog nutrition is one of the most controversial topics among dog owners. Some swear by BARF, others by dry or wet food, still others by home-cooked meals. One however is common to all nourishing forms of the four-legged companion: It depends on it to supply the dog with all necessary and important mineral materials, and in the correct quantity.

In addition, the dogs must be able to cover their individual energy requirements with their food. If this is too high, which is very often the case when feeding according to package instructions, the dogs become obese. If the amount of food is too low, the dog can quickly lose weight and become weak. Therefore, the individual calorie requirements of man's best friend should be taken into account in all feeding.

The calorie and thus energy requirements of a dog vary extremely from animal to animal. This depends on the age of the dog (puppies, seniors and adult dogs have different calorie requirements), on the stress of the animal (couch potato vs. athlete) and other factors.

How is the calorie requirement of the dog calculated?

To determine the correct calorie requirement of the dog, you must first know the basal metabolic rate. This is consumed just by lying around and operating vital bodily functions. It is called the Resting Energy requirements (RER) and depends on the dog's body weight.
The formula is body weight * 30 + 70 = RER

In addition, the basal metabolic rate must be multiplied by a factor that depends on the dog's stage of development, as well as stress and special situations. For an adult, normally active and un-neutered dog, the factor is approximately 1.6.
In the example of the ten kilogram dog the following results
Energy requirement: 10 kg * 30 + 70 = 370 calories * 1.6 = 592 calories

If you would like to calculate the calorie requirement without complex formulas, use our free tool for calculating the energy requirement of your dog also on your homepage.