Dog
Calories
How Many Calories Does a Dog Need?
The amount of calories a dog needs to eat in order to maintain a healthy body weight depends on a number of factors like age, breed and activity level. A good rule of thumb though is that a dog will need about 25-30 calories for every pound of body weight. Of course, this is just a rough estimate, if you want a more definitive answer you can use the dog calorie requirement calculator located at the top of this article.
Age
A dog’s age plays a significant role in how many calories they will need since a puppy will require proportionally more calories than an adult in order to grow. The younger a puppy is the more calories they will need since they experience the most rapid rate of growth when they are less than 4 months old. After their initial growth spurt until they finally become an adult they will still need more calories, but the amount will slowly taper off as they reach their expected adult size.
Once a dog reaches full maturity at about two years of age, their metabolism will slow down significantly. Since an adult dog won’t be growing anymore their caloric needs will only be dependent on their weight and activity level. The only other factor that can contribute to an adult dogs caloric needs is if they are neutered or not. Dogs that aren’t fixed will have a slightly higher metabolism, if your dog is not fixed you can select that option on the dog calorie calculator located above to get a more accurate answer.
Activity Level
How many calories should a dog eat in a day is highly correlated with their overall activity level. A very active dog can burn through three to four times their recommended baseline calorie level. Moderate activity alone can double a dogs caloric needs, and even light activity like a vigorous walk can increase the amount of energy they need by up to twenty percent.
If your dog’s activity levels have recently changed then you will most likely have to adjust the amount of food you give them in order to compensate for their new energy requirements. This should be done slowly in order to limit any gastrointestinal distress and to avoid any unwanted swings in their weight. Just be sure to keep an eye on your dog’s body composition while you modify their food intake, in order to make sure they are not getting too skinny or fat on their new diet.
Calculating a Dogs Resting Energy Requirement
A dogs resting energy requirement is the amount of energy a dog needs in order to maintain vital bodily functions. Some of which are respiration, digestion, thermoregulation and nervous system function. This is the bare minimum amount of energy a dog needs just to stay alive and it doesn’t take into account physical activity or any other external factors.
How to Calculate RER for a Dog
In order to calculate a dogs RER (resting energy requirement), you will need to know their weight in kilograms. If you already know your dog’s weight in pounds simply take that number and divide it by 2.2 to get your dogs weight in kilograms. For example, if your dog weighs 40 pounds then their weight in kilograms will be (40 lbs / 2.2 = 18.18 kg).
Once you have your dogs weight in kilograms you will then have to raise that number to the power of 0.75. For example, if your dog weighs 18.18kg then 18.18 to the power of 0.75 will equal 8.8 (18.180.75 = 8.8). Once you have that figured out then you just have to take that number and multiply it by 70, and then you will have your dogs resting energy requirement, which in this case will be 616 calories.
- Divide your dog’s body weight in pounds by 2.2 to convert it to kilograms.
- Resting Energy Requirement (RER) = 70 * (body weight in kilograms)^0.75
Calculate Maintenance Energy Requirements
Once you have calculated your dogs resting energy requirements then you will need to figure out their maintenance energy requirements (MER). A dog’s maintenance energy requirements takes into account their age and activity level, in order to calculate how many calories they need in order to maintain a healthy weight.
- Maintenance Energy Requirement (MER) = Maintenance Multiplier * RER
| Maintenance Energy Multipliers | |
| Neutered Adult | 1.6 |
| Non-Neutered Adult | 1.8 |
| Weight Loss | 1 |
| Weight Gain | 1.7 |
| Light Activity | 2 |
| Moderate Activity | 3 |
| Heavy Activity | 6 |
| Puppy 0-4 Months | 3 |
| Puppy 4 Months to Adult | 2 |
How Many Calories Should My Dog Eat to Lose Weight
If your dog is obese or overweight, you will need to lower their caloric intake to a level that is equal to or less than their resting energy requirements. Doing this will force their body to rely on stored fat reserves as a source of calories, which over time will reduce their overall body weight.
In order to calculate how many calories your dog will need to lose weight, you can use the calorie calculator located at the top of this article. If on the other hand you just want a calorie range then 15-25 calories per pound is a good target to shoot for. Otherwise, you can simply calculate by hand their resting energy requirements, and that will be all the calories they need on any given day
You might also want to read this 5 step plan to help a dog to lose weight for more helpful tips.
How Much to Feed a Puppy Based on Weight
A puppy that is younger than four months old will need at least 80-90 calories per pound of body weight in order to properly develop. Once a puppy reaches four months of age then a puppies calorie requirements will drop to about 40-60 calories per pound of body weight.
How Much to Feed a Dog per Day by Weight
The question of how much food a dog should eat per day per pound of body weight can only really be a rough estimate. As previously mentioned a number of factors play a role in a dogs energy needs like age and activity level. If you would just like a rough estimate, then in order to provide a dog with 25-30 calories per pound of body weight, they will need to eat about 8 grams of dry food, or about 23 grams of wet food to meet their daily energy requirements.
How Much Food Should a 10 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 349 calories | 654 calories | 1308 calories |
A 10 pound dog that is relatively inactive will need to eat 349 calories per day. If your 10 pound dog engages in moderate physical activity then they will need 654 calories, or if they are very active they will need up to 1308 calories per day.
How Much Should a 20 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 586 calories | 1099 calories | 2199 calories |
An average 20 pound dog will need about 586 calories per day. If that same 20 pound dog engages in moderate daily activity then they will need 1099 calories, and if they are extremely active they will need up to 2200 calories in order to maintain that pace.
How Much Should a 30 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 795 calories | 1490 calories | 2980 calories |
A normal adult 30 pound dog will need about 795 calories per day. A 30 pound dog that is moderately active will need 1490 calories per day. Extremely active 30 pound dogs, on the other hand, could need up to 2980 calories a day in order to meet their energy needs.
How Much Should a 40 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 986 calories | 1849 calories | 3698 calories |
In most cases, an adult 40 pound dog will need a minimum of 986 calories a day. A moderately active 40 pound dog will need 1849 calories, while a highly active 40 pound dog will need upwards of 3698 calories to replenish their energy.
How Much Food Should a 50 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 1166 calories | 2186 calories | 4372 calories |
Most adult 50 pound dogs will need to consume 1166 calories a day in order to maintain their weight. A 50 pound dog that is moderately active will need 2186 calories per day, and highly active 50 pound dogs will need up to 4372 calories per day.
How Much Food Should a 60 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 1337 calories | 2506 calories | 5012 calories |
A 60 pound dog will need to eat at least 1337 calories per day if they are not very active. If they are moderately active then they will need 2505 calories per day. If on the other hand, they are very active then a 60 pound dog will need up to 5012 calories a day.
How Much Should a 70 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 1500 calories | 2813 calories | 5627 calories |
An average 70 pound dog will need to consume 1500 calories a day to stay fit and mildly active. In order for a 70 pound dog to engage in a moderate level of activity, they will need 2813 calories per day. Very active 70 pound working dogs will need to consume up to 5627 calories a day to keep up with their jobs energy requirements.
How Much Should an 80 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 1659 calories | 3110 calories | 6219 calories |
Most 80 pound adult dogs will need to consume a minimum of 1659 calories per day. A moderately active 80 pound dog will need to eat 3110 calories per day, and a very active 80 pound dog will need up to 6219 calories per day in order to maintain their body weight.
How Much Should a 90 Pound Dog Eat?
| Average Adult Dog | Moderate Activity | High Activity |
| 1812 calories | 3397 calories | 6794 calories |
A large adult 90 pound dog will need a least 1812 calories per day. A moderately active 90 pound dog will need about 3397 calories, while a highly active 90 pound dog can easily burn through 6794 calories per day.
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