How Many Calories Does my Dog Need a Day?
After the second most important requirement (water), dogs need energy to grow, work, play, reproduce, recover from illness, maintain healthy lifestyle, and enjoy old ago. Dogs use energy all the time but their “exact” requirement depends on their age, level of activity, metabolic rate, physiological status, and size. Unlike humans, dogs eat mainly to satisfy their energy requirement. Consume anything more than it requires, is purely lacking in discipline, human discipline! Many owners tend to over babying their dog base on their own eating habits.
Here are some basic facts:
- Energy: Energy comes in several forms such as heat, light, mechanical, electrical, and chemical energy. The food our dogs consume contains chemical energy and it is stored in their body until they release it through their daily activities including sleep.
- Calorie: One Calorie (1 Kcal or 1000 calories) is the amount of heat (energy in food) required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water through 1°C.
- RMR: Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the amount of energy (calories) a dog needs to burn in order to keep vital organs functioning endlessly with no activity *RMR is similar to BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and often used interchangeably but technically different.
- MER: Maintenance Energy Requirement (MER) is the amount of energy (calories) a dog needs to burn under these conditions: exercise, growth, work, gestation, lactation, cold and warm temperatures. To know the amount of MER your dog needs is to multiply RMR by various ME depending on different conditions.
How To Calculate Resting Metabolic Rate
To calculate resting metabolic rate for individual healthy adult dog is not that clear cut, mainly due to two factors.
- All dogs have different metabolic rates even within the same breed.
- The relationship between size and maintenance energy requirements (MER). This is based on the correlation between the dog’s weight and surface area. The greater surface area the dog has, the higher is his RER. For example, if you’d to put a Chihuahua and a Great Dane in the same room, obviously the Chihuahua has a greater surface area as compare to the Great Dane. Hence the Chihuahua will require greater energy replacement due the higher loss in body heat.
FYI, if you’d to use formula 1 as your guide to feed your Chihuahua and Great Dane, the Chihuahua will eventually accumulate an extra of 18,600 calories in a year. If his activities remain unchanged, over time your Chihuahua will become obese. Hence the two RER formulae for different weight group.
Again I stress, to calculate resting metabolic rate (RMR) is basically to know the daily calories needed for your dog to remain alive with “zero” activity–such as sleeping 24 hours throughout the day.RMR is used only in extreme situations so do not use it even your dog does not nothing much all day long.
Why is it important you should know about RMR? This is to help you understand the baseline so that you won’t under feed your dog. Secondly, it facilitates the dieting process better. Last but not least, you need it to calculate MER for all dog breeds under various conditions which I’ll discuss in a moment.
Dog under 2kg:
RMR = 70 x (weight in kg 0.75) or 70 x {√ (√weight in kg)}
Dog over 2kg:
RMR = 70 + (weight in kg x 30)
Example 1, Toy Fox Terrier weighing 1.6kg
RMR = 70 x 1.6 0.75
= 70 x {√ (√1.6)}
= 70 x (1.12 x 1.12 x 1.12)
= 70 x 1.4
= 98 calories/day
Example 2, Beagle weighing 13.7kg
RMR = 70 + (13.7 x 30)
= 70 + 411
= 481 calories/day
How To Calculate Daily Maintenance Energy Requirement
To calculate maintenance energy requirement is even more tricky as the range is even wider. The reason for this wide range is due to
- Age
- Environment
- Various breeds
- Physiological status
- Metabolic efficiency
- Reproduction and lactation
- Activity duration and intensity
Fortunately, there are some guidelines to follow. However, as with all formulae, use them with discretion. It is a good idea to run your hands along his body once in awhile to check any excess fresh around it.
This tabulation is only applicable for domesticated adult dogs (between 6 to 9 years old) in good physical and psychological health.
| Activities | |
| Low | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderately high | |
| High |
Low: 2 10-minute walks with an indoor roam and light play
Moderate: 3 15-minute walks with an indoor roam and light play
Moderately high: 1 20-minute jog, 2 20-minute walks with an indoor roam and play
High: 1 30-minute jog, 2 30-minute walks with an indoor play
How To Calculate Daily Maintenance Energy Requirements During Illness
Dogs who are sick and injured have slightly different maintenance energy requirement. The calculations are based on the RMR as it’s assumed that they’re inactive and remain in bed most of the time.
| Status | RMR x |
RMR x |
| Surgery/Trauma | ||
| Infection | ||
| Cancer | ||
| Burns |
Note: Please do not use the above formulae if your dog is…
- under 18 months (1.5 years old)
- doing performance work (e.g pulling sleds or agility courses)
- gestating and lactating of various stages
- living in extreme temperature weather conditions (e.g below 50F or above 86F)
- a senior citizen
- dieting or obese*
Don’t fret, I’ll post the daily maintenance energy requirement calculation for puppies and pregnant dogs in the next issues!
Also, I’m in the midst of tabulating the RMR and MER for all weight (up to 27kg), age, illness, pregnancy and lactation stages, activities group. If you are interested to get a copy of them, please comment below. The price will be around $3 per category (adult and puppy); the price of a latte! More details later!
Daily Calories Requirement For Dogs Series:
- How Many Calories Does my Dog Need a Day?
- How Many Calories Do Pregnant Dogs Need?
- How Many Calories Do Nursing Dogs Need?
- How Many Calories Do Young Puppies Need a Day?
Jan 25th 2008
7:24 PM
Hi, I am wondering about the caloric requirements of puppies.
I found the information about calculating the rmr very helpful but would like to know the maintenance requirements for my pup as he is very food driven and we are not as active as Iwould like us to be.
Jan 27th 2008
9:38 PM
Hi Shelia,
Will do so just for you!
It should be out later in the week if not the following week. Sorry for keeping you waiting, have a few projects in hand.
May 24th 2009
10:56 AM
Hi, I have an 8 year old Maltese that developed Cushing’s with diabetes, so he lost 2 pounds. He was stabilizing but 2 weeks ago had a bout of pancreatitis. He lost another 1/2 pound (weighs now 6.6 Kg – 14.8 lbs). I have to feed him I/D canned food (low fat). He eats it sometimes, and refuses it other times (mainly in the morning). Since I have to feed him 400 cal a day (according to your table, factor 1.5 for a sick dog), I have to force feed him sometimes (with a basting syringe). Painful for both of us! Any advise on how to feed him when he refuses food?
Thanks for any advise…
May 24th 2009
11:08 PM
Hi Victor,
Before discussing about ways to feeding your “sick” dog, maybe you would like to read my dog obesity series posts here. But first, I would like you to do an assessment on your dog’s weight. It seems to me that your Maltese is on an overweight category hence he’s diabetic and has cushing’s disease.
I don’t think you be should concerned about meeting his daily calories intake in this case. Anyhow, do the weight assessment and then let me know.
HTH
Nov 5th 2009
10:31 AM
hi shelia.. not as active as you “would like us to be” ??? so what…your glued down and can’t “get active”??? so instead you want to know how little foood you can give a puppy you should have never gotten…
THAT is what Victor SHOULD have said rather than trying to play hero and helpyou figure out how to starve your newly aquired puppy
Feb 11th 2010
11:21 PM
Todd – why do you assume everyone has an option to be physically active? I am profoundly disabled after a car accident and confined to a wheelchair, and like many other people who suffer illness or disability, I cannot be active as I would very much want to be if things were different. Does this mean disabled or ill people cannot make good, loving responsible dog (or other pet) owners? No, of course it doesn’t. What about all the service dogs who are helpers, and other companion animals – thankfully, they do not judge how ‘active’ their owners are, unlike some humans who seem to assume everyone has a ‘choice’ to be active or not, and be insulting and abusive without even knowing what someone’s individual situation is about.
I would suggest to you that someone who is seeking advice and guidance regarding nutrition is acting in a responsible manner, they clearly understand that unless we are experts with expert information to hand, we don’t know everything about caring for a pet. By looking for help it shows someone realises it is best to ask for guidance when you need it. Why attack someone for acting in a responsible way?!!
So what about your own ignorance?!!! I would say to you – Who are you to presume you know everyone’s individual circumstances, and who do you think you are to pass judgement on someone on the information in one small message?! You assume this person is ‘lazy’ and wants to ‘starve’ her puppy to suit a deliberately inactive lifestyle – you also seem to assume you can pass judgement on if she has the right to own a puppy! Do you know this person at all? Do you know their life, home, abilities? No. I presume you would say the same to me, I shouldn’t have a dog because I am not ‘active’ – so you would deny the love and companionship of pets to everyone who is inactive?! My dog has been my lifeline, and helps me with so many things from unconditional emotional bonding and care when I am in pain, to helping me with tasks I find difficult, she works with me and to help me and we both enjoy having this kind of relationship – she is happy, healthy and loved. All things you are unaware of about someone you would say has no right to have their own dog!!!
I find it very sad that you are so ready to criticise and ‘assume’ something you are ignorant of. I really feel sorry for you, because with such a narrow-minded attitude, you must find life very difficult! As much as someone who has a physical disability has their own challenges, I’d rather be physically challenged, than like you – mentally ignorant and live a life being abusive to others, whose cirsumstances I don’t even know about.
Before you attack someone in a public forum again TRY TO EDUCATE YOURSELF – you may even be able to improve yourself as a human being. Someone who is asking for advice about nutrition for their puppy is trying to do the right thing for their pet! Perhaps you should ask yourself before you go on the attack why you feel so angry about someone you don’t even know!
If you want to help abused or abandoned animals, go and volounteer at a Shelter, because attacking someone like this is putting your energies in the wrong place. You could do good with your love for animals, rather than just create negativity.
Feb 12th 2010
10:19 AM
Dear Fiona,
I three months later…I hope that made you feel a little better. You lay in the weeds and attack people rather than be up front with your situation..so be it. All you needed to include was that you are physically unable to be “as active as you want to be”… but you didn’t.
I guess my ignorance comes from being a canine nutritionist, being an alum of SFSPCA, a current board member on the CCHS (humane Society) and a Dog trainer for 20+ years and during my years seeing people take “puppies” in to their home and trying to change the dog in to something other than a canine.
so there you go Fiona…Jumping to conclusions and judging people seems to be going around.
Whether that’s you.. I have no idea. But based on your initial post… I’d have to say it was questionable.
You take care
Jun 2nd 2010
12:47 AM
Hi,
Cushing’s syndrome is not caused by the dog being overweight, but excess production of cortisol.
Also, in Australia at least, maltese are bigger than in the US. Sure, some are tubby, but in Oz, they do have a tendency to be slightly taller, longer and heavier than the 3-6 lbs as seen in the US. 5,6, even 7 kg maltese are common here, without being overweight.
Anyways, thanks for an informative page.
Jane