Dog Calorie Calculator
Please note: This article and any information found within, including the dog calorie calculator, should be used as a guide and is not professional health advice for your dog.
As dog owners, we all want to keep our furry friends happy and healthy, and one of the best ways we can achieve this is to ensure our dogs get the right amount of calories from their diet. Luckily for you, we’ve got a handy dog calorie calculator to help!
Using the dog calorie calculator found below, please select your dog breed from the dropdown provided, select your dog’s life stage, and provide your dog’s current weight, then click the “calculate” button.
Resting Energy Requirements (RER)
All living creatures, from humans to dogs alike, require energy.
At the most basic level, we need this energy to perform essential bodily functions like breathing, pumping blood around the body, digestion, brain functions, etc.
This is known as Resting Energy Requirements (or RER).
Maintenance Energy Requirements (MER)
Every physical action consumes energy, from walking, running, sleeping, eating, playing, thinking, talking, etc. Therefore the level of calories being burned must be replaced on a 1-to-1 basis (as close as possible).
This is known as Maintenance Energy Requirements (or MER).
The maintenance energy requirements for your dog are based on many variables, including (but not limited to)
- Dog breed.
- Your dog’s current weight.
- The life stage of your dog.
- Activity levels of your dog.
- Whether your dog is neutered or intact.
How does a dog calorie calculator work?
It’s essential to highlight that this dog calorie calculator is a tool and should only ever be used as a guide. If you have any concerns, it’s essential to seek professional veterinary advice.
Select Your Dog Breed
The list of dog breeds in the dropdown automatically provides the breed’s average weight. This gives us a good starting point when calculating the calorific needs of your dog and whether your dog’s weight is potentially over or under the breed’s average weight.
Choose Your Dog’s Life Stage
Selecting your dog’s life stage helps determine a multiplier used for your dog’s resting energy requirements, so you must select the option most closely resembling your dog’s current life stage.
Provide Your Dog’s Current Weight
When you provide your dog’s current weight, we can determine your dog’s resting energy requirements. It also allows us to compare your dog’s weight against the breed’s average weight as part of our calculations.
It also allows us to highlight whether your dog is potentially over or under the breed’s average weight expectations. Every dog is an individual, but it helps us highlight potential concerns.
Just be sure to select the correct weight unit (kilograms or pounds)!