Dog Calorie Calculator
Find how many calories your dog needs a day from its weight in pounds or kilograms, life stage and activity, and turn the number into cups of food.
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How many calories should my dog eat?
This dog calorie calculator tells you how many calories your dog should eat a day. Enter your dog's weight in pounds or kilograms, pick its life stage and activity, and you get a daily calorie target in kcal plus the number of cups of dry food, using the same resting energy formula veterinarians use. A 30 lb neutered adult dog, for example, needs about 690 to 790 kcal a day.
How to use the dog calorie calculator
- Type your dog's current weight and choose lb or kg.
- Pick the life stage: neutered or intact adult, inactive, puppy, weight loss or working dog.
- For weight loss, enter the target weight your vet recommends.
- Optionally type the kcal per cup printed on your dog food bag to see cups per day.
- Read the daily calories, the range and the resting energy behind it.
How the daily calories are calculated
First the calculator works out the resting energy requirement (RER), the energy a dog burns at rest: RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75. Then it multiplies RER by a life stage factor to get the maintenance energy requirement, the calories for a normal day. The factors come from the 2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats:
| Your dog | Factor × RER |
|---|---|
| Neutered adult | 1.4 to 1.6 |
| Intact adult | 1.6 to 1.8 |
| Inactive or prone to weight gain | 1.0 to 1.2 |
| Weight loss (on target weight) | 1.0 |
| Puppy under 4 months | 3.0 |
| Puppy from 4 months to adult size | 2.0 |
| Light work | 1.6 to 2.0 |
| Moderate work | 2.0 to 5.0 |
Where AAHA gives a range, the big number is the middle of it and the range is shown below. Worked example: a 30 lb dog weighs 13.6 kg. RER = 70 × 13.6^0.75 = 496 kcal. As a neutered adult it needs 496 × 1.4 = 694 to 496 × 1.6 = 794 kcal a day.
Daily calories for neutered adult dogs by weight
| Dog weight | RER | Calories per day (× 1.4 to 1.6) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 218 kcal | 305 to 348 kcal |
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 366 kcal | 512 to 585 kcal |
| 30 lb (13.6 kg) | 496 kcal | 694 to 794 kcal |
| 40 lb (18.1 kg) | 615 kcal | 862 to 985 kcal |
| 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 727 kcal | 1,018 to 1,164 kcal |
| 60 lb (27.2 kg) | 834 kcal | 1,168 to 1,335 kcal |
| 80 lb (36.3 kg) | 1,035 kcal | 1,449 to 1,656 kcal |
| 100 lb (45.4 kg) | 1,223 kcal | 1,713 to 1,958 kcal |
From calories to cups of dog food
Dog food in the US and Canada lists its energy as kcal per cup and kcal per kg on the bag. Divide the daily calories by the kcal per cup: a dog that needs 740 kcal and eats a food with 370 kcal per cup gets 2 cups a day, for example 1 cup in the morning and 1 in the evening. Use a real measuring cup, not a scoop of unknown size.
Tips for feeding the right amount
- Treat the result as a starting point. Every dog is different, so weigh your dog every 2 to 4 weeks and adjust the amount if it gains or loses weight you did not plan.
- Count treats, chews and table scraps in the daily total.
- Puppies grow fast: recalculate every few weeks with the new weight.
- For weight loss, the AAHA guidelines base the numbers on the ideal weight, and your vet should set that target and check progress.
Not a substitute for your vet. Pregnant or nursing dogs, dogs with a medical condition and dogs on a special diet need a plan from a veterinarian.
Features
- Uses the veterinary RER formula: 70 × kg^0.75
- Life stage factors from the 2021 AAHA guidelines
- Weight in pounds or kilograms
- Puppy, adult, inactive, weight loss and working dog settings
- Cups of dry food per day from the kcal per cup on the bag
- Free, private and runs in your browser
Frequently asked questions
How many calories should my dog eat a day?
Multiply 70 by your dog's weight in kilograms to the power of 0.75 to get its resting energy, then multiply by a life stage factor such as 1.4 to 1.6 for a neutered adult. A 30 lb (13.6 kg) neutered dog needs about 694 to 794 kcal a day. The calculator does this for you.
How does a dog calorie calculator work?
It uses the resting energy requirement formula, RER = 70 × kg^0.75, and multiplies it by the life stage factors from the 2021 AAHA nutrition guidelines. The result is an estimate of the calories your dog burns on a normal day.
How many calories does a puppy need?
A puppy under 4 months needs about 3 times its resting energy, and from 4 months until it is fully grown about 2 times. A 10 lb puppy under 4 months has an RER of 218 kcal, so it needs about 650 kcal a day.
How many calories should a dog eat to lose weight?
The AAHA guidelines use 1.0 times the resting energy calculated on the dog's ideal weight. For a target of 26 lb (11.8 kg) that is about 445 kcal a day. Ask your vet for the target weight and check the weight every few weeks.
How do I convert calories into cups of dog food?
Divide the daily calories by the kcal per cup printed on the food bag. If your dog needs 740 kcal and the food has 370 kcal per cup, feed 2 cups a day, split into meals.
Is this calculator a substitute for my vet?
No. It gives a starting estimate, and a single dog can need much more or less. Pregnant, nursing, senior or sick dogs need advice from a veterinarian. The calculator is free and runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.