Energy Requirements for Dogs
Just as people vary our canine companions have individualized nutritional requirements. Estimated energy requirements are based on the weight of each animal as well as the average amount of energy various tasks require. The chart below illustrates the recommended caloric intake each day for dogs of different weights with a basic Resting Energy Requirement (RER). RER represents the energy requirement for a normal animal at rest in a thermo neutral environment at a specific body weight. However the suggested amount of calories consumed daily will vary dependent on the age of the dog physical stature and work load.
| Weight in Pounds: | Weight in Kilograms: | Resting Energy Requirements/day: |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2.5 | 130 |
| 10 | 4.5 | 218 |
| 15 | 6.8 | 295 |
| 20 | 9.1 | 366 |
| 25 | 11.4 | 493 |
| 30 | 13.6 | 497 |
| 35 | 15.9 | 558 |
| 40 | 18.2 | 616 |
| 45 | 20.5 | 673 |
| 50 | 22.7 | 729 |
| 55 | 25.0 | 783 |
| 60 | 27.9 | 835 |
| 65 | 29.5 | 887 |
| 70 | 31.8 | 938 |
| 75 | 34.1 | 988 |
| 80 | 86.4 | 1037 |
| 85 | 88.8 | 1065 |
| 90 | 40.9 | 1132 |
| 95 | 43.2 | 1179 |
| 100 | 45.5 | 1225 |
| 105 | 47.7 | 1271 |
| 110 | 50.0 | 1318 |
| 115 | 52.3 | 1361 |
| 120 | 54.5 | 1405 |
| 125 | 56.8 | 1449 |
| 130 | 59.1 | 1492 |
| 135 | 61.4 | 1535 |
| 140 | 63.6 | 1577 |
| 145 | 65.9 | 1619 |
| 150 | 68.2 | 1661 |
| 155 | 70.5 | 1702 |
| 160 | 72.7 | 1743 |
| 165 | 75.0 | 1784 |
| 170 | 77.3 | 1824 |
| 175 | 79.5 | 1864 |
| 180 | 81.8 | 1904 |
| 185 | 84.1 | 1944 |
| 190 | 86.4 | 1983 |
| 195 | 88.6 | 2022 |
| 200 | 90.9 | 2061 |
For young pups under the age of 4 months multiply the Resting Energy Requirement (RER) x 3.
For pups 4 months and older multiply the RER x 2
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For maintenance of adult dogs alter the RER as follows:
- Normal neutered adult: multiply RER x 1.6
- Intact adult: multiply RER x 1.8
- Obese-prone: multiply RER x 1.4
- Weight loss: RER remains as listed
For working dogs the RER should be adjusted to fit the amount of physical activity used:
- Light work: multiply RER x 2
- Moderate work: multiply RER x 3
- Heavy work: multiply RER x 4
For example if your dog was a 85 lb. 3 year old intact female who consistently had a heavy work load you would compute the daily energy requirement as follows:
1065 (base RER) x 1.8 (intact adult) = 1917 x 4 (heavy work) = 7688 calories needed/day.
One more example: a 15 pound 6 year old neutered male couch potato dog. The daily energy requirement would be:
295 (base RER) x1.6 (normal neutered adult) = 472 x 2 (light work) = 944 calories needed/day