Pet Caloric Needs

Check the label on your pet's food to determine the calorie content per serving.
Calculating the calorie count in your pet’s food and treats is important in knowing how much to feed to maintain your pet’s optimal weight and health.
Check the label - Pet food and treat products are required to have a nutritional label that contains calories or “KCals,” the abbreviation for “kilocalories.” These terms are often used interchangeably.
Pet food formulations can vary widely in serving size, caloric density, ingredients, nutritional content, and formulation (wet versus dry). The amount of protein, fat, fiber, and nutrients also influences the serving size.
Treats Count - Treats should make up no more than 10% of a pet’s daily calories. Treats do not have to be nutritionally balanced like commercial pet foods.
Opt for low-calorie, healthy treats that have nutritional value and are made with high-quality ingredients.
This is the amount of energy your pet needs to maintain its ideal weight or healthy body condition.
Your individual pet’s nutritional and daily caloric needs are based on several factors, including age, size, activity level, health status, medical needs, and body condition.
Most pet food companies provide user-friendly pet food calculator on their websites to help determine how much to feed a pet daily.
Your pet’s veterinary healthcare team is the most valuable resource for helping establish correct feeding guidelines and a diet that meets your pet’s needs. They can calculate your pet's Resting Energy Requirements (RER) (the amount of energy your pet needs to maintain essential bodily functions) and their Daily Energy Requirements (DER).

Basic Calorie Calculation for Energy Needs of Dogs and Cats

This calculation is intended for use by veterinary healthcare professionals for dogs and cats

This Resting Energy Requirement (RER) formula is intended to estimate the number of calories needed for a pet to perform vital bodily functions, including breathing, digestion, circulation, organ function, etc. The RER is a very basic estimate of a pet’s total daily energy needs and is a starting point for estimating how many calories or food a pet requires each day. A pet’s individual needs can vary widely.

RER in kcal/day =

(ideal or target weight in kg ^ 0.75) x 70

or (ideal or target weight in kg) to the 3⁄4 power) x 70

alternate calculation:

30 x (body weight in kilograms) + 70

Attaining and maintaining a healthy body condition and weight is based on providing an appropriate energy balance and meeting all nutritional needs of the dog or cat. Healthy nutrition depends on several additional factors such as life stage, genetics, spay/neuter status, existing medical conditions, use of medications, the quality and composition of food, etc. This is why any weight loss program should only be done under the supervision of a veterinary healthcare team.

Let’s take a look at some common daily caloric averages for dogs and cats.

Approximate Daily Caloric Needs for Average Indoor Pets

Cats
10 lbs.	180 to 200 calories
Dogs
10 lbs.	200 to 275 calories
20 lbs.	325 to 400 calories
50 lbs.	700 to 900 calories
70 lbs.	900 to 1050 calories
90 lbs.	1100 to 1350 calories

Daily Caloric Needs for Active Humans

Male	2500 Calories
Female	2000 Calories

*Please note that the calorie counts provided are guidelines for average lightly active adult spayed or neutered dogs or cats (1 to 7 years old receiving less than 30 minutes aerobic activity per day). The caloric needs of a particular pet may differ depending on such factors as lifestyle, genetics, activity level and medical conditions. Your pet will likely be fed fewer calories if you are attempting to reduce weight and improve fitness. Note that most indoor cats receive very little sustained activity and many dogs do not receive adequate daily physical activity. We recommend a structured daily exercise and nutritional program for both you and your pet.

CALORIE CHART
Typical Total Daily Calories to achieve Weight Loss in Adult Spayed or Neutered Dogs				Lightly Active Indoor Spayed or Neutered Dog Maintenance Diet (kcals per day)
Ideal or Target Weight (lbs)	RER to Feed for Weight Loss (kcals per day)	80% RER (kcals per day)	70% RER (kcals per day)
5	138	111	97	166
6	152	121	106	182
7	165	132	116	199
8	179	143	125	215
9	193	154	135	231
10	206	165	144	248
11	220	176	154	264
12	234	187	164	280
13	247	198	173	297
14	261	209	183	313
15	275	220	192	329
16	288	231	202	346
17	302	241	211	362
18	315	252	221	379
19	329	263	230	395
20	343	274	240	411
21	356	285	249	428
22	370	296	259	444
23	384	307	269	460
24	397	318	278	477
25	411	329	288	493
26	425	340	297	509
27	438	351	307	526
28	452	361	316	542
29	465	372	326	559
30	479	383	335	575
31	493	394	345	591
32	506	405	354	608
33	520	416	364	624
34	534	427	374	640
35	547	438	383	657
36	561	449	393	673
37	575	460	402	689
38	588	471	412	706
39	602	481	421	722
40	615	492	431	739
41	629	503	440	755
42	643	514	450	771
43	656	525	459	788
44	670	536	469	804
45	684	547	479	820
46	697	558	488	837
47	711	569	498	853
48	725	580	507	869
49	738	591	517	886
50	752	601	526	902
51	765	612	536	919
52	779	623	545	935
53	793	634	555	951
54	806	645	564	968
55	820	656	574	984
56	834	667	584	1000
57	847	678	593	1017
58	861	689	603	1033
59	875	700	612	1049
60	888	711	622	1066
62	915	732	641	1099
64	943	754	660	1131
66	970	776	679	1164
68	997	798	698	1197
70	1025	820	717	1229
72	1052	841	736	1262
74	1079	863	755	1295
76	1106	885	774	1328
78	1134	907	794	1360
80	1161	929	813	1393
85	1229	983	860	1475
90	1297	1038	908	1557
95	1365	1092	956	1639
100	1434	1147	1004	1720
105	1502	1201	1051	1802
110	1570	1256	1099	1884
115	1638	1311	1147	1966
120	1706	1365	1194	2048

General Guidelines for Pet Weight Loss

Based on a pet’s degree of excess body fat, it is often recommended to use a target weight higher than the ideal or goal weight when starting a weight loss program. We strongly advise pet owners not to reduce feeding below RER calories unless under direct supervision by their veterinary healthcare provider.

General guidelines for safe weight loss in dogs are 1-5% body weight loss per month (3-5% in many cases). For cats, about one-half pound (0.25 kg) per month, or 1 to 3% of their current body weight.

In cases that fail to respond to this number of calories, the total may need to be reduced, or an alternative therapeutic weight loss diet may be tested.

For weight loss in dogs, feeding the calculated RER calories for a weight loss target weight (or ideal weight in some cases) should be adequate.

For weight loss in cats, multiply the RER of the target or ideal weight by 0.8 (80% RER).

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the pet does not achieve desired or expected weight loss within 90 days, change the number of daily calories being fed, pet food brand, increase protein and fiber, change therapeutic weight loss diet formulation, reevaluate for an underlying medical condition, or implement other changes under veterinary supervision.