🍖 Dog Nutrition Calculator
Estimate your dog’s daily calorie needs based on body weight and activity level or life stage.
How this calculator works
This tool estimates your dog’s daily calorie needs using the standard veterinary two-step method. First it calculates the Resting Energy Requirement (RER), the calories needed at complete rest: RER = 70 x (body weight in kg)^0.75. It then multiplies RER by a factor that reflects life stage and activity level, since dogs that are active, growing, or intact need more energy than a sedentary spayed/neutered adult.
Choosing a life stage
Typical multipliers are about 1.0 for weight loss, 1.6 for a neutered adult, 1.8 for an intact adult, 2.0 for active or working dogs and older puppies, and up to 3.0 for very young puppies. These are population averages and individual dogs vary with metabolism, breed, and health status.
Use this as a starting point and adjust based on your dog’s body condition over time. This tool is for general planning purposes and does not replace advice from a veterinarian, especially for dogs with medical conditions.