Feeding Dogs by Calorie Count: Why It’s More Effective Than Just Using Body Weight
When it comes to feeding our beloved canine companions, there’s no shortage of advice on how much food they should receive. One common, yet problematic, approach is to provide a certain percentage of your dog’s body weight in food each day. This tends to be more typically in the fresh feeding space. While this may sound simple and convenient, it often leads to nutritional imbalances, weight fluctuations, and potential long-term health issues.
In this article, we’ll explore the drawbacks of feeding dogs purely based on a percentage of their body weight, examine the issues of both weight gain and weight loss that can arise, and explain why calculating your dog’s daily calorie intake for their life stage, sex, and activity levels is a far better approach. We’ll also provide a helpful table to guide you in calculating calorie needs for different types of dogs—including puppies at various growth stages, senior dogs, intact and neutered adults, and high-activity canines.
The Problems with Feeding by Body Weight Percentage
1. Unintended Weight Gain or Obesity:
Simply feeding a fixed percentage of your dog’s body weight does not account for their metabolism, lifestyle, or breed-specific tendencies. For example, a less active dog given a standard percentage of food as if they were a working dog may end up consuming far more calories than necessary. Over time, this can lead to unwanted weight gain, obesity, and associated health problems like arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes.
2. Risk of Underfeeding and Weight Loss:
On the flip side, a highly active dog who is only fed a set percentage of body weight might receive too few calories to fuel their daily energy expenditure. This can result in unintended weight loss, poor coat quality, low energy levels, and even compromised immune function.
3. Doesn’t Factor in Life Stage and Metabolic Changes:
Puppies, adults, seniors, intact dogs, and neutered dogs all have different caloric needs. Feeding by body weight percentage ignores crucial factors like growth stages, reproductive status, and aging metabolism. For example, puppies require more calories per pound than adult dogs to support growth, while senior dogs generally need fewer calories due to reduced activity levels and potentially lower metabolic rates.
Why Feeding by Calorie Intake Is Preferable
1. Customised to Your Dog’s Unique Needs:
Calculating caloric intake based on age, sex, breed, and activity level ensures that you’re feeding your dog precisely what they need—not too much, not too little. This personalised approach can help maintain an ideal body condition, promote strong immune health, and support optimal organ function. It can also be altered easily if your dog is doing less exercise on some days than others.
2. Supports Proper Growth and Development:
For puppies, feeding the correct caloric amount is critical to support skeletal development, muscle growth, and proper organ function. Providing just a percentage of body weight in food might not supply the right balance of nutrients and energy a growing puppy needs. The same logic applies to seniors, who may benefit from a tailored diet with fewer calories and certain nutrient adjustments to support joint health and organ function.
3. Promotes Long-Term Health and Prevents Obesity:
Carefully calculated calorie intake helps prevent the weight-related diseases that can arise from overfeeding. Maintaining an optimal body weight can add years to your dog’s life and significantly improve their quality of life.
How to Calculate Your Dog’s Caloric Needs
Determining your dog’s ideal caloric intake typically involves:
Finding the Resting Energy Requirement (RER):
The RER is based on your dog’s weight and represents the energy needed at rest in a temperature-neutral environment. A commonly used formula is:
RER = 70 x (body weight in kg)^(0.75)
Note: To convert pounds to kilograms, divide your dog’s weight in pounds by 2.2.Applying a Life Stage and Activity Factor:
Once you’ve calculated the RER, you apply a multiplier that reflects your dog’s life stage, sex, reproductive status, and activity level. Different life stages and conditions require different multipliers. Consult your veterinarian for precise guidance.
Below is a general guideline Keep in mind, these are starting points, and you should always adjust according to your veterinarian’s recommendations and monitor your dog’s body condition over time. If your dog needs to lose weight it’s important that we feed them their resting energy requirements of the weight WE WANT THEM TO BE, not their current weight. once they have achieved this you can then feed the maintenance weight based on if they are neutered or not.
Calorie Calculation Multipliers by Life Stage and Condition
Puppy (3-5 months)Rapid Growth Stage x 3 Total Calories = RER x 3.0
Puppy (5-12 months) Moderated Growth x 2 Total Calories = RER x 2
Adult, Intact Not Neutered/Spayed x 1.8 Total Calories = RER x 1.8
Adult, Neutered/SpayedReduced Metabolic Rate x 1.5/1.6 Total Calories = RER x 1.6
Senior Dog Reduced Activity & Metabolism x 1.2–1.4 Total Calories = RER x 1.2–1.4 (adjust within this range)
High Activity Dog Working/Hunting Sport x 2.0–3.0 Total Calories = RER x (2.0–3.0 based on intensity)
Note: These multipliers are general guidelines. Individual needs vary based on breed, health conditions, climate, and more. Always consult your veterinarian before making significant diet changes. If your dog needs to lose weight consult with your vet to find out their optimal weight.
The Bottom Line
While feeding a percentage of your dog’s body weight might seem like a straightforward approach, it often results in improper nutrient and calorie distribution. This can lead to weight gain, weight loss, and a host of health issues down the line.
Instead, consider calculating your dog’s caloric needs based on their life stage, sex, and activity level. By doing so, you’ll ensure that your dog receives the balanced, appropriately portioned diet they need to thrive at every stage of life—and enjoy a happier, healthier future by your side. Need help with feeding amounts check out our calorie calculator in the membership site now