Daily Calorie Requirements for Dogs

Every dog has a nutritional requirement that needs to be met to stay fit and healthy, but just like humans, dogs can eat too much or too little. Certain dogs can eat a great amount without being unhealthy, but others require substantially less food to survive. Circumstances such as pregnancy, lactation, puppyhood, and heavy work and exercise all change the nutritional requirements for dogs.

  1. Weight

    • A dog's caloric requirements depend a great deal on his or her weight. A small dog, just like a small person, requires substantially less food. For example a 20-lb dog only requires about 700 calories a day, while an 80-lb dog requires about 2,000 calories.

    Puppyhood

    • A puppy requires substantially more calories than an adult dog because a puppy's body is continuing to grow; thus, more calories are used by the growing process. A dog that is only 25% of his or her adult weight needs between 1,000 and 4,000 calories a day depending on the size the puppy will be as an adult.

    Activity Level

    • Activity level also plays an active part in caloric requirements. Dogs that are mostly sedentary require far less calories because they are not burning a great deal of what they eat, so their metabolic rate is lower than those of hard-working dogs. Working dogs (that are used in fields and on farms) require a greater amount of calories to sustain their weight because of the high amount of calories burned during the working experience.

    Pregnancy

    • A dog needs more calories during pregnancy and lactation than she would when she is not pregnant. Just like human beings, pregnant dogs need to eat more and ingest more calories to sustain herself and the puppies she is carrying. A pregnant dog who weighs 50 lbs needs to eat about 200 more calories a day during the latter half of her pregnancy than she normally would.

    Climate

    • Climate also plays a role in a dog's food requirements. Outside dogs require more food when the weather is cold, especially in areas with traditionally cold winters. Food calorie amounts should be doubled for dogs in extremely cold climates, while dogs in less cold climates should have their food intake increased by half through the months of January and February.