Dog Calorie Calculator
Daily calories for your dog, from RER and MER.
Starting estimate from published formulas. Your vet knows your pet.
How to use the dog calorie calculator
- Enter weight. Switching lb and kg converts the number. It does not clear neuter status or body shape.
- Say whether the dog is neutered, and pick thin, ideal or heavy. Heavy uses the obesity-prone factor.
- Leave weight-loss mode off to see maintenance. Turn it on and enter an ideal weight the vet is happy with.
- Read kcal per day first. Resting energy sits beside it. Maintenance, the factor and the treat line are underneath.
- The weight-loss low and high stay visible even when the mode is off, so you can see the gap before you switch.
Resting energy and the factor that makes a day
Resting energy, RER, is the calories a fed dog uses while resting. Merck Veterinary Manual writes it as 70 × (kilograms)^0.75. This page always uses that power, not the straight line 30 × kg + 70, which Merck limits to a middle band of weights.
Maintenance, MER, is resting energy times a factor from the same table. Intact adults are 1.8. Neutered adults are 1.6. Obesity-prone adults are 1.4. The page maps thin onto 1.8, ideal onto 1.6 or 1.8 depending on neuter status, and heavy onto 1.4. Those are body-shape shortcuts onto Merck's rows, not a 9-point body score.
For the numbers this page opens with, a 20 lb neutered dog in ideal shape, resting energy is 365 kcal and maintenance is 585 kcal. The factor on screen is 1.6 × RER. Calories are rounded to the nearest 5.
What the weight-loss switch actually changes
AAHA's 2021 nutrition guidelines give a mean intake used while a dog loses weight: about 63 kcal per kilogram to the power 0.75, with a spread of about 10 kcal either side, counted on ideal weight. It is not counted on the weight the dog has today.
With the mode off, the headline stays at maintenance, 585 kcal. The weight-loss mean for an ideal weight equal to today's weight is still printed: 330 kcal, with a low of 275 kcal and a high of 385 kcal. Turn the mode on only after you have an ideal weight to type. The vet sets how fast the loss goes. This page will not print a crash diet.
Treats stay under 60 kcal, which is 10% of the headline. Merck's feeding-practices chapter says the day's treats should be under 10% of calories because most treats are not a complete diet.
Why two dogs of the same weight disagree
Merck states the limit in one sentence: any calculated figure is a starting point, and one animal may need as much as 30% more or less. Muscle, weather, illness and how far the dog actually walks sit outside a single factor.
This page does not ask for a food label. Cups, grams and cans belong on the dog food page, where you type kcal per cup. Pregnancy, nursing and hard work are not given factors on this page. The calorie figure is for a dog at rest, not for those situations.
Use the table further down for other weights at the same neutered, ideal-shape settings. Change the shape or the neuter control and the table no longer matches the screen. The screen wins.
Calories by weight for a neutered adult
| Weight | RER | Maintenance | Weight-loss mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb | 220 kcal | 350 kcal | 195 kcal |
| 20 lb | 365 kcal | 585 kcal | 330 kcal |
| 40 lb | 615 kcal | 985 kcal | 555 kcal |
| 70 lb | 935 kcal | 1,500 kcal | 845 kcal |
Neutered adult, ideal shape. Weight-loss mean treats that weight as the ideal weight. A dog may need about 30% more or less than maintenance.
Tips and common mistakes
- Weigh the dog. A guessed 5 lb moves the power curve more than the rounding does.
- Do not add the treat line on top of a maintenance figure and then also feed the whole bowl. The 10% comes out of the day, not on top of it.
- Heavy is Merck's obesity-prone row. It is not a diagnosis that the dog is obese.
When to call your vet
- You want weight to come off and you have not agreed an ideal weight or a pace.
- The dog is pregnant, nursing, still growing, or working long hours. Those factors are not on this page.
- Appetite, drinking or stool has changed, or the ribs and the scale tell different stories.
- You are about to cut the bowl by more than the weight-loss range shown here.
Frequently asked questions
What is RER and MER?
RER is resting energy, 70 × (kg)^0.75. MER is that number times a life-stage factor. On this page's opening dog, RER is 365 kcal and MER is 585 kcal.
How many calories should treats be?
Under 60 kcal on the headline you are looking at. Merck says treats should stay under 10% of the day's calories. Count them inside the day, not as an extra.
How many calories to lose weight safely?
Turn weight-loss mode on and enter the ideal weight, not today's weight. The mean for the opening ideal weight is 330 kcal, between 275 kcal and 385 kcal. The vet sets the plan. The page does not set a weekly loss.
Do indoor dogs need fewer calories?
Only if you mark the dog heavy, which uses the obesity-prone factor 1.4. Merck's table does not have an indoor row. Activity that is truly low is a reason to talk to the vet, not a second formula.
Why is there no cup count?
Cups need the kcal on your bag. This page stops at calories so the RER and MER steps stay visible. The dog food calculator turns the same maintenance figure into cups.