Pets · Dogs

Dog Calorie Calculator

Find out exactly how many calories your dog needs each day — using the veterinary-standard RER formula 70 × weight(kg)^0.75 with WSAVA feeding factors.

Weight (lb)

Life stage & activity

The WSAVA factor multiplies the Resting Energy Requirement to reach the Daily Energy Requirement. Sled and search dogs can need 2–5× RER depending on workload.

Daily energy requirement (DER)

calories your dog needs per day—

RER baseline

—

kcal at rest

Body weight

—

×factor

—

life-stage multiplier

Ideal weight check

—

body condition

Scenario	Factor	Calories / day

The equation

RER = 70 × weight(kg)^0.75 DER = RER × factor

RER (Resting Energy Requirement) is the energy needed at complete rest. The exponent 0.75 makes the formula scale correctly across dog sizes — a 5 kg dog is not 10× smaller than a 50 kg dog in energy terms. This is the standard approach used in veterinary nutrition and by the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee.

📊 Scientific RER formula

The 70 × kg^0.75 equation scales correctly across all dog sizes.

🛡 Activity-adjusted

From weight loss to sled dogs — eight WSAVA life-stage factors to choose from.

📈 Scenario table

See the calorie range for every life stage at your dog’s weight in one table.

💫 Body condition guide

Quick rib-check instructions to tell if your dog is under, at, or over ideal weight.

Turn calories into feeding amounts

Convert daily calories to cups of food with the feeding calculator.

Dog Food Calculator