Dog food & calorie calculator

Get a daily calorie range from your dog’s weight, age, activity and body condition. Add the kcal per cup from your bag to see cups.

Sources last checked Nov 7, 2026. Not veterinary advice.

Your dog

Age
Spayed or neutered?
Activity
Body condition Look from above, then feel the ribs.

5 of 9, ideal. Ribs felt without excess fat; waist seen behind ribs from above; tummy tucked up from the side.

Optional. Find “kcal/cup” in the Calorie Content statement on the bag, usually near the Guaranteed Analysis. Without it we show calories only.

Pregnant or nursing?

Calories a day

Enter your dog’s weight to see daily calories.

Emergency? If your dog is vomiting, shaking, collapsing or having a seizure, go to the nearest emergency vet now. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee may apply). Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661 ($99 per incident).

Not veterinary advice. PupRange gives estimates from published veterinary sources. Every dog is different. If you’re worried, call your veterinarian.

Good to know

  • Weigh your dog every few weeks. If weight or body condition drifts, adjust the amount, as AAHA advises.

Resting energy is 70 × body weight in kg to the 0.75 power, so a 10 kg (22 lb) dog burns about 394 kcal a day at rest, and AAHA’s 1.4–1.6 factor for a neutered adult puts daily needs at about 551–630 kcal.

How it’s calculated
  1. Resting energy (RER). RER = 70 × weight in kg to the power 0.75 (Merck Veterinary Manual). We don’t use the shortcut 30 × kg + 70, because it only fits dogs of about 2–45 kg.
  2. Ideal weight. At body condition 6 of 9 or higher we start from an estimated ideal weight instead of today’s weight. That estimate is ours. At 3 of 9 or lower we use today’s weight.
  3. Daily need. RER × a factor for life stage and activity gives the range. The most likely value is the middle. Seniors get 20% less, from the National Research Council’s owner guide.
  4. Cups or grams. Only when you enter your food’s calorie statement: cups = kcal ÷ kcal per cup; grams = kcal ÷ (kcal per kg ÷ 1,000). We never guess a kcal/cup for you.
  5. Treats. Keep them under 10% of the daily total (VCA and the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition). This doesn’t change the range.

The three main references don’t give the same factors. We use AAHA 2021 and show the others so you can see the difference:

Factors that multiply resting energy (RER), by source
DogAAHA 2021MerckPNA
Spayed or neutered adult1.4–1.61.61.6
Intact adult1.6–1.81.81.8
Inactive or prone to gain1.0–1.21.41.2–1.4
Weight loss1.0–1.0
Puppy under 4 months3.03.02.0–3.0
Puppy 4 months and older2.02.02.0–3.0
Light work1.6–2.0––
Moderate work2.0–5.0––

For moderate work we stop at 3.0, because a wrong entry at 5 × could mean heavy overfeeding; that cap is our decision. Where AAHA gives a single value (weight loss, growth), we show ±10% around it, which is our estimate. Pregnant and nursing dogs aren’t calculated here: ask your vet.

Sources

  1. Sanderson SL. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals, Merck Veterinary Manual (reviewed Nov 2023, modified Sep 2024) Checked
  2. AAHA 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, Box 1: Energy Requirement Calculations 2021. Checked
  3. Merck Veterinary Manual, table: Daily Maintenance Energy Requirements for Dogs and Cats Checked
  4. Pet Nutrition Alliance, Calculating Calories Based on Pet Needs (RER and MER sheet) Checked
  5. National Research Council, Your Dog’s Nutritional Needs (owner brochure) 2006. Checked
  6. WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee, Body Condition Score chart (dog, 9-point) Checked
  7. VCA Animal Hospitals and Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, Feeding Growing Puppies (updated Feb 4, 2025) Checked
  8. Linder DE, Freeman LM. Calorie density and feeding directions of commercial weight-loss diets for dogs and cats (JAVMA 2010), as reported by Tufts Now, Jan 26, 2010 Checked
  9. Sanderson SL. Nutrition in Disease Management in Small Animals (obesity), Merck Veterinary Manual (updated Jun 2025) Checked
  10. Cornell Riney Canine Health Center, Obesity and Weight Loss in Dogs (updated Jun 2024) Checked

Questions owners ask

How many calories does my dog need?

Vets start from the resting energy requirement (RER = 70 × body weight in kg to the power 0.75) and multiply it by a factor for life stage and activity, which gives the maintenance energy requirement (MER). The AAHA 2021 guidelines list 1.4–1.6 × RER for a typical neutered adult and 1.6–1.8 × RER for an intact one. Merck calls these numbers only a starting point, so weigh your dog every few weeks and adjust.

Why is my result different from the feeding guide on the bag?

The bag’s guide can be written for a more active dog than yours, and it can’t know your dog’s body condition, age or whether they are neutered. The Pet Nutrition Alliance notes that real needs can vary by as much as 50% from the formula. Use either number as a starting point and let your dog’s weight and body condition guide you.

Do neutered dogs need fewer calories?

A little. Merck and the Pet Nutrition Alliance use 1.6 × RER for neutered adults and 1.8 × RER for intact ones, about 11% lower. The AAHA 2021 ranges (1.4–1.6 vs 1.6–1.8) point the same way. Claims of a much bigger drop come from weaker sources, so we don’t use them.

How do I find the kcal per cup of my dog’s food?

Look for the Calorie Content statement on the bag or can, usually near the Guaranteed Analysis. It lists kcal per kg and often kcal per cup. If only kcal per kg is shown, switch the field to kcal/kg and we’ll give grams a day instead of cups.

How many calories are in a cup of dry dog food?

It varies a lot. A 2010 Tufts study of 44 dry dog foods sold for weight loss found 217 to 440 kcal per cup, and regular foods can be higher. That’s why we only show cups after you enter the number from your own bag.

How fast should my dog lose weight?

The Merck Veterinary Manual calls about 1% of body weight a week a reasonable goal, and Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center says 1 to 2% a week is safe. Faster loss can mean calories were cut too far. Ask your vet for a plan; for dogs with a body condition of 7 or more, our calculator works from an estimated ideal weight, which is a sensible place to start that conversation.

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