NNPets
This calculator could not start. It needs JavaScript to do its arithmetic, and that either failed to load or is switched off. The explanations, reference tables and cited sources below all work without it — and the formulas are written out under each calculator, so you can work through them yourself.

How many calories should my dog eat?

Daily calories for an adult dog from the AAHA resting energy equation, plus the WSAVA rule that treats must stay under 10% of that total. Most calculators stop at the first number; the treat limit is where owners actually run into trouble.

Assumes an adult dog at a healthy weight. These figures describe maintenance, not weight loss. If your dog is overweight, feeding to the calculated number will hold the current weight rather than reduce it — that needs a target weight and a veterinarian.

Your dog

Weigh your dog rather than guessing. Body condition matters, but the formula needs a number.

kcal/kg

Printed on the packaging. Leave blank to see calories only.

kcal

Enter calories from treats to see whether they fit inside the allowance.

Results update as you type.

Daily calories

—

kcal per day

Resting (RER)
—
Factor used
—

Treat limit

—

kcal per day from treats

    How much to feed

    —

    kcal per day from meals

    Per meal
    —
    Per day
    —

    How this is calculated

    Two published equations, in sequence. The resting energy requirement is RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)0.75 — the same equation used for cats and dogs, from the 2021 AAHA nutrition guidelines and the Pet Nutrition Alliance. The maintenance requirement is MER = factor × RER, where the factor depends on activity and reproductive status: 1.6 for a neutered adult, 1.8 for an intact adult, 1.2 for an inactive or overweight-prone dog, and 1.0 on a supervised weight-loss plan.

    One thing worth stating plainly: AAHA’s worked example is a 10 lb neutered dog at 216 kcal RER and 302 kcal MER, which uses 1.4 — the bottom of their own published 1.4–1.6 range for a neutered adult. This tool uses 1.6, the top, so it gives 348 kcal for the same dog. Both figures sit inside AAHA’s range; neither is a reproduction of the other, and a calculator that claimed otherwise would be misrepresenting where its number came from.

    The treat limit, and a disagreement between two sources

    WSAVA, Feeding treats to your dog (2024) states it plainly: “Treats should always make up less than 10% of a dog’s daily calorie intake.” WSAVA also publish a table of the maximum treat calories by body weight.

    Those two published figures do not agree, and it is worth knowing why. Working backwards from WSAVA’s table — dividing each allowance by 10% to recover the maintenance energy, then dividing by RER — gives 1.2× at every single weight, from 2 kg to 45 kg. AAHA gives 1.4–1.6 for a neutered adult. So WSAVA’s table assumes a considerably less active dog than "neutered adult" does, and for a 44 lb dog it allows 79 kcal where the calculation above gives about 106 kcal.

    Which number should you use? If your dog is genuinely average or less active, WSAVA’s lower figure is the safer target. If your dog is at a healthy weight on the higher figure, it is not wrong. What would be wrong is a calculator that showed you both numbers without pointing out that they disagree.

    What treats actually cost

    One item can exceed the whole allowance. For this dog the budget is shown above, and the treat allowance calculator works through what each common treat costs against it — including WSAVA’s energy values for ham, cheese, pig’s ears and rawhide, and their published allowance table by body weight.

    The pattern worth knowing. A rawhide bone is 700 kcal. For any dog under roughly 40 kg that is the entire daily treat allowance in one item, which is why the allowance is a total rather than a per-treat limit.

    Frequently asked questions

    How many calories does my dog need per day?

    RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75, multiplied by an adult life-stage factor: 1.6 neutered, 1.8 intact, 1.2 for an inactive or overweight-prone dog, and 1.0 on a supervised weight-loss plan. A typical 44 lb (20 kg) neutered dog lands near 1,060 kcal/day.

    How many treats can I give my dog?

    Treats should be less than 10% of daily calories. That is a published rule from WSAVA, not a rule of thumb. For a 44 lb dog needing 1,060 kcal, the treat allowance is about 106 kcal — and one rawhide bone is 700 kcal on its own.

    Why does my number differ from the WSAVA table?

    Because the two use different activity factors. WSAVA’s published treat table works out to about 1.2 × RER at every weight, while AAHA gives 1.4–1.6 for a neutered adult. If your dog is less active than average, WSAVA’s lower figure is the safer one.

    Is this veterinary advice?

    No. It is an educational calculator on published formulas, and individual dogs can vary by up to 50% from the predicted value. Weigh your dog, judge body condition by hand, and confirm any weight-loss plan with a veterinarian.

    Sources

    1. WSAVA, Feeding treats to your dog (2024). Source of the 10% rule, the treat allowance table by body weight, and the energy values for common treats. wsava.org
    2. AAHA, 2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. Source of the RER equation and the adult life-stage factors. aaha.org
    3. Pet Nutrition Alliance, calorie calculator and life-stage factors, including the caution that animals can vary by up to 50% from predicted values. petnutritionalliance.org

    The treat side has its own page: the dog treat allowance calculator. Still growing a puppy? The puppy growth calculator uses the growth-stage factors instead. Feeding a cat? The cat calculator exists because applying these dog factors to a cat overfeeds it by about a third. How these sources were chosen, and what this site does not do: about & methodology.

    Educational use only. Not a veterinary service, and it cannot account for your dog’s health history or body condition. Do not start a weight-loss plan for your dog without veterinary supervision. No commercial service is named here because we do not promote commercial services.