How many calories should a 80 pound dog eat per day? Expert Advice

How Many Calories Does My Pet Need?

Each pet has individual nutritional needs. For example, a puppy or kitten requires more calories than a senior pet. It is important to have your pet examined by a veterinarian to determine your pet’s ideal weight. Make sure to discuss your pet’s healthy weight with your veterinarian every year. If your veterinarian determines that your pet is underweight, overweight, or has obesity, diagnostic tests may be recommended to rule out an underlying disease process. A nutritional plan and weight monitoring may also be established.

Let’s take a look at some general daily caloric needs for dogs and cats, and basic principles to help your pet maintain a healthy weight.

Approximate Daily Caloric Needs for Average Indoor Pets

Cats
10 lbs.	180 to 200 calories
Dogs
10 lbs.	200 to 275 calories
20 lbs.	325 to 400 calories
50 lbs.	700 to 900 calories
70 lbs.	900 to 1050 calories
90 lbs.	1100 to 1350 calories

Daily Caloric Needs for Active Humans

*Please note that the calorie counts provided are guidelines for average lightly active adult spayed or neutered dogs or cats (1 to 7 years old receiving less than 30 minutes aerobic activity per day). The caloric needs of a particular pet may differ depending on such factors as lifestyle, genetics, activity level and medical conditions. Your pet will likely be fed fewer calories if you are attempting to reduce weight and improve fitness. Note that most indoor cats receive very little sustained activity and many dogs do not receive adequate daily physical activity. We recommend a structured daily exercise and nutritional program for both you and your pet.

Male	2500 Calories
Female	2000 Calories

CALORIE CHART
Typical Total Daily Calories to achieve Weight Loss in Adult Spayed or Neutered Dogs				Lightly Active Indoor Spayed or Neutered Dog Maintenance Diet (kcals per day)
Ideal or Target Weight (lbs)	RER to Feed for Weight Loss (kcals per day)	80% RER (kcals per day)	70% RER (kcals per day)
5	138	111	97	166
6	152	121	106	182
7	165	132	116	199
8	179	143	125	215
9	193	154	135	231
10	206	165	144	248
11	220	176	154	264
12	234	187	164	280
13	247	198	173	297
14	261	209	183	313
15	275	220	192	329
16	288	231	202	346
17	302	241	211	362
18	315	252	221	379
19	329	263	230	395
20	343	274	240	411
21	356	285	249	428
22	370	296	259	444
23	384	307	269	460
24	397	318	278	477
25	411	329	288	493
26	425	340	297	509
27	438	351	307	526
28	452	361	316	542
29	465	372	326	559
30	479	383	335	575
31	493	394	345	591
32	506	405	354	608
33	520	416	364	624
34	534	427	374	640
35	547	438	383	657
36	561	449	393	673
37	575	460	402	689
38	588	471	412	706
39	602	481	421	722
40	615	492	431	739
41	629	503	440	755
42	643	514	450	771
43	656	525	459	788
44	670	536	469	804
45	684	547	479	820
46	697	558	488	837
47	711	569	498	853
48	725	580	507	869
49	738	591	517	886
50	752	601	526	902
51	765	612	536	919
52	779	623	545	935
53	793	634	555	951
54	806	645	564	968
55	820	656	574	984
56	834	667	584	1000
57	847	678	593	1017
58	861	689	603	1033
59	875	700	612	1049
60	888	711	622	1066
62	915	732	641	1099
64	943	754	660	1131
66	970	776	679	1164
68	997	798	698	1197
70	1025	820	717	1229
72	1052	841	736	1262
74	1079	863	755	1295
76	1106	885	774	1328
78	1134	907	794	1360
80	1161	929	813	1393
85	1229	983	860	1475
90	1297	1038	908	1557
95	1365	1092	956	1639
100	1434	1147	1004	1720
105	1502	1201	1051	1802
110	1570	1256	1099	1884
115	1638	1311	1147	1966
120	1706	1365	1194	2048

Just when everyone sits down for dinner, you hear the pounding of four furry paws as your Chocolate Lab dashes towards the dining room. She skids to a stop next to your chair, and drool begins to pool on the floor under her open mouth as she stares longingly at the delicious meal atop the table. While she patiently waits for a morsel of food to drop you think to yourself: is she still hungry? Am I not feeding her enough? How much food should I be feeding her?

In order to better understand dogs’ daily food requirements, the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine created the MER, or the “maintenance energy requirement.” Your pup’s MER represents the amount of calories she needs to consume in order to do her everyday activities. Weight and exercise habits are contributing factors in your dog’s MER.

Now that you know your dog’s MER, you can determine how much food she needs by checking out our food brand chart. The chart shows the average calories per cup from many popular food brands,* so you can see how many cups of food your dog needs every day to stay healthy and fit. If you’re planning a hiking trip, you can also get an idea of how much extra food you’ll need to bring so that your pup can safely replenish the calories she burns.

*Notice: The calorie counts below are for general guidance only, please consult your vet for a specific caloric recommendation. The guidelines below assume caloric needs for an average lightly active adult spayed or neutered dog; are between one and seven years old, plus getting less than 30 minutes aerobic activity per day.

Just remember that this calorie counter is not meant to take the place of your veterinarians recommendations. It should give you a general idea of what your adult dog should be eating. Every breed is different, every dog is different, and the same dog will need more or less as they age.

Keeping count of how much to feed a dog

So, how do you keep tabs on your dog’s weight and health? Here is a sampling of responses from an informal poll we conducted of Facebook friends:

Laura Brown of Alexandria, Virginia, uses a digital scale to weigh food going into the bowls for her senior Chihuahuas, Lola and Bentley. “Both are active and healthy. The most challenging was the learning curve/research for understanding how to properly do my own raw feeding.”

Cindy Vet of Decatur, Georgia, writes, “Portion control, yes. Calorie counting and apps, no. As my dogs Hershey, Tika and Nugget have aged and slowed down, we have followed our wonderful veterinarian’s advice on adjusting portions for each, as they have three different diets. He figured out the caloric intake of each food and the appropriate portion for each dog. We adjust as he recommends.”

Beth Leatherman Harwell of Mooresville, North Carolina, shares her home with Daisy Mae, Luke and Trooper. She says, “We measure their kibble and home-cooked food and keep treats (3 calories per treat, grain-free) to a minimum. We use a marked measuring cup for their kibble and home-cooked foods. We don’t want them to become overweight or cause stress on their joints or internal organs.”

Michelle Romano of San Antonio, Texas, pays close attention to what and how much she feeds Yeti, her 10-year-old Lhasa Apso, who has a history of intestinal tumors and pancreatitis. “I control his portions and monitor what he eats. What I find the most difficult is the feeding amounts on the bags of food. Instead, I pay attention to the guaranteed analysis — nothing more than 10 percent fat.”

Jocelyn Shannon of Oceanside, California, writes, “We don’t count calories, but we do measure the amounts we give Stanley, our 10-year-old Poodle mix, and check his weight regularly.”

How Many Calories Should your Dog Consume? We Find Out!