How do you calculate calories in dog food?
(Resting Energy Requirements or RER), which can be calculated by multiplying the animal’s body weight in kilograms raised to the ¾ power by 70, for example, a 10kg (22lb) adult neutered dog of healthy weight needs RER = 70(10kg)3/4 ≈ 400 Calories/day. One also can use the charts below to estimate resting calorie needs.
Puppy Food Calories
Some dog food labels will include a statement of caloric content in the food. A calorie is a measure of energy produced by eating a specific food.
A single calorie is such a small unit of measure that often a unit of 1,000 calories, termed a “kilocalorie” (or interchangeably as a calorie) is a more useful measure. You won’t always see a disclosure of calories on the dog food label, except in diets making “lite” claims for weight reduction. When it appears, it’s stated as “kilocalories per Kg of food.” For conveniences sake, its also often labeled as “calories per cup” or “per unit” of food.
Dry rations generally contain 1,400 to 2,000 metabolizable kilocalories per pound of diet (3,080 to 4,400 Kcal/Kg); semi-moist have 1,200 to 1,350 metabolized kilocalories per pound of diet (2,640 to 2,970 Kcal/Kg), and canned rations only provide 375 to 950 metabolized kilocalories per pound of diet (825 to 2,090 Kcal/Kg) because such a large percentage of canned foods is water (up to 70 percent). Thats why dogs must eat more canned foods than dry diets to obtain the same energy intake.
Can I feed my dog just wet food?
A lot of dogs find canned dog food to be more palatable than dry food. So if your dog turns his nose up at kibble, you may want to try giving him a wet dog food instead. … Whether you feed your dog wet dog food every day or just as an occasional treat, you know your dog is getting all the nutrients he needs.
How Many Calories Should your Dog Consume? We Find Out!
Similarly, look for dog food that is around or under 300 kcal per large (13 oz) can or cat food under 150 kcal per medium (6 oz) can.