How many calories should my dog eat a day to lose weight? Surprising Answer

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How to Ease The Pain When Helping Your Dog Lose Weight

If it’s possible with your schedule, divide the total daily calories into three feedings instead of two. You will basically be introducing a lunch into their breakfast and dinner schedule, helping to reduce feelings of hunger between feedings.

When your dog gives you that look, give them a low-calorie treat like carrots or green beans. When my dogs are acting extra hungry, I give them a cupful of canned green beans, which leaves them feeling full (and happy that they scored a treat) without adding many calories. This trick also works great if or when you need to decrease the food amount by 10% — just add in a big scoop of the green beans as “filler” each time you cut back the food. And because the calories are so minimal, you can get away with not having to calculate them into the daily caloric needs.Â

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Active/Working Dogs:

If you’ve got a dog that participates in sports like flyball and weight pull, or a working dog like a police or cadaver dog, your dog needs more calories than the average pet.

  • Use this equation: RER x 2 up to RER x 5. This is dependent on the level of activity your dog is participating in and may vary from day to day.

    • How to Transition to Smaller Portions

    Once you know your dog’s ideal weight, you can start to reduce the food and treats you’re giving them, along with making other healthy lifestyle swaps to help them lose weight. Do not dramatically cut back your dog’s food, as this can upset your dog’s metabolism, making weight loss more difficult.

    Ideally, a dog should lose about three to five percent of their body weight each month. For example, a 100-pound dog should lose about a pound a week or four pounds per month. While this may not seem like a lot of weight, remember that slow and steady weight loss is far more sustainable and healthier for your dog than fast, extreme weight loss.

    How Many Calories Should You Eat To Lose Fat? (GET THIS RIGHT!)

    Despite being of the same species, most dogs have different diet requirements that vary from breed to breed. As a concerned dog owner, you want to make sure your dog is getting the right number of calories—not too many, not too few. That’s where our handy calculator comes in! Use this tool to determine the proper number of calories your dog will require on a daily basis.

    The exact amount of calories an individual animal needs to maintain a healthy weight is variable and influenced by many factors including genetics, age, breed, and activity level. This tool is meant to be used only as a guideline for healthy individuals and does not substitute veterinary advice