# How many kcals do your dogs need?



## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

I was just thinking about this out of curiosity. I've heard working breeds require more and wanted to see how much every dog needs. Duke is an intact, just over two year old male Boxer and he needs at least 1,748 kcals to maintain his 75 pound weight and that's when he's not getting a whole bunch of excersise. It's always been this much and amount even since being a puppy. 

That's about 3.5 cups of Orijen if we switch which seems like a lot seeing how much people feed of it. He gets four heaping cups of Wilderness now. Just wondering how much everyone's dog needs.


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## kaliberknl (May 9, 2012)

Duke is a handsome boy! Here is a calculator: Dog Food Calculator
According to this calculator: My 6 year old relatively sedate ES should eat 2 cups/day of Acana Pacifica but she gained about 5lb in 2 months time on 1.5 cup/day. My 12 month old rather busy ES should eat 2.75 cups/day of Orijin Puppy but has maintained her weight on 3 cups/day. 
I think merely counting calories can be deceiving...some foods are more digestible than others. The youngest wasn't satiated on 4 to 5 cups/day of Purina Pro Plan which is why I switched to Champion in mid April. The oldest was maintaining on 2 cups/day of PPP but has had more activity with agility this spring. It will actually cost me less to feed Champion...the dogs love it and are thriving so far...


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

According to that calculator, Jackson would need 1.04 cups per day of Acana ... or 441 calories per day.

He's about 16lbs - and he eats 2/3 cup per day of Acana. I think he'd be pretty overweight if he ate 1 cup per day. But he also gets treats and bully sticks, which are around 12 calories per inch. So I try to include those.


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

kaliberknl said:


> Duke is a handsome boy! Here is a calculator: Dog Food Calculator
> According to this calculator: My 6 year old relatively sedate ES should eat 2 cups/day of Acana Pacifica but she gained about 5lb in 2 months time on 1.5 cup/day. My 12 month old rather busy ES should eat 2.75 cups/day of Orijin Puppy but has maintained her weight on 3 cups/day.
> I think merely counting calories can be deceiving...some foods are more digestible than others. The youngest wasn't satiated on 4 to 5 cups/day of Purina Pro Plan which is why I switched to Champion in mid April. The oldest was maintaining on 2 cups/day of PPP but has had more activity with agility this spring. It will actually cost me less to feed Champion...the dogs love it and are thriving so far...


I never thought about the digestibility changing how many kcals they need. I'll make sure to remember that if we switch.


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

my 42 lb lab mix used to need 1200 calories a day when I fed orijen and fromm surf and turf. his natural behavior is to be pretty active compared to other dogs so he needed more food than normal I think


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

No idea...I don't go by k/cals.
My girls (active labs) each get 3/4 cup of food at each meal(2), along with a spoonful of 95% meat canned food and treats, veggies etc throughout the day.
If they look a little too lean I up their food a bit. If they look a little too heavy I decrease their food.

I have never been the type of person to mathmatically map out my dogs' diet.


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## DDBsR4Me (Jan 23, 2012)

Wow..according to the calculator my boy needs 2412 kcals! 

He's a 132lb, fairly inactive Dogue de Bordeaux. 

I know from experience that he needs about 1600/1700 to maintain his body weight. That's slightly more than an "overweight" dog of his size should get according to the calculator, and he's definitely not overweight!


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

I honestly have no idea at all. I dont even measure or weigh their food, I just go by their looks.


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## kaliberknl (May 9, 2012)

Here is another...Metabolic Energy Requirements For Dogs


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