Identifying Activity Level for Canine Calorie Calculations

Identifying a dog’s calorie requirement is an important step when creating a balanced home prepared diet. There are multiple variables that contribute to calculating calories:

Throughout this article, there will be multiple terms and acronyms used when explaining the process of calculating calories for adult dogs. Below is a consolidated list of those terms and their definitions:

The issue with the standard multipliers is that they do not take into account all of the different variables that influence a dog’s daily calorie requirements. These multipliers must be adjusted to the individual dog’s needs in order to avoid under or over feeding. Multiple factors that often affect a dog’s calorie requirements are body condition score, daily activity, breed size, life stage, reproductive status, climate, medical conditions, and individual metabolism.

Determining a dog’s current Body Condition Score (BCS) based on a physical assessment is the most accurate way when identifying if a dog is underweight, ideal weight, overweight, or obese. The BCS establishes if the calorie requirements should be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

The amount of physical exercise a dog does in a day is one of the main contributing factors to calorie requirements. The more active a dog is, the more fuel is required to provide the body with sufficient energy to sustain biological function and maintain ideal body weight.

Not all physical activity is equal. Activity duration and intensity play a role in the type of physical exercise dogs receive daily. For example, a 30 minute leash walk is not as intense as a 30 minute jog even if the duration of the activity remains the same.Therefore, the activity level will be low-moderate if a dog typically has low intensity exercise; and the activity level will be high-moderate if a dog typically has high intensity exercise.

Certain breeds are genetically predisposed to obesity and may require a lower calorie intake than the average. These breeds include Beagles, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Bulldogs, Pugs, Dachshunds, French Bulldogs and more. 

Arctic breeds such as the Husky or Malamute have been observed to subsist on lower than average calories despite the high levels of activity they were bred for. They are well known for being “picky” eaters which may stem in part from being unknowingly overfed.

The age and life stage of a dog also affects calorie intake. Pregnant and lactating females will often need an increase in caloric intake throughout gestation and lactation. Young animals often have higher metabolisms, more lean body mass, and higher activity levels than older dogs. Therefore, young dogs may require higher calories and their calorie needs may reduce with age. Older dogs may have a reduced Resting Energy Requirement (RER) due to higher body fat and less lean body mass. Studies indicate that dogs over 7 years old require 10-20% less caloric energy than dogs that are 3-7 years old.

It is well known that spaying and neutering can often result in weight gain and obesity due to a combination of factors. In neutered dogs, obesity occurs twice as often as in intact dogs. 

Reproductive hormones are tied into many other bodily functions besides breeding. The normal feedback of estrogen and testosterone on the pituitary and hypothalamus is prevented by the removal of the gonads. This causes the luteinizing hormone (LH) to be continuously elevated, at over 30 times the amounts found in intact dogs. While the main role of LH lies with reproduction, LH receptors are also present throughout the body in other normal tissues. 

Increased appetite along with decreased physical activity and metabolic rate are the main mechanisms by which spaying and neutering can induce obesity. It is thought that LH and its effects on the body may be a contributing factor as well as the reduction of estrogen (an appetite suppressant) and testosterone.  A decrease in physical activity and calories burned can occur in male dogs due to reduced roaming behavior when testosterone is removed.

The climate a dog lives in will increase or decrease their calorie requirements. The thermoneutral zone is the temperature range where a dog reaches their minimum metabolic rate. This is the temperature range where they are not expending energy keeping warm or cooling off. The thermoneutral zone is higher for short haired dogs and lower for long haired dogs, with Alaskan sled dogs being potentially even lower. Dogs who spend significant time outside in cold weather will expend energy in maintaining their core body temperature. This results in a higher daily calorie requirement. How much calorie needs increase will depend on the breed, coat length and density, wind chill, humidity, and degree of acclimatization.

Certain medical conditions, injuries, and medications can affect a dog’s appetite and calorie requirements. Injuries or medical conditions that require a decrease in activity warrant a decrease in calorie intake. However, some conditions and medications can increase appetite and metabolism, requiring a calorie increase to maintain ideal weight.

Above all, a dog’s individual metabolism is the deciding factor on calorie intake. Despite what any of the above factors or the standard formulas indicate, an individual may have a higher or lower metabolism than expected. The only way to account for this is by observing the dog’s body condition in comparison to their calorie intake.

Calculating calories for a dog should be based on all factors that contribute to energy needs. Therefore, based on the factors discussed above and professional experience, the multipliers can be modified for a general guideline that may be more accurate for most adult dogs:

The easiest way to calculate daily calorie requirements is to simply consider the dog’s current diet. Commercial dry, canned, or raw foods should provide a calorie content on the label per cup, can, ounce, or kilogram. This information can be used to calculate the dog’s current calorie intake. Once the current intake is known, the next step is determining whether the calories should be increased or decreased by observing the dog’s body condition.