CALORIE CALCULATORS
DOGS
ADULT HEALTHY DOGS
Raw Fed & Nerdy believes that the pet owner should be aware of how calculators work and how energy needs are estimated.
There are many calculators on the internet that aim to determine your dog’s caloric needs. It is important to know how the calculator functions to determine if the value is accurate. Many calculators ask you to insert how active your pet is. A problem arises when people have a different idea of how active their pet is.
THIS IS WHY we do not use many descriptive claims on our calculator for adult healthy dogs (such as
The best way to know how many calories your pet needs is by calculating how many calories they are already consuming.
All this adult healthy dog calorie calculator does is take your dog’s weight in KG, raise that number to the power of .75 and then multiplies that by the value of your choosing. 90 on the lowest end to 130 on the highest end.
Many factors contribute to a pet’s caloric needs. Always adjust accordingly.
CATS
Adult Healthy Cats (Lean, Maintenance)
Raw Fed & Nerdy believes that the pet owner should be aware of how calculators work and how energy needs are estimated.
Domestic cats overall have somewhat similar body weight when mature. Sometimes, because of the similar body weights, cat’s caloric needs are expressed linear. However, it was learned that this may provide too many calories for large cats. Recent studies show that metabolic weight provides accurate energy intake, just as it does dogs. (Canine and Feline Nutrition)
You should be made aware of the formulas calculators are using- and where the information came from.
The best way to know how many calories your pet needs is by calculating how many calories they are already consuming.
The following came from Canine and Feline Nutrition and can also be cross checked with NRC Nutrient Requirements of Cats and Dogs.
The equation is:
100 x kg^.67 = Kcal/Day
Many factors contribute to a pet’s caloric needs. Always adjust accordingly.
Thank you to Dr. Charley Gray and Jenny Ryoo for this content. Used from the Raw Fed & Nerdy Puppy Sheet and Course.
Use these Body Condition System charts as a reference to increase and decrease daily caloric intake.
It is critically important to not overfeed calories during growth, as this may negatively affect growth and skeletal development, especially for large breed puppies. The ideal condition for puppies is a 4. When in doubt, go lower as you can always increase intake if body condition falls below 4.
“Although the genetic potential for rapid growth is not in itself a health risk, feeding practices that allow maximal growth rate contribute to risk for developmental orthopedic diseases such as osteochondrosis, hypertrophic osteodystrophy and hip dysplasia… Growing at a rapid rate is incompatible with healthy skeletal development… Although the underlying causes of developmental skeletal diseases are multifaceted and vary with type of disorder, it is without question that excess energy intake and resultant rapid growth rate in large dogs can contribute to aberrations in normal growth and cartilage development.”
— Canine and Feline Nutrition, Chapter 22: Growth
