How many calories should a 40 lb dog eat?

One of the best ways to keep dogs healthy is to feed them the right amount of a high-quality dog food. Feeding your dog too much or not enough can have certain health consequences.

Here’s why it matters and what you can do to determine how much to feed your dog.

Why the Right Dog Food Amount Matters 

If you feed your dog too little, they can suffer from nutritional deficiencies.

However, If you feed your dog too much, it will eventually result in obesity and its related health issues, like:

• Musculoskeletal problems like osteoarthritis, cruciate ligament ruptures, and intervertebral disk disease

• Congestive heart failure

• Labored breathing

• Cushing’s disease

• Skin disorders

• Some types of cancer

• Shortened life span

• Reduced quality of life

Giving your dog the right amount of quality dog food can help support your pet’s overall health and keep them feeling their best.

How to Find the Right Amount of Dog Food for Your Dog

You need to account for several factors when determining exactly how much your dog should be eating.

Consider the Important Factors

The correct meal size depends on factors like:

• Type of food

• Number of meals

• Body weight

• Metabolic rate

• Amount of exercise

Look at the Feeding Guide on the Bag

To start the process, take a look at the feeding guide on your dog food’s label. They are usually presented as a table that looks something like this:

Unless stated otherwise, these amounts give you the total that is recommended for your dog over a 24-hour period.

Most adult dogs should eat two meals a day, and puppies often require three or more feedings, so you’ll need to divide the amount in the table by the number of meals you are offering.

Take Your Dog’s Lifestyle Into Account

Combine this information with your knowledge of your dog’s lifestyle to come up with the initial amount of food to offer your dog.

For example, if I had a relatively inactive 35-pound Corgi who had a tendency to gain weight, I might start with a little less food than the table recommends. On the other hand, if my dog was a 35-pound Border Collie who never sits still, I would feed a little more.

Consider Using a Calorie Calculator

Another option is to try using a calorie calculator for dogs, but keep in mind that while these often spit out a precise number, your dog’s actual needs may be as much as 25% more or less.

Determine Your Dog’s Body Condition Score

Whichever method you pick, you’ll have to use a scale or body condition scoring system to fine-tune the amount of food you offer.

Your veterinarian can help you decipher your dog’s body condition score (BCS) and determine an appropriate calorie amount.

In general, dogs who are at a healthy weight:

• Have an “hourglass” figure when you look down on them from above. The abdomen should be narrower than the chest and hips.

• Are “tucked up” when you look at them from the side. This means that their chest is closer to the ground than their belly when standing.

• Have ribs that are not readily visible but are easily felt with only light pressure.

Keep a Record of Your Dog’s Weight Change

Check your dog’s weight every 2-4 weeks and keep a diary of your results. If your dog is inappropriately gaining or losing weight, adjust your portion sizes appropriately. Make sure to discuss these changes with your veterinarian so they can ensure that there are no underlying conditions.

Reassess the Portion Size if You Switch Foods

Every time you change dog food formulas, you will have to go through this entire process again, because the number of calories in the food will be different.

Always Talk With Your Veterinarian

Talk to your veterinarian if you have any questions about your dog’s health or diet. They can help you determine exactly how much food to offer based on the specifics of your dog’s case.

Dr. Jennifer Coates

Featured Image: iStock.com/Chalabala

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A Weight Management Tool for Adult Dogs

This tool was designed to aid the veterinary health care team in making nutritional assessments and recommendations to help their patients maintain or achieve their healthy weight. You can share this information with clients with a take-home worksheet. Use the report function to generate a summary of the calculation.

Achieving and maintaining healthy body condition scores in pets has been proven to reduce the risk of illness and add to the longevity and general well-being of the animal. As animal advocates, we take on the challenge of educating and coaching our pet-owner community about nutrition and best practices in feeding. We would love to hear from you! Submit your feedback and suggestions about this tool on our Contact Form.

Copyright © Pet Nutrition Alliance. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: This tool is designed to be used only by veterinary professionals. For obese pets with a body condition score of 7/9 or higher, we advise a weight loss program under the direct guidance of the veterinary health care team. This calculator is only a guideline. Regular monitoring and consideration of outside factors is critical for achieving safe and healthy weight management outcomes. PNA may adjust the formulations based on new data findings.

Calculating the calories your dog or cat needs to be fed

You’ll first need to have your pet examined by your veterinarian and an ideal weight calculated. Based on your pet’s degree of excess weight, you may choose a target weight higher than the ideal weight to start. General guidelines for safe weight loss in dogs are 3-5% body weight loss per month and about 0.5 pounds per month in cats (1-3% body weight). A basic formula for weight loss in pets is:

• Ideal weight in pounds divided by 2.2 gives you weight in kilograms (kg)

• Calculate the Resting Energy Requirements (RER) based on this ideal weight:

  RER in kcal/day =

  • RER in kcal/day = (ideal or target weight in kg ^ 0.75) x 70

           or (ideal or target weight in kg) to the 3⁄4 power) x 70
    or

  • 30 x (body weight in kilograms) + 70

• For weight loss in dogs and cats, feeding the RER calories for the step-weight loss target weight (or ideal weight in some cases) should be adequate. In cases that fail to respond to this number of calories, the total will need to be reduced by your veterinarian. We strongly advise pet owners not to reduce feeding below RER calories unless under direct supervision by their veterinary healthcare provider.

Approximate Daily Caloric Needs for Average Indoor Pets

Cats
10 lbs.	180 to 200 calories
Dogs
10 lbs.	200 to 275 calories
20 lbs.	325 to 400 calories
50 lbs.	700 to 900 calories
70 lbs.	900 to 1050 calories
90 lbs.	1100 to 1350 calories

Daily Caloric Needs for Active Humans

Male	2500 Calories
Female	2000 Calories

*Please note that the calorie counts provided are guidelines for average lightly active adult spayed or neutered dogs or cats (1 to 7 years old receiving less than 30 minutes aerobic activity per day). The caloric needs of a particular pet may differ depending on such factors as lifestyle, genetics, activity level and medical conditions. Your pet will likely be fed fewer calories if you are attempting to reduce weight and improve fitness. Note that most indoor cats receive very little sustained activity and many dogs do not receive adequate daily physical activity. We recommend a structured daily exercise and nutritional program for both you and your pet.

CALORIE CHART
Typical Total Daily Calories to achieve Weight Lossin Adult Spayed or Neutered Dogs	Lightly Active Indoor Spayed or Neutered Dog Maintenance Diet (kcals per day)
Ideal or Target Weight (lbs)	RER to Feed for Weight Loss (kcals per day)	80% RER (kcals per day)	70% RER (kcals per day)
5	138	111	97	166
6	152	121	106	182
7	165	132	116	199
8	179	143	125	215
9	193	154	135	231
10	206	165	144	248
11	220	176	154	264
12	234	187	164	280
13	247	198	173	297
14	261	209	183	313
15	275	220	192	329
16	288	231	202	346
17	302	241	211	362
18	315	252	221	379
19	329	263	230	395
20	343	274	240	411
21	356	285	249	428
22	370	296	259	444
23	384	307	269	460
24	397	318	278	477
25	411	329	288	493
26	425	340	297	509
27	438	351	307	526
28	452	361	316	542
29	465	372	326	559
30	479	383	335	575
31	493	394	345	591
32	506	405	354	608
33	520	416	364	624
34	534	427	374	640
35	547	438	383	657
36	561	449	393	673
37	575	460	402	689
38	588	471	412	706
39	602	481	421	722
40	615	492	431	739
41	629	503	440	755
42	643	514	450	771
43	656	525	459	788
44	670	536	469	804
45	684	547	479	820
46	697	558	488	837
47	711	569	498	853
48	725	580	507	869
49	738	591	517	886
50	752	601	526	902
51	765	612	536	919
52	779	623	545	935
53	793	634	555	951
54	806	645	564	968
55	820	656	574	984
56	834	667	584	1000
57	847	678	593	1017
58	861	689	603	1033
59	875	700	612	1049
60	888	711	622	1066
62	915	732	641	1099
64	943	754	660	1131
66	970	776	679	1164
68	997	798	698	1197
70	1025	820	717	1229
72	1052	841	736	1262
74	1079	863	755	1295
76	1106	885	774	1328
78	1134	907	794	1360
80	1161	929	813	1393
85	1229	983	860	1475
90	1297	1038	908	1557
95	1365	1092	956	1639
100	1434	1147	1004	1720
105	1502	1201	1051	1802
110	1570	1256	1099	1884
115	1638	1311	1147	1966
120	1706	1365	1194	2048