# How to Calculate Calorie Requirements?



## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

Does anyone have a formula to calculate daily calorie requirements for GSDs ? I am trying to figure out what the normal recommended calorie intake would be for for a regular vs. *active* 75 pounder.

Thanks


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

It depends on the dog. I personally don't have a set calorie requirement for my dog. I feed him according to what is going on that day. Personally I'd feed the LEAST recommended amount of food on the back of the bag (Since bags tend to over recommend) for a 75lb dog and then adjust as needed. If the dogs getting a little fat, cut back, if it's loosing weight, feed a bit more. Once you work out how much food your dog needs then you can get an idea of the calories needed each day.


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## JenM66 (Jul 28, 2005)

I used to have a calculation but my computer crashed and I lost that e-mail. I have to rely on memory and that's not too good. I believe the person had told me 10-15 cal/pound. I found this link: http://www.oes.org/page2/15897~How_many_calories_does_a_dog_need.html but it seems really high. I give Gracie, who is active but not engaged in sport (guess it all depends on your definition of regular vs active vs couch potato). I give her about 1400 calories per day (her food had 427 kcal/cup).

Here's a calculator for you to input to determine calories:
http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm

The #1 rule is watch your dog - watch weight loss/gain.


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

Monica Segal's book Optimal Nutrition has a calorie chart written by Christine Zink, DVM, PhD pg 62 where she states calories for different weights and activity levels. She doesn't list 75#, but does list 70# and 90#:

70# inactive 863, moderately active 1222, highly active 1777
90# inactive 1022, moderately active 1322, highly active 1923

My Penny weighs 73ish pounds and is between moderately to highly active and receives 1341 calories per day to maintain her weight.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Natalie - That seems way closer to the way Dante at least is.
Couch Potato of 80-85 pounds eats 1062 (plus treats)


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

> Quote: Here's a calculator for you to input to determine calories:
> http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm


Thanks everyonel for the calorie info. I like this link provided with the 2 different calculators for calories. It is what I was interested in because it does show different energy levels. The numbers from Monica Segal's book Optimal Nutrition are interesting also... a little lower...hmm...


Boss is around 70 lbs but really needs another 5 lbs on his frame. He has been getting close to 2000 calories a day. In our ongoing effort to gain that other 5 lbs we have always tried to get him to eat more but he is not a chow hound so that has been a challenge. So now I am specifically looking at trying to up the calories and was curious what the research showed for amounts. I found it interesting that when you start comparing brands of food the cups/cans to calorie count can add up very different. 1 cup of Taste of the Wild = 370 Kcal compared to 1 cup EVO = 537 Kcal or 1 can Tripe = 330 Kcal compared to 1 can EVO Beef = 494 Kcal. With our previous 4 GSDs we always had to watch they did not put on the weight so have not dealt with this end of the spectrum before. He is the most active we have had though... never rests!


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## JenM66 (Jul 28, 2005)

That's the problem, all the foods have different caloric values. Some folks say they dont' want to feed XYZ food because it's so expensive but if you see that it's 450 kcal/cup then you're feeding half the amount so it's cheaper in the long run. We went from feeding a food with 237 kcal/cup to 427 kcal/cup - big difference in frequency of buying, the amount fed, and the benefit to our dog!! Good luck in your search!!


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

Wasn't there a discussion about the different sized cups for different kibbles or am I not recalling it correctly?


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

I was thinking about that last night....we did discuss on the board the difference in the cups, but I think it was as part of another discussion.

I actually emailed Nature's Logic to ask them about their "cup" but I'll be dipped if I can find the email.

Wait, maybe it was Wellness....I dont' remember when we had the discussion about how much a cup really was


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: AK GSD I found it interesting that when you start comparing brands of food the cups/cans to calorie count can add up very different. 1 cup of Taste of the Wild = 370 Kcal compared to 1 cup EVO = 537 Kcal or 1 can Tripe = 330 Kcal compared to 1 can EVO Beef = 494 Kcal.


Ha! I found the cup thread

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=738556&page=38#Post738556

So, the point is, I think anyways, that when you are comparing the calories for one cup vs another brands cup you also have to look at the cup size as they aren't all created equal.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

So are kilograms only a weight measurment?
When comparing foods could we use the kcal per kilogram rather than per cup?

Oh an you're good Natalie!!!


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## gmcenroe (Oct 23, 2007)

Kilograms is a weight measurement.

I feed Orijen adult, the bag says:

CALORIE CONTENT & DISTRIBUTION - 4200 kcal/kg (483 kcal per 250ml cup) 

So 4200kcal/kg refers to calorie content in each kg of food, or they give the 483 kcal per 250ml cup. I feed 3.5cups/day. But 250ml is really 1.055 US cups. Orijen is Canadian. 

so 483kcal/250ml x 1ml/0.004226752 US cups = 457kcal/US cup.

I feed my 75lb. dog 3.5cups so that is 1600kcal/day.


WEIGHT OF DOG ACTIVE LIFESTYLE (g/cups per day) LESS ACTIVE 
(g/cups per day) 
1-10 kg/2-22 lb 75-150g / ¾ - 1¼ c 55 - 115 g / ½ - 1 c 
10-20 kg/22-45 lb 150-275g / 1¼ - 2¼ c 115 - 200 g / 1 - 1¾ c 
20-35 kg/45-75 lb 275-375g / 2¾ - 3¾ c 200 - 275 g / 1¾ - 2½ c 
35 - 50 kg/75-110 lb 375 - 500g / 3¾ - 5 c 275 - 400 g / 2½ - 3½ c 
50 - 65 kg/110-145 lb 500 - 575 g / 5 - 5¾ c 400 - 525 g / 3½ - 4¾ c 
65 - 80 kg/145-175 lb 575 - 675 g / 5¾ - 6¾ c 525 - 690 g / 4¾ - 6 c


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

So it would now seem that in addition to Nutrition classes to decipher the ingredients, I also need Math classes to figure the calories. And then also Mind Reading classes so I know which one Boss think's he would like to eat.

I think I will just buy whichever one has the prettiest bag


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

Just ran a test of the 3 bags I have sitting here and I think I now _maybe_ get the density thing mentioned in the other "cup thread".

EVO Chicken - Small Bites
4243 Kcal/kg
537 Kcal/cup
1 Cup=4.40 oz (124 g)
_Test of 1 dry measuring cup on scale did show 4.40 oz (124 g)_

Innova Red Meat - Large Bites
3914 Kcal/kg
468 Kcal/cup
1 Cup=8 oz fluid (237 ml)
_Started to measure weight until I noticed they indicate a fluid cup so they must just want the volume measurement used, which is pretty close to 1 dry measuring cup for my purpose_

Taste of the Wild
3719 Kcal/kg
370 Kcal/cup
Standard Measuring Cup
_They keep it simple - 1 standard measuring cup_

So I came to the conclusion, in this case, I could continue to scoop with my dry measuring cup and add up the calories *BUT* did notice this is where the kibble shape/density came in. The EVO Small Bites packed tight in the cup with very little air space compared to the other 2 larger kibble shapes. So a dog _might_ eat 4 cups of the larger kibble to reach a certain full feeling and only be able to eat 3 cups of the smaller kibble before saying "No Thanks, I'm Stuffed".


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