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Determination of a Growing Dog's Caloric Needs

The NRC arbitrarily established the following formulas to determine caloric needs for growing dogs:

Needs for puppies from weaning to 50% of adult weight:

1. Body weight^0.75  X 264 = Kilocalories

Needs for puppies from 51% of adult weight to adult weight:

2. Body weight^0.75  X 198 = Kilocalories

The figure 264 in formula one above is not constant, however. For the first half of this growth phase the requirement is well over 300 per kg bodyweight^0.75. For many breeds it remains over 300 well into the last phase of growth. Furthermore, the value changes throughout each period; it is not constant at any time. These formulas will lead to underfeeding during the beginning of each growth period and overfeeding during the end of each growth period. Some recommend feeding puppies, maturing to become large or giant breed dogs, caloric amounts that are 15 to 17 percent less than their NRC established requirements. Growing puppies of a given breed require about two to three times as much energy per unit bodyweight as adult dogs of the same breed. The US National Research Council suggests feeding twice as much energy per unit bodyweight of an adult dog to the newly weaned puppy (NRC 1985). A purely arbitrary decrease to 1.6 times maintenance is recommended when 40 percent of adult bodyweight is achieved and 1.2 times maintenance when 80 percent of adult weight is reached. This reduction will compensate for the decline in energy requirement from weaning to maturity. Feeding strictly in accordance with the NRC energy scale produces puppies which tend to be rather lean, compared with what is generally accepted by dog breeders. Puppies overfed can suffer from possibility of orthopedic problems.

Determining the caloric needs of growing dogs is more difficult than deciding how much to feed adult dogs. Growing dogs are of different sizes and their needs change as they mature. The table below gives the caloric needs of different size growing dogs at any given age and weight. If the caloric content of commercial pet food is known, a good estimation can be made on how much to feed.  Dogs still growing after one year of age will need more than those of comparable weight that stopped growing at eight months of age.

It is also important to judge how much to feed by a puppy's appearance. The puppy should look trim with only a slight layer of fat over the ribs. The puppy is too fat if the ribs cannot be felt with gentle pressure on the rib cage. The puppy is too thin if the ribs can be easily seen as the puppy moves. If. The desired condition varies with certain breeds--some tend to be more solid, others more trim. Emphasis should be placed on adjusting the diet every week to obtain the desired rate of growth, coat, body conformation, and spontaneous activity in the puppy.