Feeding · calculator
Dog Treat Calorie Budget Calculator
Find your dog's 10% treat allowance and how many of a given treat actually fit inside it.
Daily treat allowance
63 kcal
3 treats a day
- Calories that should come from meals
- 566 kcal
- Calories per treat
- 20 kcal
Treats above 10% of daily calories start to unbalance an otherwise complete diet, not just add weight. If you use food heavily in training, take that amount out of meals rather than adding it on top.
How this is calculated
The rule is simple; the arithmetic is what surprises people.
daily calories = 70 × (kg^0.75) × life stage factor
treat allowance = daily calories × 0.10
treats per day = treat allowance ÷ kcal per treat Worked example
A 10 kg (22 lb) neutered adult needs about 630 kcal a day, so the treat allowance is 63 kcal. That is three 20 kcal biscuits, or twenty-one training treats, or roughly half of one large dental chew. A single pig's ear at 150 kcal is more than twice the entire daily allowance.
Calories in common treats
| Treat | kcal each | Allowance for a 10 kg (22 lb) dog |
|---|---|---|
| Small dog biscuit | 20 | 3 |
| Medium dog biscuit | 40 | 1 |
| Large dog biscuit | 100 | under 1 |
| Dental chew, small | 55 | 1 |
| Dental chew, large | 125 | under 1 |
| Training treat | 3 | 21 |
| Chicken jerky strip | 30 | 2 |
| Pig's ear | 150 | under 1 |
| Rawhide chew, small | 100 | under 1 |
| Bully stick, 15 cm (5.9 in) | 90 | under 1 |
| Baby carrot | 4 | 15 |
| Green bean | 2 | 31 |
| Apple slice, no seeds | 6 | 10 |
| Peanut butter, 1 tsp (xylitol-free) | 32 | 1 |
| Cheddar cube, 10 g | 40 | 1 |
Figures are typical and vary by brand and size. Where a packet states calories, use that instead.
Sources
Making the allowance go further
Break treats into pieces. Dogs respond to the event of getting something, not to its size, and a biscuit snapped into quarters is four rewards instead of one. For training, the smallest piece your dog will notice is the right size.
Vegetables do most of the work for very little cost. Carrot, cucumber, green beans and celery are all safe, crunchy and close to calorie-free, which makes them the obvious choice for a dog that needs to lose weight but still expects something when you open the fridge.
Common questions
How many treats can my dog have a day?
Treats should stay under 10% of daily calories. A 10 kg (22 lb) neutered adult needs about 630 kcal a day, giving a 63 kcal treat allowance: roughly three small biscuits, or twenty training treats, or half a dental chew.
Why 10% and not more?
Complete dog foods are balanced across every nutrient at a given calorie intake. Treats are not balanced. Once they exceed about a tenth of intake they start diluting the vitamins and minerals in the rest of the diet, not just adding calories.
Are dental chews included in the treat allowance?
Yes, and they are often the biggest single item. A large dental chew can be 125 kcal, which is the entire daily allowance for a 10 kg (22 lb) dog and then some. They still have real dental benefit, so keep them and take the calories out of meals.
What are the lowest calorie dog treats?
Vegetables. A green bean is about 2 kcal, a baby carrot 4, an apple slice 6. Commercial training treats run around 3 kcal each. For a dog on a diet, swapping biscuits for carrot sticks frees up most of the allowance.
Do I subtract treats from meals, or add them on top?
Subtract. If your dog needs 630 kcal and you feed 63 in treats, meals should supply 567. Adding treats on top of a full ration is the most common single reason dogs gain weight on a "correct" portion.
What about training sessions that use a lot of food?
Weigh out the day ration in the morning and take training food from it. For heavy training days, use the dog own kibble as the reward rather than anything richer, and keep high-value treats for the difficult exercises.
Reading
- How many calories does my dog need a day? How many calories a dog needs a day: resting energy is 70 × kg^0.75, times 1.0 to 8.0 by life stage and work. Worked examples for 5, 20 and 40 kg dogs.
Can dogs eat…?
- Can dogs drink milk? Risky. It is not toxic, but most adult dogs do not digest lactose well and a bowl of milk usually means diarrhea.
- Can dogs eat coconut? Risky. Not toxic, but the ASPCA notes coconut and coconut oil can cause stomach upset, loose stools and diarrhea.
- Can dogs eat peanut butter? Safe. Yes, provided it contains no xylitol. Check the label every time, because some brands sweeten with it.
- Can dogs eat carrots? Safe. Yes. Carrots have no known toxicity for dogs and are low enough in calories to be a useful everyday treat.
- Can dogs eat apples? Safe. Yes, without the core. The flesh has no known toxicity for dogs. Slice it and remove the core and seeds first.
- Can dogs eat pumpkin? Safe. Yes, plain and unsweetened. Canned pumpkin has no known toxicity and is around 34 kcal per 100 g.
- Can dogs eat bananas? Safe. Yes, peeled and in small slices. Bananas have no known toxicity for dogs, but at about 89 kcal per 100 g they are one of the richer fruits.
- Can dogs eat blueberries? Safe. Yes. Blueberries have no known toxicity for dogs and at about 57 kcal per 100 g they make a small, low-calorie treat.
- Can dogs eat strawberries? Safe. Yes, fresh and plain. Strawberries have no known toxicity for dogs and are about 32 kcal per 100 g.
- Can dogs eat watermelon? Safe. Yes, the flesh without rind or seeds. Watermelon has no known toxicity for dogs and is only about 30 kcal per 100 g.
- Can dogs eat eggs? Safe. Yes, fully cooked and plain. Cooked egg has no known toxicity for dogs; raw egg carries a Salmonella risk the ASPCA warns about.