Treat calculator
How many treats are okay? Enter your pet’s weight and the treat’s calories – we work out how many per day.
Often listed as “kcal per treat” or “per piece” under Calorie Content.
Per day, at most
6 treats
More careful, per the ASPCA (5%): 3 treats
10% of 629 kcal a day is 63 kcal, for a spayed or neutered dog with normal activity.
All treats, chews and table scraps count together. If you give treats, put correspondingly less food in the bowl.
The short answer
All treats together should stay under 10% of daily calories (WSAVA, AAHA, Merck). A spayed or neutered 22-lb dog with normal activity needs about 629 kcal a day; 10% is 63 kcal. With 10-kcal treats, that’s up to 6 treats a day. The ASPCA is more careful at 5%, which would be 3 treats.
Questions
How many treats can a dog have per day?
As many as add up to no more than 10% of daily calories. How many that is depends on weight and treat: a spayed or neutered 22-lb dog can have about 63 kcal from treats, so 6 treats with 10 kcal each.
How many treats can a cat have per day?
Also no more than 10% of daily calories. A spayed or neutered 9-lb cat needs about 241 kcal a day, so treats can have about 24 kcal. With 2-kcal treats, that’s 12 treats.
Where do I find the calories per treat?
On the bag under “Calorie Content”, as kcal per treat and kcal per kg. If it’s missing, ask the manufacturer.
Should I feed less of the main food then?
If you give treats regularly, yes. Make the meals smaller by the calories of the treats.
Related
- How many treats per day?Treats, chews and table scraps all count. Together they should make up at most 10% of daily calories; the rest comes from the main food.
- Dog food calculatorDaily amount for your dog – from weight and your food.
- Cat food calculatorDaily amount for your cat, wet food included.
- Pet food cost calculatorWhat does your pet’s food really cost? We work out the daily amount and split the pack price across it.