Royal Canin Daily Food Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate your pet's daily caloric needs and the approximate amount of Royal Canin dry food required. Remember, these are estimates; always consult your veterinarian and the specific feeding guide on your Royal Canin product packaging for precise recommendations.
Puppy / Kitten Adult Senior
Low (e.g., mostly indoors, short walks) Moderate (e.g., daily walks, playtime) High (e.g., working dog, very active)
Understanding Your Pet's Nutritional Needs
Feeding your pet the right amount of food is crucial for their health, longevity, and overall well-being. Overfeeding can lead to obesity and related health issues like diabetes, joint problems, and heart disease, while underfeeding can result in malnutrition and lack of energy. Royal Canin formulates its diets with precise nutritional profiles tailored to different life stages, breeds, and specific health needs.
Factors Influencing Food Requirements
- Pet Type: Dogs and cats have vastly different metabolic rates and nutritional requirements.
- Weight: A pet's body weight is the primary factor in determining their basal energy needs.
- Age Group: Puppies and kittens require more calories for growth and development than adult pets. Senior pets often have reduced energy needs due to lower activity levels and slower metabolism.
- Activity Level: Highly active pets burn more calories and require more food than sedentary ones.
- Sterilization Status: Spayed or neutered pets often have a lower metabolic rate and are prone to weight gain, requiring a slightly reduced caloric intake.
- Weight Goal: Whether your pet needs to maintain, lose, or gain weight significantly impacts their daily caloric target.
- Specific Food Product: Different Royal Canin formulas have varying calorie densities (kcal/gram). Always check the packaging of your specific product. This calculator uses an average estimate.
How the Calculator Works (and its Limitations)
This calculator estimates your pet's Daily Energy Requirement (DER) based on standard veterinary formulas (like the Resting Energy Requirement, RER) and then applies metabolic factors for age, activity, sterilization, and weight goals. It then converts this caloric need into an approximate amount of Royal Canin dry food in grams and cups, assuming an average calorie density of 3700 kcal/kg (3.7 kcal/gram) and that 1 cup equals approximately 100 grams of dry kibble.
Important Limitations:
- Average Calorie Density: The calculator uses an average calorie density. Your specific Royal Canin product may have a different value. Always check the "Guaranteed Analysis" or "Feeding Guide" on your food bag.
- Individual Variation: Every pet is unique. Factors like breed, individual metabolism, and environmental temperature can influence actual needs.
- Veterinary Consultation: This tool is for estimation only. For precise dietary advice, especially for pets with health conditions or specific dietary needs, always consult your veterinarian.
Examples:
Let's look at a couple of scenarios using the calculator:
Example 1: Adult Dog Maintaining Weight
- Pet Type: Dog
- Pet Weight: 25 kg
- Pet Age Group: Adult
- Activity Level: Moderate
- Sterilized: Yes
- Weight Goal: Maintain Current Weight
Calculation (approximate):
RER = 70 * (25 kg)^0.75 ≈ 70 * 11.18 ≈ 782.6 kcal/day
For an adult, neutered dog with moderate activity, the metabolic factor (MF) might be around 1.6. So, DER = 782.6 * 1.6 ≈ 1252 kcal/day.
Using 3.7 kcal/gram: Food Amount = 1252 / 3.7 ≈ 338 grams/day.
Using 100g/cup: Food Amount = 338 / 100 ≈ 3.4 cups/day.
Example 2: Adult Cat Losing Weight
- Pet Type: Cat
- Pet Weight: 6 kg (current weight, aiming for ideal 5kg)
- Pet Age Group: Adult
- Activity Level: Low
- Sterilized: Yes
- Weight Goal: Lose Weight
Calculation (approximate, using current weight for RER, then adjusting for loss):
RER (using 6kg) = 70 * (6 kg)^0.75 ≈ 70 * 3.34 ≈ 233.8 kcal/day
For an adult, neutered cat with low activity aiming to lose weight, the metabolic factor (MF) might be around 1.0 (base for neutered adult) * 0.9 (low activity) * 0.7 (weight loss) = 0.63. So, DER = 233.8 * 0.63 ≈ 147.3 kcal/day.
Using 3.7 kcal/gram: Food Amount = 147.3 / 3.7 ≈ 39.8 grams/day.
Using 100g/cup: Food Amount = 39.8 / 100 ≈ 0.4 cups/day.
function updateSterilizedOption() { var petAgeGroup = document.getElementById("petAgeGroup").value; var sterilizedContainer = document.getElementById("sterilizedContainer"); if (petAgeGroup === "puppy_kitten") { sterilizedContainer.style.display = "none"; document.getElementById("sterilizedNo").checked = true; } else { sterilizedContainer.style.display = "block"; } } function calculateFood() { var petType = document.getElementById("petType").value; var petWeight = parseFloat(document.getElementById("petWeight").value); var petAgeGroup = document.getElementById("petAgeGroup").value; var activityLevel = document.getElementById("activityLevel").value; var sterilizedStatus = document.querySelector('input[name="sterilizedStatus"]:checked').value; var weightGoal = document.getElementById("weightGoal").value; if (isNaN(petWeight) || petWeight <= 0) { document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Please enter a valid pet weight (e.g., 10 for 10 kg)."; return; } // — Step 1: Calculate Resting Energy Requirement (RER) — // RER (kcal/day) = 70 * (Body Weight in kg)^0.75 var rer = 70 * Math.pow(petWeight, 0.75); // — Step 2: Determine Metabolic Factor (MF) — var mf = 0; if (petType === "dog") { if (petAgeGroup === "puppy_kitten") { mf = 2.5; // Average for growing puppies } else if (petAgeGroup === "adult") { mf = (sterilizedStatus === "yes") ? 1.6 : 1.8; // Neutered vs Intact Adult Dog } else if (petAgeGroup === "senior") { mf = 1.4; // Senior Dog } } else if (petType === "cat") { if (petAgeGroup === "puppy_kitten") { mf = 2.5; // Average for growing kittens } else if (petAgeGroup === "adult") { mf = (sterilizedStatus === "yes") ? 1.0 : 1.2; // Neutered vs Intact Adult Cat } else if (petAgeGroup === "senior") { mf = 0.9; // Senior Cat } } // Adjust MF for Activity Level if (activityLevel === "low") { mf *= 0.9; } else if (activityLevel === "high") { if (petType === "dog") { mf *= 1.1; } else if (petType === "cat") { mf *= 1.05; } } // Moderate activity is MF * 1.0 (no change) // Adjust MF for Weight Goal if (weightGoal === "lose") { if (petType === "dog") { mf *= 0.8; } else if (petType === "cat") { mf *= 0.7; } } else if (weightGoal === "gain") { if (petType === "dog") { mf *= 1.2; } else if (petType === "cat") { mf *= 1.15; } } // Maintain weight is MF * 1.0 (no change) // — Step 3: Calculate Daily Energy Requirement (DER) — var der = rer * mf; // — Step 4: Calculate Food Amount — // Average Royal Canin dry food calorie density: 3700 kcal/kg = 3.7 kcal/gram var kcalPerGram = 3.7; var foodAmountGrams = der / kcalPerGram; // Assume 1 cup = 100 grams for estimation (this can vary significantly by kibble size/density) var gramsPerCup = 100; var foodAmountCups = foodAmountGrams / gramsPerCup; // Display results var resultHtml = "Estimated Daily Food Needs:
"; resultHtml += "Daily Caloric Need (DER): " + der.toFixed(0) + " kcal/day"; resultHtml += "Estimated Royal Canin Dry Food:"; resultHtml += "- ";
resultHtml += "
- " + foodAmountGrams.toFixed(0) + " grams per day "; resultHtml += "
- " + foodAmountCups.toFixed(1) + " cups per day (assuming 1 cup ≈ 100g) "; resultHtml += "