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Treats and extras should be no more than 10% of your pet's daily calories, with the main meal reduced to match. Enter your pet's details to get their daily energy need and the safe daily amount of any food in our directory.
Method: resting energy requirement RER = 70 × (weight in kg)0.75 kcal/day, multiplied by a life-stage factor, following WSAVA guidance. The treat allowance shown is 10% of that total. This is a guide, not veterinary advice — dose food by body-condition score and ask your vet if unsure.
UK vet bodies estimate around half of dogs and cats are overweight, and "just a few extra treats" is the usual cause: a 30 kcal dental stick is over 10% of a small dog's whole daily requirement. Energy density varies enormously between products — from under 80 kcal/100g for wet foods to over 500 kcal/100g for some treats — which is why we publish kcal/100g from the manufacturer on every comparison page.
We use the resting energy requirement (RER = 70 × weight in kg0.75) multiplied by a life-stage factor from WSAVA nutrition guidelines, giving the maintenance energy requirement (MER). This is a standard veterinary formula, not specific to any product.
Vets generally recommend treats make up no more than 10% of daily calories, with the main meal reduced slightly to compensate on days with lots of treats or training rewards.
No — a kilocalorie is the same unit either way. The difference is energy density: treats are often more calorie-dense per gram than a complete meal, so small amounts add up fast.
Cut treats first since they add calories without balanced nutrition, and consider a "weight loss" or "light" complete food under vet guidance — select that option in the calculator above for a lower multiplier.