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Can FitBark devices estimate my dog’s calorie requirements?
Can FitBark devices estimate my dog’s calorie requirements?
Marcus Prado avatar
Written by Marcus Prado
Updated over a week ago

Yes. Click here to learn more.

Important: please update your dog’s weight in the FitBark app (please use decimals). This has a large impact in our calorie expenditure estimates.

Our estimates are an extension of state-of-the-art feeding guides from the leading pet food manufacturers. When we estimate calorie expenditure, we look at activity objectively, as opposed to subjectively (i.e. you describe to your veterinarian that your dog’s lifestyle is “very active”, or rather “very inactive”).

Here’s what you should reasonably expect when you compare your dog’s daily calorie intake with the average calorie expenditure estimated by the FitBark app:

  • If you have been feeding your pet the same amount of calories every day (including treats) for the past 4 weeks…

  • If his/her weight hasn’t changed for the past 4 weeks…

…then you should expect the average calorie expenditure estimated by the FitBark app to be fairly close to the amount of calories you have been feeding daily (including treats).

If you notice a discrepancy higher than 10-20% vs. daily calorie intake, your pet might be slowly gaining or losing weight over time. In other words, your dog’s current daily calorie intake might not be the amount of calories that maintains his/her weight constant over time (MER, or Maintenance Energy Requirement, which is what the FitBark app aims to estimate).

Generally speaking, please try to weigh your pet at the same time of the day, and please update your pet’s weight in the FitBark app with decimal precision.

Feel free to reach out if you have any feedback for us!

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