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Energy Requirements of Adult Female Beagles¹

ALPO Pet Center, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-5100

The energy requirements of 19 intact adult female beagles were determined over a 60-wk period. The initial age of the dogs averaged 6.5 y (range 0.8–13.4) and the initial weight averaged 11.0 kg (range 8.7–13.7). Dogs were housed in groups of four in heated indoor-outdoor kennel runs. Dogs were fed daily a commercial dry dog food that contained 13.8 kJ/g. The amount offered was adjusted to maintain body weight. Daily energy intake ranged from 2227 to 3667 kJ/dog, with an average of 3061 kJ/dog. When adjusted for differences in body weight, average daily energy intake ranged from 482.6 to 803.1 kJ/kg body weight^0.67 with a mean of 617.5 kJ/kg^0.67. Energy intake (kJ/kg body weight^0.67) declined with age and could be described by the nonlinear equation Y = 753 x age^-0.1321; r = -0.802. When these data are combined with an earlier study, the energy intake (kJ/kg body weight^0.67) of this group of 36 dogs could be described by the equation Y = 767 x age^-0.1408; r = -0.777. These data demonstrate that canine energy requirements decline with age and that the National Research Council recommendations of 552 kJ/kg body weight^0.75 overestimates the requirements of adult dogs 3 y of age and older.

KEY WORDS: • dogs • beagles • age • energy requirements

¹ Presented as part of the Waltham Symposium on the Nutrition of Companion Animals in association with the 15th International Congress of Nutrition at Adelaide, SA, Australia, on September 23–25, 1993. Guest editors for this symposium were Kay Earle, John Mercer and D'Ann Finley.

² To whom correspondence should be addressed: Mark D. Finke, ALPO Pet Center, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-5100, Telephone (215) 398-4663, Fax: (215) 398-6788