Energy requirements of adult female beagles

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 weight0.67 with a mean of 617.5 kJ/kg0.67. Energy intake (kJ/kg body weight0.67) 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 weight0.67) 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 weight0.75 overestimates the requirements of adult dogs 3 y of age and older.