How Many Treats Can Dogs and Cats Have a Day? The 10% Rule and Amounts of Chicken and Egg
It's easy to give in to treats when you want to see that happy face. But for small-bodied dogs and cats, what seems like "one bite" to a person is more calories than you'd think. This article explains the guideline that treats should be up to 10% of daily calories, how many kcal that allows by weight, a chart of how many pieces of chicken, boiled egg, sweet potato, cheese, lickable treats and more they can have a day, how to reduce food after treats, and foods you must never give.
Treats: up to 10% of daily calories
The general guideline is to keep treats and toppings for dogs and cats to 10% of the calories they need in a day. Complete and balanced staple food is formulated to provide all the necessary nutrition by itself, so the more treats you add, the more the nutritional balance shifts and the more calories they take in.
- Up to 10%: the everyday guideline. Reduce the food by the same calories as the treats you give.
- Up to 5%: the guideline during a diet, or for pets prone to weight gain.
- 0%: if your pet is on a prescription diet, ask your veterinarian whether treats are OK.
The key point isn't "you can add up to 10% on top of the food," but "up to 10% of the daily total can be treats." When you give treats, reduce the food by that amount so the total stays the same.
Calories available for treats by weight
Here are the daily calories of spayed or neutered adult dogs (factor 1.6) and adult cats (factor 1.2), and 10% of that.
| Weight | Daily calories | Treat limit (10%) | On a diet (5%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog 3 kg | About 255 kcal | About 26 kcal | About 13 kcal |
| Dog 5 kg | About 375 kcal | About 37 kcal | About 19 kcal |
| Dog 10 kg | About 630 kcal | About 63 kcal | About 31 kcal |
| Dog 20 kg | About 1,059 kcal | About 106 kcal | About 53 kcal |
| Cat 4 kg | About 238 kcal | About 24 kcal | About 12 kcal |
| Cat 5 kg | About 281 kcal | About 28 kcal | About 14 kcal |
A 4 kg cat can have only about 24 kcal a day of treats. The 1/10 share is the same as a person on 2,000 kcal a day eating 200 kcal of snacks. Even small treats easily go over the limit once there are several.
How much chicken, boiled egg and sweet potato per day?
This chart shows how many pieces of common foods and treats fit within 10% of a day's calories. Calories for foods are estimates from the per-100 g values in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th edition), multiplied by the weight of one piece.
| Treat (one piece) | Calories | Dog 5 kg (37 kcal) | Dog 10 kg (63 kcal) | Cat 4 kg (24 kcal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken tender, boiled (1 piece, 40 g) | 48 kcal | 0.8 pieces | 1.3 pieces | 0.5 pieces |
| Boiled egg (1 egg, 50 g) | 67 kcal | 0.6 eggs | 0.9 eggs | 0.4 eggs |
| Sweet potato, steamed (1 slice, 10 g) | 13 kcal | 2.9 slices | 4.8 slices | 1.8 slices |
| Pumpkin, boiled (1 slice, 10 g) | 8 kcal | 4.7 slices | 7.9 slices | 3.0 slices |
| Apple, peeled (1 slice, 20 g) | 11 kcal | 3.4 slices | 5.7 slices | 2.2 slices |
| Processed cheese (1 cube, 5 g) | 16 kcal | 2.3 cubes | 3.9 cubes | 1.5 cubes |
| Plain yogurt (1 tbsp, 15 g) | 8 kcal | 4.7 tbsp | 7.9 tbsp | 3.0 tbsp |
| Bonito flakes (1 small packet, 2.5 g) | 8 kcal | 4.7 packets | 7.9 packets | 3.0 packets |
| Lickable treat (1 stick, 14 g) | About 7 kcal | 5.3 sticks | 9.0 sticks | 3.4 sticks |
- Chicken tenders are popular for their high protein, but even for a 5 kg dog, 1 piece (40 g) a day is over the limit. The guide is up to about 30 g, or up to about 20 g for a 4 kg cat.
- A boiled egg is surprisingly high at 67 kcal, so just over half is the limit for a 5 kg dog.
- Cheese and bonito flakes are high in salt and minerals, so give less than the calorie limit. Avoid bonito flakes for cats prone to urinary stones.
- Calories vary widely among pet treat products. Calculate from the "kcal per piece" shown on the package first.
How many grams of food to cut after treats
Divide the treat calories by the food's calories per 100 g to find how many grams to reduce.
- 1
Add up the treat calories
If you give a 5 kg dog 2 slices of sweet potato (26 kcal) and 1 slice of pumpkin (8 kcal), that's 34 kcal in total.
- 2
Divide by the food's calories
For dry food at 360 kcal/100 g, 34 ÷ 360 × 100 ≈ 9 g. Reduce that day's food by about 9 g.
- 3
Return the food on days without treats
On days without treats, add back the reduced amount so the daily total stays the same.
If you give treats daily, it's easier to set the daily food from the start at the amount minus the treats. Daily amounts for dog and cat food are explained in How Many Grams of Dog Food a Day? and How Many Grams of Cat Food a Day?.
Foods dogs and cats must never have
Some foods cause poisoning even in small amounts, whatever the calories. Be especially careful when making homemade treats or sharing human food.
| Food | Dog | Cat | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onions, Japanese leeks, garlic chives, garlic | ✕ | ✕ | Dangerous even cooked, and even as extract alone (soup, hamburger) |
| Chocolate, cocoa | ✕ | ✕ | Components in cacao cause poisoning |
| Grapes, raisins | ✕ | ✕ | Even small amounts can damage the kidneys |
| Gum and sweets with xylitol | ✕ | ✕ | Causes low blood sugar and liver damage, especially in dogs |
| Avocado | ✕ | ✕ | Contains a component that causes poisoning |
| Alcohol, coffee, green tea | ✕ | ✕ | Alcohol and caffeine are both dangerous |
| Cooked chicken bones | ✕ | ✕ | Split lengthwise and can pierce the throat or intestines |
| Macadamia nuts | ✕ | — | Unsteadiness and fever in dogs |
| Lilies (flowers, pollen, vase water) | — | ✕ | Small amounts cause acute kidney injury in cats |
| Raw squid, octopus, shrimp, shellfish | — | ✕ | Contain a component that destroys vitamin B1 |
Seasoned human food (high in salt and fat) also strains the body, even in small amounts. If your pet eats something it shouldn't, note what it ate, how much and when, and contact a veterinarian right away.
Calculate your pet's treat limit with the tool
Enter your pet's weight and lifestyle in the Dog & Cat Food Portion Calculator and open the "Treats and water" tab to see a list of how many pieces of 15 kinds of treats, such as chicken tenders, boiled egg and sweet potato, fit within 5% and 10% of a day's calories. Enter the "calories per piece" of a treat you have to calculate how many of that product a day is OK. For how to think about treats during weight loss, also see Diet Plans for Dogs and Cats.
FAQ
- How many treats can I give my dog a day?
- Up to 10% of the calories it needs in a day is the guideline. A spayed or neutered 5 kg dog needs about 375 kcal a day, so treats can be up to about 37 kcal. On a diet, keep them to 5% (about 19 kcal), and reduce the food by what you give.
- How many grams of chicken tender can a dog have per day?
- To stay within 10% of the day, boiled chicken tender (121 kcal/100 g) is up to about 30 g for a 5 kg dog and about 52 g for a 10 kg dog. With a 40 g piece, about 3/4 of a piece is the limit for a 5 kg dog.
- How many lickable treat sticks can a cat have a day?
- For a product at about 7 kcal per stick, about 3 a day is the limit for a spayed or neutered 4 kg cat (about 238 kcal a day, with treats up to about 24 kcal). Calories vary by product, so calculate from what's on the package.
- How many boiled eggs can a dog have per day?
- A boiled egg (50 g) has about 67 kcal, so a 5 kg dog can have just over half to stay within 10% of the day (about 37 kcal), and even a 10 kg dog just under 1. Avoid raw egg white, and give it cooked.
- How much should I reduce food after giving treats?
- Reduce by the treat calories divided by the food's calories per 100 g. For a 34 kcal treat, reduce dry food at 360 kcal/100 g by about 9 g.
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