How Much Should I Feed My Dog
How much to feed is the question the back of the bag answers badly. That chart is one range for a whole weight band, and it does not know whether your dog is neutered, still growing, or asleep for most of the day. This uses the energy calculation veterinary nutritionists use, then turns it into a portion with the one number only you have: the kilocalories per cup printed on your own bag.
Read this before the number
This is a starting point, not a prescription. It uses the energy calculation veterinary nutritionists use, and it still cannot see your dog. Body condition — whether you can feel the ribs easily and see a waist from above — beats any formula, and two dogs of the same weight can genuinely differ by a third in what they need.
Feed the calculated amount for two weeks, then weigh again and adjust. If your dog needs to lose weight, or is pregnant, nursing, unwell or on a prescription diet, this page is not the right tool — that belongs with your vet.
Daily energy by weight
Kilocalories a day. To turn these into a portion, divide by the kcal per cup printed on your bag — that figure varies about threefold between foods, which is why no chart can give you cups directly.
| Weight | Resting | Puppy, 4 months+ | Adult, neutered | Very active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kg | 118 | 235 | 188 | 294 |
| 5 kg | 234 | 468 | 374 | 585 |
| 10 kg | 394 | 787 | 630 | 984 |
| 15 kg | 534 | 1067 | 854 | 1334 |
| 20 kg | 662 | 1324 | 1059 | 1655 |
| 25 kg | 783 | 1565 | 1252 | 1957 |
| 30 kg | 897 | 1795 | 1436 | 2243 |
| 40 kg | 1113 | 2227 | 1781 | 2783 |
| 50 kg | 1316 | 2632 | 2106 | 3291 |
Notice that doubling the weight does not double the food. Energy need rises with weight to the power of three quarters, which is why a 40 kg dog eats far less than two 20 kg dogs.
What the life stages mean
| Stage | Multiplier | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy, under 4 months | 3× resting | Growing fast. Most puppies this age are fed several small meals rather than one large one. |
| Puppy, 4 months to adult | 2× resting | Still growing, but the requirement falls steadily towards the adult figure as they finish. |
| Adult, neutered or spayed | 1.6× resting | The most common case. Neutering lowers the requirement, which is why dogs often gain weight after it on an unchanged portion. |
| Adult, not neutered | 1.8× resting | Slightly higher than a neutered dog of the same weight. |
| Older and slowing down | 1.4× resting | A guide only. Age itself changes the requirement less than the drop in activity that usually comes with it. |
| Very active or working | 2.5× resting | Genuine working dogs can need far more than this. A dog with a long daily walk is not a working dog. |
| Needs to lose weight | 1× resting | Do this one with your vet. The safe rate of loss and the reason for the gain both matter, and neither is something a calculator can see. |
Where this comes from
Resting energy is 70 multiplied by body weight in kilograms to the power of 0.75, then multiplied by a life-stage factor. That is the standard veterinary calculation, not ours.