Dog Food Calculator
Calculate daily food portions for your dog based on weight, age, and activity.
This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional financial, medical, legal, or engineering advice. See Terms of Service.
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Request a ToolHow to Use the Dog Food Calculator
Enter your dog's weight, life stage or activity level, and the calorie density of your food to get a daily feeding recommendation in cups.
- Enter weight and unit. Weigh your dog or use a recent vet measurement. Switch between pounds and kilograms as needed.
- Select life stage. Puppies need significantly more calories per pound than adults because they are growing. Active and working dogs need more than sedentary pets. Senior dogs and those on a weight loss plan need less.
- Enter calories per cup. This is printed on your dog food bag, often labeled as "kcal/cup" or "ME (metabolizable energy)." The default of 350 is typical for most dry kibble. Wet food and raw diets have very different densities.
- Read the result. The calculator shows cups per day along with total daily calories and the RER breakdown. Split the daily amount into 2-3 meals for most adult dogs.
About the Dog Food Calculator
This calculator uses the standard veterinary formula for resting energy requirement (RER): 70 multiplied by the dog's weight in kilograms raised to the 0.75 power. This gives the baseline calories a dog needs at rest. The RER is then multiplied by a life stage factor to get the daily energy requirement (DER).
The factors used are: puppy 2.5x, adult normal 1.4x, active/working 1.8x, senior 1.2x, and weight loss 1.0x. These align with guidelines from veterinary nutrition organizations. All calculations run in your browser. No data is stored or sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I feed my 30-pound adult dog?
A 30-pound adult dog at normal activity level needs approximately 750 calories per day. With typical dry kibble at 350 kcal/cup, that works out to about 2.1 cups per day, ideally split into two meals. Adjust based on your dog's body condition: if ribs are too visible, increase by 10-15%; if you can't feel ribs, reduce by 10-15% and consult your vet.
Why does the bag feeding guide differ from this calculator?
Feeding guides on pet food bags are general estimates and are sometimes set conservatively high to encourage higher food consumption. This calculator uses the RER formula, which is based on metabolic body weight and is adjusted for your dog's specific life stage. The RER approach is more precise because it accounts for the fact that smaller dogs have higher metabolic rates per pound than larger dogs. Use body condition as your ultimate guide: your dog should have a visible waist and palpable ribs with a thin fat cover.
How many times a day should I feed my dog?
Most adult dogs do best with two meals per day, splitting the daily allowance evenly. Puppies under 6 months should be fed three to four times per day because they have smaller stomachs and higher energy needs. For large and giant breeds, splitting meals reduces the risk of bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus), which can be life-threatening. Free-feeding (leaving food out all day) is generally not recommended as it makes it harder to monitor intake and can contribute to obesity.
How do I find the calories per cup of my dog food?
Look for the "Guaranteed Analysis" or "Calorie Content" statement on your dog food bag or can. It is usually listed as "ME (metabolizable energy): X kcal/cup" or "X kcal/kg." If you only have kcal/kg, divide by 96 (for a standard 1-cup = 96g of dry kibble, though this varies) to get approximate kcal/cup. Most quality dry kibbles range from 300 to 400 kcal per cup. Calorie-dense foods like puppy formulas or performance kibbles can reach 500 kcal/cup or higher.