Dog Food Calculator – How Much to Feed Per Day
This dog food calculator estimates how many calories your dog needs each day and turns that into cups of food. Enter your dog's weight in pounds, choose the life stage and activity level, and type the calories per cup from your dog food bag. The tool uses the standard veterinary formula for resting energy needs and multiplies it by a factor for neutered adults, active dogs, weight loss and puppies. You will see the daily cups, cups per meal and how much food you need for a month. It is a starting point, so check with your veterinarian for dogs with health conditions.
Dog Food Calculator
Estimate daily calories and cups of dog food by weight, age and activity.
How to use the Dog Food Calculator
- Enter your dog's weight in pounds.
- Choose the life stage: adult, puppy, senior or weight loss.
- Enter the calories per cup printed on your dog food bag.
- Set how many meals you feed each day.
- Read the daily calories and cups, and adjust to your dog's body condition.
The formula
Resting energy requirement (RER) = 70 × (weight in kg)^0.75. Daily calories = RER × the life stage factor, such as 1.6 for a neutered adult. Cups per day = daily calories ÷ calories per cup.
Features
- Daily calories from the standard RER formula
- Life stage factors for adults, puppies, seniors and weight loss
- Cups per day, per meal and per month
- Works with any food: enter calories per cup
- Pounds and kilograms shown
- Copy and print
Frequently asked questions
How many cups of food should my dog eat a day?
It depends on weight, age and the food. A typical 50 lb neutered adult needs about 1,000 to 1,100 calories a day, which is around 3 cups of a food with 350 calories per cup.
How are a dog's daily calories calculated?
Resting energy requirement equals 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. That number is multiplied by a factor of about 1.6 for a neutered adult dog.
Do puppies need more food?
Yes. Puppies under four months need about three times their resting energy, and older puppies about two times, because they are growing quickly.
How many times a day should I feed my dog?
Most adult dogs do well on two meals a day. Puppies often eat three or four smaller meals.
Is this calculator a substitute for veterinary advice?
No. It gives a general estimate. Dogs with medical conditions, or those who are underweight or overweight, should follow a veterinarian's plan.