How Much to Feed a Dog by Weight: Calorie Chart and How to Calculate It

The feeding guide printed on a bag of dog food is a starting point written for an average dog. Your dog is not average: two 20 kg dogs can differ by a few hundred calories a day depending on age, neuter status, breed and how much they run around. The good news is that veterinary nutrition gives us a reasonable way to estimate a starting number, and you can then adjust it using your dog's body condition.

This guide walks through the method, gives a chart of daily calories by weight, shows you how to turn calories into cups or grams, and explains how to tell whether you are feeding the right amount.

Step 1: Work out resting energy

Veterinary nutrition references, including the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines, start from the resting energy requirement, or RER. This is the energy a healthy animal needs at rest. The standard formula is:

RER (kcal per day) = 70 x body weight in kg raised to the power of 0.75

For a 10 kg dog that is 70 x 10^0.75, which is about 394 kcal per day. Starting point, not veterinary advice. You do not need to do this by hand: the feeding calculator does it for you in kg or lb.

Step 2: Multiply by a life-stage factor

A resting dog is not a typical dog, so RER is multiplied by a factor to estimate the daily energy requirement. These are general guideline values for healthy dogs:

• Puppy under 4 months: about 3.0 x RER
• Puppy 4 to 12 months: about 2.0 x RER
• Adult, neutered or spayed: about 1.6 x RER
• Adult, not neutered: about 1.8 x RER
• Senior: about 1.4 x RER
• Weight loss (adult dogs only; puppies keep their growth factor): about 1.0 x RER of the current weight. For a weight-loss target, ask your vet.

Working dogs and very active pets vary a lot; ask your vet to set a target.

These factors are estimates. Some dogs need 20 to 30 percent more or less than the number they produce, which is why the final step below matters most.

Daily calories by weight for adult dogs

The table below applies the formula to common weights. Values are rounded to the nearest 1 kcal, so they match the feeding calculator exactly, and they show a range from a senior or less active dog (1.4) through a neutered adult (1.6) to an intact adult (1.8). Starting point, not veterinary advice.

Notice that calories do not rise in a straight line with weight. A 40 kg dog does not need four times the food of a 10 kg dog; it needs closer to 2.8 times. Smaller bodies burn more energy per kilogram, which is why the formula uses a power of 0.75 rather than simple multiplication.

Step 3: Turn calories into cups or grams

Calories are only useful if you know how many are in your dog's food. Check the bag, the can or the manufacturer's website for the calorie statement, usually shown as kcal ME (metabolizable energy) per kg and per cup. In the US, AAFCO model pet food regulations include a calorie content statement, so most complete foods list one.

The sum is simple:

• Cups per day = daily kcal divided by kcal per cup
• Grams per day = daily kcal divided by kcal per 100 g, multiplied by 100

A 10 kg neutered adult needs about 630 kcal. Starting point, not veterinary advice. On a food with 380 kcal per cup that is roughly 1.7 cups a day, or a little under a cup if split over two meals. Cups are a rough measure because a scoop can vary by 10 to 20 percent, so weighing food in grams on a kitchen scale is more accurate. Our feeding calculator converts both ways and splits the total across your chosen number of meals.

Do not forget treats and extras

Treats, chews, dental sticks, table scraps and the peanut butter in the puzzle toy all count. A commonly cited guideline is to keep treats to around 10 percent of daily calories and to reduce meal portions to make room for them. Training treats are a good place to save: tiny pieces work just as well as large ones.

Step 4: Check body condition, then adjust

The formula gives a starting point. Your dog's body tells you whether it is right. Vets use a body condition score on a 9-point scale, where 4 to 5 is ideal. The WSAVA publishes a body condition score chart you can use at home. At a healthy weight you can feel the ribs easily under a thin layer of fat, see a waist when looking from above, and see an abdominal tuck from the side.

Weigh your dog every two to four weeks at the same time of day. If they are gaining and should not be, reduce the daily amount by about 10 percent and re-check in a few weeks. If they are losing weight without trying to, or seem hungry and lean, increase it slightly and talk to your vet about it. Keep changes small and give each one time to show up on the scale.

When the chart does not apply

The numbers above are for healthy dogs. Ask your vet to set the target if your dog is overweight, underweight, pregnant or nursing, recovering from illness, or living with a condition such as diabetes, kidney disease or pancreatitis. Large and giant breed puppies need particular care: growing too quickly is linked to joint problems, so their food and portions should be chosen and monitored with your vet. The American Kennel Club and VCA Animal Hospitals both have breed and life-stage resources worth reading alongside your vet's advice.

Making it practical

Numbers are only useful if they turn into a routine. Most adult dogs do well on two meals a day, roughly 8 to 12 hours apart, and puppies usually need three or four smaller meals. Measure each portion the same way every time, write down what is eaten, and note any changes in appetite, since appetite is one of the earliest signs that something is off.

That is where PetKira helps. The app builds AI meal plans around your dog's weight, age and real eating history, sends feeding reminders, and lets everyone in your household log meals so the dog does not get fed twice. You can download PetKira for Android and start a free trial with no credit card, or see the options on our home page. iPhone is coming soon.