How many calories should a 15 kg dog eat?

What a 15 kg dog looks like

Fifteen kilograms is about fifteen 1-litre bottles of water. Fully grown dogs at this weight are usually small-medium to medium dogs. Many puppies pass through 15 kg on the way to a much larger adult weight, so the puppy rows are worth a look: a puppy of 4 to 12 months at this weight is estimated at 1,067 kcal a day, more than a neutered adult at the same weight (854 kcal). Starting point, not veterinary advice.

Because a growing puppy can be heavier than a small adult, choose the row by life stage, never by weight alone. Your vet can tell you what adult weight to expect and how fast your puppy should be growing.

How much food is that? A worked example

As an example only, with a dry dog food with 365 kcal per 100 g, 854 kcal a day for a neutered or spayed adult is 234 g a day, or 117 g in each of 2 meals. Your food will have a different energy value, so read your own label. Starting point, not veterinary advice.

Cup measures are fine for rough planning, but a cup of kibble can weigh different amounts depending on the food, so weighing in grams gets closer. The worked example below shows both the daily amount and the amount per meal.

Mixed feeding is common at this size, with some wet food on top of dry. Count both toward the day: work out the wet food's calories from its label first, take them off the daily number, and feed the rest as dry food.

Day-to-day feeding at 15 kg

A new bag or a new brand is the moment portions most often drift at 15 kg, because the same cup of a different food can hold quite different calories. Keep the daily target (854 kcal for a neutered or spayed adult at moderate activity) and redo the cups or grams from the new label. Switch foods gradually over several days rather than in one meal, and keep the treats inside the day's total, which at about 10% is roughly 85 kcal here. Write the new measure on the container so everyone who feeds your dog uses the same one. Starting point, not veterinary advice.

15 kg in pounds

15 kg (33.07 lb). The calculator takes pounds as well and converts them exactly (1 lb is 0.45359237 kg) before it calculates. For example, 33 lb is 14.97 kg, which gives 852 kcal a day for a neutered or spayed adult dog at moderate activity. Starting point, not veterinary advice.

How 15 kg compares with nearby weights

• Heavier: a 20 kg dog needs 205 kcal more a day than a 15 kg dog (1,059 versus 854 for a neutered or spayed adult at moderate activity), which is 24% more energy for 33% more body weight. Starting point, not veterinary advice. See the 20 kg dog page.
• Lighter: a 10 kg dog needs 224 kcal less a day than a 15 kg dog (630 versus 854 for a neutered or spayed adult at moderate activity), which is 26% less energy for 33% less body weight. Starting point, not veterinary advice. See the 10 kg dog page.

Not exactly 15 kg? The dog calorie calculator works out any weight from 0.2 to 120 kg.