Tool 01
How much should I feed my dog?
Start from the resting energy requirement vets use, adjust for life stage, activity and neuter status, then turn the answer into grams of the food actually in your cupboard, per day and per meal.
Your dog
Your food, not a generic bag
Energy density varies widely between brands. Copy the kcal per 100 g from your label and the grams below become real numbers rather than an average.
Your dog's daily target
1059kcal
RER 662 kcal × factor 1.6
Meals
953 kcal
Treats
106 kcal
How that looks in the bowl
Your inputs stay on this device, so the page reopens where you left it.
The day, meal by meal
- Meal 1 · 07:30477 g wet or 133 g dry
- Meal 2 · 18:00477 g wet or 133 g dry
Times are a suggestion, consistency matters more than the clock. Puppies do best on three to four meals a day.
How to read the result
The starting point is the resting energy requirement: 70 × body weight in kilograms to the power 0.75. That is what a dog burns doing nothing at all, and it does not scale in a straight line with weight, which is why a 40 kg dog needs nowhere near twice what a 20 kg dog needs.
Everything after that is a multiplier. Puppies under four months are given roughly three times resting needs to build tissue fast, dropping to around twice resting needs from four months until they finish growing. Neutered adults sit lower than intact adults, because neutering lowers maintenance needs while appetite rarely follows. Activity shifts the figure further, from a couch companion at the low end to a working or sporting dog at the high end.
Seniors are given a lower baseline, though some older dogs need more as they lose the ability to hold muscle. This is why two dogs of identical weight can legitimately need different amounts, and why the calculator asks about age, neuter status and activity rather than weight alone.
Treat any figure here as a starting portion, not a prescription. Feed it for two weeks, weigh, and adjust by 10% in the direction the scales point.
Getting the feeding right
- 1Weigh your dogUse the same scales each time. For dogs too big to sit still on bathroom scales, weigh yourself holding the dog, then subtract your own weight.
- 2Set life stage and agePuppies under four months need roughly three times a resting adult's energy per kilogram to build tissue; this drops once they pass four months but stays well above adult needs until they finish growing.
- 3Be honest about activityA couch companion, a dog on everyday walks and a working or sporting dog can need very different amounts on an identical frame. Overestimating activity is the most common reason a plan does not hold.
- 4Enter your food's kcal per 100 gRead it from the label so the grams shown match the food you actually feed rather than an average bag.
- 5Divide into mealsMeasure the daily total once and split it across two to four meals, more for puppies, spread through the day.
Five mistakes that undo the maths
Leaving dry food out all day
Free-feeding removes any relationship between the calculated total and what the dog eats. Measure the day's allowance in the morning and let that be all there is.
Measuring dry food with a cup
Cup fills vary by up to 30% depending on kibble shape and how it settles. That is a third of a day's calories. Kitchen scales cost little and end the guesswork.
Treating training treats as free
A handful of training treats through a session can carry more calories than a whole meal. Keep treats to about a tenth of the daily total and take those calories out of the meals.
Cutting the portion sharply for weight loss
Severe restriction risks muscle loss and a dog that scavenges and begs constantly. Aim for about 1 to 2% of body weight lost per week, agreed with your vet.
Feeding a large or giant puppy an adult or all-life-stages food
Large and giant breed puppies need a large-breed puppy food with controlled calcium and calories to support steady, rather than rapid, bone growth. Ask your vet before switching.
Questions people actually ask
How much should I feed my dog per day?
It depends heavily on size, life stage and activity, but a neutered adult of average build on everyday walks typically needs somewhere between 1.4 and 1.8 times its resting energy requirement. The calculator works that out from your dog's own weight rather than a generic chart, then turns the answer into grams of the food you actually feed. Always cross-check against the kcal figure printed on the bag.
Is wet or dry food better for portion control?
Wet food is easier to portion accurately because it is mostly water, so a small measuring error costs relatively few calories. Dry food is typically three to four times more energy-dense, so a heaped scoop can add a third of a day's calories without looking like much. If you feed dry, weigh it on kitchen scales rather than using a cup.
Should treats count towards the daily total?
Yes. Training treats, chews and anything dropped from the table all carry calories. Veterinary weight-management guidance keeps treats to no more than about 10% of the daily allowance, with the meals reduced to make room. The calculator sets that allowance aside for you rather than letting it sit on top.
How fast can a dog safely lose weight?
AAHA guidance suggests aiming for roughly 1 to 2% of body weight lost per week, agreed with your vet and checked against regular weigh-ins. Faster loss risks muscle wastage and a rebound once the diet ends. For a 20 kg dog that is around 200 to 400 g a week, which feels slow but is the pace that actually holds.
Why does neutering change the number?
Neutering lowers maintenance energy needs while appetite often stays the same, which is part of why so many dogs gain weight in the year after the operation. Clinical formulas use a lower multiplier for neutered adults than for entire ones. Reducing the portion at the time of surgery, rather than after the weight appears, is the easier fix.
How many meals a day should a dog have?
Puppies do best on three to four small meals a day while they are growing fast and cannot manage large volumes at once. Adults generally do well on two meals, and some do fine on one, though splitting the day's total reduces begging and the risk of bloat in deep-chested breeds. What matters most is that the day's total is measured once and divided, not topped up whenever the bowl looks empty.
My dog is always hungry on the calculated amount, what now?
First confirm the food's kcal figure and weigh the portion rather than scooping it. Then split the same total into more, smaller meals, add a slow feeder or puzzle bowl, and check that treats are not adding calories on top of the plan. Persistent, dramatic hunger alongside weight loss deserves a vet visit, since it can signal an underlying medical cause.
Sources
Editorial note
Written for an international audience: metric units throughout, no country-specific brands, shops or veterinary services, and any cost mentioned elsewhere on SniffScroll is an indicative EUR range. This calculator is education, not diagnosis. If your dog's weight is changing without you changing the food, that is a reason to see a vet rather than to recalculate.
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