Dog Food Calculator

by Mike Sagman
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This Dog Food Calculator can help you estimate the proper serving size for your pet. It’s based upon a scientific study1 published by a respected veterinary research institute.

The dog food calculator’s formula2 uses a dog’s metabolic weight and suggests an appropriate serving size.

To use the calculator you’ll need to know…

  • Your dog’s Ideal weight (what he should weigh)
  • Your dog’s activity level
  • Your dog food’s calorie content

A Dog Food Calculator
for Adults Only

The Dog Food Calculator was designed to be used for adult dogs only… not for puppies. And it should never be used for pregnant or lactating females.

Small to medium breeds may be considered adults after about six months of age.

But large and giant breeds shouldn’t be fed as adults until they reach somewhere around one to two years (depending upon the breed).3

When Is a Dog a Senior?

Older dogs have significantly lower energy needs than younger ones. So, it’s easy for them to put on extra weight.

In general, small to medium dogs are considered seniors at about seven years of age.  But larger breeds reach senior status much sooner… some as early as five.4

Converting Calories to Serving Size

Once you’ve entered your dog’s ideal weight and activity level, you’ll know the number of calories per day.

But to convert calories into something you can actually use, you’ll need to enter the number of calories in your dog’s food.

The number of calories in a given amount of dog food is known as its metabolizable energy (ME, for short). It’s usually reported somewhere on a dog food package like this…

  • Calories per cup (kcal/cup)
  • Calories per kilogram (kcal/kilogram)

By the way, the calculator assumes you’re feeding your dog just once a day.

If you prefer to feed your dog twice a day, be sure to divide your result in half so that both meals add up to the full daily calories suggested.

The Bottom Line

Since each dog has its own unique energy requirements (just like people), it’s impossible to accurately predict the exact serving size that’s right for your pet.

So, I’d suggest starting with the package’s feeding instructions. Or the amount suggested by our calculator.

Weigh your dog every few weeks.

Then, adjust (or titrate) that suggested serving size up or down to reach and maintain your pet’s ideal weight.

Of course, determining the ideal weight for a growing puppy can be a challenge. So, check with your vet, an experienced breeder or another canine professional.

Always measure the food with a real measuring cup. Not a scoop. Never guess. Keep a record of how much you’re feeding. And be sure to weigh your dog periodically (every few weeks or so). Then, adjust the serving size as needed to stay on track.

Sure, it’s a little work. But in the end, it’s the only real life method you can scientifically rely on.

Footnotes

  1. Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition (1999), Canine Life Stages and Lifestyles, The Waltham Course on Dog and Cat Nutrition, p. 14 ↩
  2. ME (kcal/day) = 110 (body weight in kilograms)0.75 to maintain a typical adult dog ↩
  3. Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition (1999), Canine Life Stages and Lifestyles, The Waltham Course on Dog and Cat Nutrition, p. 4 ↩
  4. Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition (1999), Canine Life Stages and Lifestyles, The Waltham Course on Dog and Cat Nutrition, p. 16 ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • Jessica

    Thanks for all your work on this site.  I continue to refer to it as the ultimate resource for choosing the best food for my dog!  I rate your Dog Food Calculator as excellent!  It says my dog should consume 1290C/day – I divide his food quantities up myself (wet & dry) to arrive at this number and he’s been happy and healthy since I first found your website a year ago!

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/ Mike Sagman

    Hi Joe,

    I’m betting you might be entering something wrong. Be sure you’re entering the correct number of calories per cup (and not per metric kilogram). This can make a huge difference.

    Hope this helps.

  • Joe Wasicek

    1 cup of food a day for a 65 pound active dog? He eats 4+ cups of Halo a day!

  • Celesl6

    this calculator is way off……my dog would be grossly obese if I followed it

  • http://dogcareland.com/ dog health guide

    Dog food calculator is  great thing to know what exactly your dog needs and what are his daily requirements of nutrition. These tips will help my dog stay fit.

  • dataexaminer

    Dear Mike and Epping,

    The correct term is either Calories (with an uppercase C) OR kilocalories, which are equivalent terms in chemistry and nutrition textbooks.  The term calorie is 1/1000 of a Calorie; a calorie is defined as the amount of energy required to raise 1 cc of water by 1 degree Celsius (at sea level).

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/ Mike Sagman

    Dear Epping,

    Oops. You’re right. When I had the calculator built for me about 3 years ago, I didn’t notice the technician never entered the correct units.

    Here in North America, the word “calorie” is commonly substituted for its more correct term “kilocalorie” (kcal).

    The next time I update the software, I’ll have this changed.

    Sorry for the confusion. And thanks for the tip.

  • Epping

    Dear Mike,
    The units you’re using in the calculator are not consistent with the allometric equation given in the references. It should read kcal/d not cal/d.

  • sandy

    Are you using a dog recipe book? Usually all the calculations are done for you so you would only need to get the final serving size right based on weight.  Also a recommended weight is just a recommendation.  Also look at his body/physique as all dogs are built differently.  Does he have extra fat pads, does he have a pot belly or is shaped like a cigar instead of having an abdominal tuck?  Can you feel the ribs or not?  My dog could never be the recommended weight by breed standards or he would look emaciated.  There’s another dog calculator at http://www.PrimalPetFoods.com.

    http://www.primalpetfoods.com/education/calc

    http://www.petobesityprevention.com/ideal-weight-ranges/  This site says my dogs should be 13-18 but they are 23 and not fat.

    http://www.iams.com/pet-health/dog-article/overweight-dogs-a-nutritional-guide

    But back to your question, sorry.  I only have the Dr Karen Becker recipe book and her homemade recipes are already made to the proper pro/fat/carb ratios and I would only need to get the final serving size right.

    The 2 small ones are 23 pounds, the one that looks  like a pig is 38.

  • Skyamhale

    I am starting my almost 4 yr old Golden Retriever on a homemade dog food diet.
    His recommended weight is 80 lbs and he is 94.1 meaning he is almost 15 lbs overweight. I can read the labels ok and im UTD on his nutritional needs but i am having a difficult time portioning the meals so they contain the proper amounts of Protein, Carbs, and fats without going over his recommended caloric intake which is 1037 a day. Please Help! Any advise would be very very much appreciated. Thank You!!!!!!!!

  • sandy

    the 377 cal 13.2 oz can is 374 grams or 0.374 kg or 992 cal per 1 kg.  There’s 28.3495 grams per ounce.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/ Mike Sagman

    Hi Mellissa,

    Unfortunately, the 13.2 ounce on the can is the amount of food by ounces of weight and not by ounces of volume.

    For this reason, you should recheck the can or call the product’s customer servive number to retrieve the number of calories per kg.

    Wish I could be more help.

  • luvgoldens

    Your right in assuming this is incorrect.  You would be practically starving your dog.

  • sandy

    Think of it as 377/can rather than 377/cup.  If I put in 20 lb dog, senior/neutered, 377 cal/cup = 1.25 cups would be 1 and 1/4 can.

  • Mellissa

    If the calorie content on the canned dog food says 377 calories per 13.2 ounce can, do I need to convert this into 8 ounces for a cup serving before using this calculator?
    If so, I calculated the calories to 28.56 per ounce which is 228.48 calories per cup.  Is this right?

  • Riis

    If you are using a food like Blue Wilderness, you would be giving your typical 80 pound dog FOUR cups of food.  I think you miscalculated.

  • Tanisha20

    you have a very good calculation.Healthy dog food includes high-quality protein, low carbohydrate content and grain-free stuff meant specially for your pet. Ideally, healthy dog food should also be higher in natural fats, vitamins and minerals.

    adequan

  • Upnorthpeg

    It’s hard believe I’m supposed to only feed my Lab 1 cup of food a day. Isn’t that kind of a small amount of food for an 80 lb. dog?

  • sandy

    I cut and served outside so it probably didn’t hit me as much as it would have in the kitchen.  Although my kitchen opens up to both dining rooms and the living room and hallway to upstairs so if I did do it inside, boy would everything stink!

  • melissa

    Sandy-

    The canned does not bother me at all, but the fresh made me want to hurl  : ) Of course, I prepared and fed it in the warm kitchen, so that may have played a huge role in it..

  • sandy

    Hubby said he kissed Missy and she smelled like crappie and minnows!  They just ate their tripe and sardine dinner 30 minutes or so ago.  Tripe does smell like a “fishing” smell.

  • Shawna

    Okay, that’s one that practically loses her cookies and one that isn’t particularly affected by the smell :) …
     
    I wonder if others would find even a mild ”sewer water smell” in an enclosed room somewhat obnoxious :) …  hee hee hee  For me, sewer smell is a good description ;)   Oddly, sardines don’t bother me so much.  Fishy yes but they don’t evoke my gag reflex — hee hee hee…
     
    Next person to give raw tripe a try let us know what you think (or canned but canned is not as bad).

  • sandy

    I  forgot where the tripe discussion was…

    I gave it to them today.  I made sure to cut and serve outside since it’s supposedly real stinky.  It actually wasn’t a strong stinky smell or pungent, just reminded me of wet sneakers/fresh cut grass with a hint of mild sewer water smell (mildly on this last part). Very earthy indeed.  I think sardines have a stronger smell actually.

    Anyhow, the dogs dug right in and they’ve never had raw tripe before.  Yesterday I gave them a topper of Tripett canned tripe which didn’t particularly smell either.

    And everyone still has BMs 24-26 hours after meals.  I’m still feeding once a day.

  • Sandy

    Shawna~great video, thank you. I think I will try just feeding him the Taste of the Wild and forget the Wellness Reduced Fat and see if this helps.

  • Sandy

    Sorry, my bad again. That’s for an average weight I guess, for overweight it does say to feed 1.5 cups.

  • Sandy

    Correction-sorry, this calculator actually says I should be feeding my dog 2.43 cups a day. Wow.

  • Sandy

    Thanks everyone for your input. Currently I am feeding my dog Wellness Core Reduced Fat and Taste of the Wild (High Prairie Formula). I usually do half and half of each so he gets a variety. Mind you, he was extremely obese at one time and he has lost 15 lbs so far over the last year but once he got to a certain weight (42lbs) it’s been more difficult to get less than that without really limiting his food. The reason he weighed so much before was because in my first attempt to get him to lose some weight, when I switched foods from a lower to a higher grade food, I neglected to lower the portion and he ended up gaining a lot more instead of losing, my bad. This says to feed him about 1.5 cups, I only feed him 1 cup as it is and sometimes substitute veggies instead for a small portion.

  • sandy

    http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-grain-free-dog-foods/comment-page-5/#comment-419579020

    This senior dog 8-9 yrs old lost 10 lbs on Blue Buffalo Wilderness  Salmon.  He was active, mobile, loved walks and trotted the whole walk and took the long walk like the younger dogs do, maintained muscle mass and just lost alot of fat.

  • monkey

    Basically what Shawna said, high protein and moderate fat so the limited calories you are feeding are coming from species appropriate ingredients. If your dog has a low metabolism it is important that every calorie they get is quality. A lot of diet foods fill the food with grains or potatos that have a low nutritional value, leaving the dog hungry. So, high protein moderate fat and you can throw some green beans in for fiber if you want.

  • Toxed2loss

    Sandy,
    Just as every bodies metabolism is different, so are dogs. The suggested servings are just that, suggestions. The other thing that springs to my mind is grain based carbs. Grain based carbs convert very quickly to sugars, then to fats in dogs. Potatoes are a non grain based carb that do the same thing. They have a high sugar/starch content. They also have other problems, but will stick to the fat issue. To reduce your pups fat to lean ratio chose an animal protein based diet that is grain and potato free. Then let him trim down slowly, without starving. Chose a food without hidden MSG. Glutamate stimulates the appetite and drugs your dog to consume more than they need. Check out ex FDA employee Jack Samuels website “www.truthinlabeling.org” for a listed of hidden sources. Corn gluten meal and natural flavors are biggies in the dog food industry. Hope that helps!

    The next thing to consider is how toxic your dogs environment is. One of the bodies mechanisms for dealing with toxins is to convert bio material (including muscle tissue) to fat and encase the toxins. They’re then stored away from the core in adipose tissue. So switch to non-toxic flea and tick control as well as parasites control. Eliminate fragranced products and toxic cleaning supplies from your household. You’ll both be glad you did. :-)

  • Shawna

    Sandy ~~ sometimes thyroid issues can’t be conclusively identified from the bloodwork.  Many vets and people send their blood draws off to Dr. Jean Dodds as she is the guru of thyroid issues.  If you are seeing other symptoms indicating thyroid it might be worth getting her input.

    What food are you currently feeding?  A food that is too high in carbohydrates and fiber can be counter productive when it comes to weight loss.  Fat should be minimal but not low as it causes one to feel full so they are more inclined to quit eating.  So look for, if not already feeding, a higher protein, moderate fat and lower carb/fiber food.  So basically NOT a diet food.

    Here’s info from Vet Dr. Karen Becker on why “diet” foods don’t work well..  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Q4zkRL9uI

  • Sandy

    I’m really confused about the caloric intake. My dog is currently overweight and I’ve been trying to get him down but if I fed him the amount of food it says even for his ‘desired’ weight, he would still be overweight and not lose. I’ve had him checked for thyroid problems and he is fine so I know that’s not an issue.

  • Cat

    Carol D,

    I’m just starting with raw, just adding rib bones right now, untill i finish research & move to a better location. Why fast dogs? I fast to cleanse my body, is it the same principle for dogs?

  • Shawna

    Interesting!!  Thanks for the followup Sandy!

    So, in healthy individuals, maybe a BM is more about training of the colon to evacuate at a certain time then what has been eaten..?  (I go every morning irregardless of what I’ve eaten — right after my morning cup o coffee)… :)

  • sandy

    Ok…my 4 dogs all had a BM 24 hours after their raw meal yesterday and the other 5 that had kibble did as well. The kibble ones were bigger.

  • Liverpoolman09

    my ridgeback is 12 weeks old on three meals a day which equates to one tin of pedigree chum is this right

  • Shawna

    Hmmm, 24 hours MAY not be enough time. I found that in humans (based on this one source) it takes 40 to 45 hours for food eaten to pass through the digestive tract and be evacuated out. This is per Dr. Amy Foxx-Orenstein, president of the American College of Gastroenterology. http://health.msn.com/health-topics/digestive-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100182622

    The above link as well as an M.D. from another site said normal BM’s in humans can be as often as 3 times per day to as infrequent as once every 3 days.. It appears to all depend on the type of food eaten/fed, the amount of water and fiber consumed and the health of the individual digestive tract.

    I think Aimee’s crayon experiment may be the only way to determine if raw or kibble digests faster.

  • Shawna

    Do let us know what the outcome of the raw day/s is Sandy!!

  • sandy

    This is the 3rd day now that I’ve fed one meal a day.  This morning the gang still had BMs like they normally would when I take them out in the morning and it’s been 24 hours since their previous feeding.  This has been on kibble.  Tomorrow will be a raw day…

  • sandy

    Yum Yum!!

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