What does kcal/kg mean on dog food?

Kilocalories of metabolisable energy per kilogram of food as fed: the energy the animal actually gets, after what passes through. It is the number that makes two foods comparable, and it is required on the calorie statement (AAFCO in the US, FEDIAF in Europe). Typical kibble is 3,300 to 4,200; wet food 800 to 1,300 because most of a can is water.

How do I compare protein in wet and dry food?

On a dry-matter basis. Divide the protein by (100 minus the moisture): a can at 10% protein and 78% moisture is 45% protein dry, a kibble at 30% and 10% moisture is 33%. The can that looks like a third of the protein has more.

Is the feeding guide on the bag right?

It is a range for the food's own cup, usually pitched at intact, active dogs at the top of each band. For a 20 kg dog the active NRC line is 342 g of a 3,600 kcal/kg food and the inactive line 250 g, 37% apart; most pets are neutered and on the lower line. Start there and let the waist decide.

How do I know which food is cheaper?

Per 1,000 kcal, not per bag. Food A at 60 for 12 kg and 3,600 kcal/kg is 1.39 per 1,000 kcal; Food B at 48 and 3,300 kcal/kg is 1.21. The cheaper bag is also cheaper per calorie here, but a bag that is 25% dearer is only 15% dearer to feed, because the dog eats less of it.

What does complete and balanced mean?

That the food meets a published nutrient profile for a life stage (adult maintenance, growth, or all life stages), by formulation or by feeding trial, and can be the whole diet. A food without that statement, often labelled for supplemental or intermittent feeding, is a topper or a treat, not a diet.

How to read a pet food label: kcal/kg, kcal per cup and the feeding guide

Published 2026-09-17 · 6 min read

Three numbers on a pet food label do the work: the kcal per kilogram (what the food is worth), the kcal per cup or per can (what you scoop), and the moisture line in the guaranteed analysis (why a can and a bag cannot be compared as printed). The feeding guide on the back is the least useful of the four, and the price on the front is not the price of feeding the dog. Worked through for a 20 kg dog and two ordinary bags.

Dog food calculator Pet food cost calculator

1. The calorie statement: kcal/kg and kcal per cup

Both figures describe the same food; one is the density, the other is the density times what a cup of that kibble weighs. Divide the second by the first and you have the grams in the cup, which is the number to put on a kitchen scale.

The two calorie figures on a bag, and the grams a cup holds
Food	kcal per kg	kcal per cup	Grams per cup
Food A	3,600	360	100
Food B	3,300	330	100

A cup of Food A is 360 kcal; the same measuring cup of a food that packs differently is not. More in how many calories are in a cup of dog food.

2. Guaranteed analysis is not calories

The guaranteed analysis lists minimum protein and fat and maximum fibre and moisture, as fed. It says nothing about calories, and the moisture line makes wet and dry incomparable as printed: take the water out before comparing.

Protein as printed and on a dry-matter basis
Food	Protein (as fed)	Moisture	Protein (dry matter)
Wet food (can)	10%	78%	45%
Dry food (kibble)	30%	10%	33%

3. The feeding guide on the back

The guide is a band of cups for a band of weights, in the maker's own cup, with no column for activity or neutering. The two NRC 2006 adult lines for a 20 kg dog on Food A show how wide the honest answer is; the dog food calculator picks the line for your dog and uses your bag's figures.

A 20 kg dog on Food A (3,600 kcal/kg): the two adult lines
Line	kcal a day	Grams a day
Inactive or neutered (NRC 2006)	898	250
Active (NRC 2006)	1,229	342

4. The price on the front is not the price of feeding

A denser food is eaten in smaller amounts, so a dearer bag can cost the same per day. Divide price by kilograms for the price per kg, then by kcal per kg for the price per 1,000 kcal; the pet food cost calculator does it for two foods side by side.

Two bags for a 20 kg dog on the inactive line
Food	Price	kcal per kg	Grams a day	Per 1,000 kcal	Days per bag	Cost a month
Food A	60 for 12 kg	3,600	250	1.39	48	38
Food B	48 for 12 kg	3,300	272	1.21	44	33.2

5. Complete and balanced, and for whom

Look for the nutritional adequacy statement: complete and balanced for adult maintenance, for growth and reproduction, or for all life stages, either by formulation to the profile or by a feeding trial. Growth and all-life-stages foods are denser and richer, fine for a puppy and a common reason an adult gets heavy on the same scoop. Everything else on the pack, from the photograph to the word natural, is marketing, and the ingredient list is ordered by weight before cooking, which puts wet meat first whatever the recipe.

Frequently asked questions

What does kcal/kg mean on dog food?: Kilocalories of metabolisable energy per kilogram of food as fed: the energy the animal actually gets, after what passes through. It is the number that makes two foods comparable, and it is required on the calorie statement (AAFCO in the US, FEDIAF in Europe). Typical kibble is 3,300 to 4,200; wet food 800 to 1,300 because most of a can is water.
How do I compare protein in wet and dry food?: On a dry-matter basis. Divide the protein by (100 minus the moisture): a can at 10% protein and 78% moisture is 45% protein dry, a kibble at 30% and 10% moisture is 33%. The can that looks like a third of the protein has more.
Is the feeding guide on the bag right?: It is a range for the food's own cup, usually pitched at intact, active dogs at the top of each band. For a 20 kg dog the active NRC line is 342 g of a 3,600 kcal/kg food and the inactive line 250 g, 37% apart; most pets are neutered and on the lower line. Start there and let the waist decide.
How do I know which food is cheaper?: Per 1,000 kcal, not per bag. Food A at 60 for 12 kg and 3,600 kcal/kg is 1.39 per 1,000 kcal; Food B at 48 and 3,300 kcal/kg is 1.21. The cheaper bag is also cheaper per calorie here, but a bag that is 25% dearer is only 15% dearer to feed, because the dog eats less of it.
What does complete and balanced mean?: That the food meets a published nutrient profile for a life stage (adult maintenance, growth, or all life stages), by formulation or by feeding trial, and can be the whole diet. A food without that statement, often labelled for supplemental or intermittent feeding, is a topper or a treat, not a diet.

Figures come from the calculators on this site and the published feeding equations (NRC 2006, WSAVA, AAHA). Individual animals vary by up to 30%: adjust by body condition, and ask your vet before changing the diet of a puppy or kitten, a pregnant or nursing animal, or one with an illness.