Free calculator
Dog food calorie calculator
A 22 lb (10 kg) neutered adult dog needs about 533 kcal a day, which is 148 g or 1.5 cups of a 3,600 kcal/kg kibble. Enter your dog's weight, life stage and the calorie figures printed on your bag to get grams, cups and cans per meal.
Result
- Calories per day
- 533 kcal
- Dry food per day
- 148 g (5.2 oz)
- Cups per day
- 1.48 cups
- Dry food per meal
- 74 g
- WSAVA chart range for this weight
- 472-590 kcal
A starting point, not a prescription: individual animals need up to 30% more or less (Merck Veterinary Manual). Adjust every 2-4 weeks to keep a lean body condition, and ask your vet for puppies under 8 weeks, pregnancy, lactation or any illness.
Feeding more than one animal, or someone else feeds them?
Pro prints a feeding plan per animal: grams and cups per meal, the bag's figures, the vet's notes. Saved as PDF for the sitter, the shelter or the kennel.
How it works
The calculator starts from the resting energy requirement, RER = 70 x (weight in kg)^0.75, the exponential formula the Merck Veterinary Manual gives for animals of any size. Daily needs then depend on life stage: the 2006 National Research Council maintenance equations used by the WSAVA feeding charts are 95 kcal x kg^0.75 for an inactive or neutered adult and 130 kcal x kg^0.75 for an active one. For a 10 kg dog that is 534 to 731 kcal; the WSAVA chart itself lists 472-590 kcal for that weight, which is why the result shows the chart range next to the estimate.
Puppies use the NRC growth equation, 130 x W^0.75 x 3.2 x (e^(-0.87 p) - 0.1), where p is the current weight divided by the expected adult weight: an 11 lb puppy that will grow to 44 lb needs about 978 kcal a day, more than an adult of the same weight. A dog on a weight-loss plan is fed at RER for its target weight, as the 2021 AAHA guidelines advise (394 kcal for a 10 kg target).
Calories become grams with the calorie statement on the bag: US labels must state kcal per kg and kcal per cup (AAFCO), and most EU bags print kcal per 100 g. Grams per day = calories per day / kcal per kg x 1,000; cups = calories per day / kcal per cup. If you feed wet food too, set the share of calories from wet food and the calculator splits the day between cans and kibble. Individual dogs vary by up to 30%, so weigh your dog monthly and adjust to keep a lean body condition.
The same equations, worked out in advance, are in the dog feeding chart by weight in lbs and in how much to feed a dog by breed. There is no breed field: breed changes the amount only through weight and activity, so type your own dog's weight here.
Frequently asked questions
- How many cups of dog food should I feed per day?
- It depends on the food's calories per cup. A 22 lb neutered adult needs about 533 kcal a day; on a kibble with 360 kcal per cup that is 1.5 cups (148 g), split into two meals of 74 g. Read the kcal per cup on your bag and the calculator does the division.
- How much should a 10 kg dog eat?
- A neutered or not very active 10 kg adult needs about 534 kcal a day (NRC 2006: 95 x kg^0.75); an active one about 731 kcal. The WSAVA chart gives 472-590 kcal for that weight. On a 3,600 kcal/kg food that is roughly 148 g a day at the lower figure.
- Does a puppy eat more than an adult dog of the same weight?
- Yes. The NRC growth equation gives an 11 lb puppy growing to 44 lb about 978 kcal a day, against 434 kcal for an active adult of 11 lb. Feed a growth food, weigh weekly and ask your vet for puppies under 8 weeks.
- How many calories should a dog eat to lose weight?
- The 2021 AAHA guidelines feed at or below the resting energy requirement for the ideal weight: 70 x (target kg)^0.75. For a 10 kg target that is 394 kcal a day. Aim for 1-2% of body weight a week and use a weight-loss diet so nutrients are not cut with the calories.
- Where do I find kcal per kg on the bag?
- In the calorie content statement, usually next to the guaranteed analysis: 'ME (calculated) 3,600 kcal/kg, 360 kcal/cup'. US labels must carry it (AAFCO); EU labels often give kcal per 100 g, so multiply by 10.
Guides
- How many cups of dog food per day?
Cups of kibble a day by dog weight from the calories on your bag: tables for 300 to 450 kcal per cup, inactive and active adults, and meals.
- How much should I feed my dog? Grams and cups by weight
Daily calories and grams of dry food for dogs from 2 to 50 kg, inactive and active, on foods from 3,400 to 4,000 kcal/kg, with the WSAVA chart range.
- How many calories does a dog need per day?
Calories a day by weight and life stage from the NRC 2006 equations behind the WSAVA charts: adults 2 to 60 kg, puppies by adult size, weight loss.
- Puppy feeding chart: calories and cups by adult weight
Calories and cups a day for puppies at a quarter, half and three quarters of adult weight, for adult sizes 5 to 40 kg, with meals per day by age.
- How much wet food to feed a dog per day? Cans by weight
Pouches and cans a day for dogs from 5 to 40 kg, wet only or mixed with kibble, for 100 kcal pouches, 250 and 400 kcal cans.
- Dog feeding chart by weight in lbs: how much to feed a dog in cups and ounces
A 50 lb neutered dog needs about 987 kcal a day, 2.6 cups of a 380 kcal/cup kibble. Cups for 5-120 lb dogs at 340-460 kcal per cup, wet food in oz, meals.
- How many calories should a dog eat to lose weight?
Diet calories by target weight (resting requirement of the ideal weight, AAHA 2021), grams of weight-loss food a day, and weeks to goal at 1% or 2% a week.
- How much to feed a senior dog? Calories and grams by weight
Calories and grams of dry food a day for older dogs from 5 to 40 kg on the inactive and weight-loss lines, when a dog counts as senior by size, and grams per meal.
- How many calories are in a cup of dog food?
Calories in a cup of kibble for 90-120 g cups on 3,400-4,000 kcal/kg foods, grams per cup from the bag's kcal per cup, cups in a bag, and what one cup means for a dog.
- How much to feed a dog by breed? Cups, calories and grams for 20 breeds
A Labrador (55-80 lb) needs about 1,060-1,405 kcal, 2.8-3.7 cups of a 380 kcal/cup kibble a day. Cups, calories and grams for 20 breeds, plus puppies.