How many cups of dog food per day?
There is no fixed number of cups per pound of dog: it depends on the calories per cup printed on your bag, which run from about 300 to 450 kcal. A 10 kg (22 lb) neutered adult needs 534 kcal a day, which is 1.5 cups of a 350 kcal/cup food but only 1.2 cups of a 450 kcal/cup food. The tables below give cups a day by weight for four calorie densities, for inactive and active adults.
Cups a day for a neutered or not very active adult
Calories from the NRC 2006 inactive-adult equation (95 kcal x kg^0.75); cups = calories / kcal per cup. Read the kcal per cup on your bag and use that column.
| Dog weight | kcal/day | 300 kcal/cup | 350 kcal/cup | 400 kcal/cup | 450 kcal/cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 318 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 534 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| 15 kg (33 lb) | 724 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | 898 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| 25 kg (55 lb) | 1,062 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | 1,218 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | 1,511 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
Cups a day for an active adult
An hour or more of real exercise a day: the NRC active equation (130 kcal x kg^0.75), about 37% more food.
| Dog weight | kcal/day | 300 kcal/cup | 350 kcal/cup | 400 kcal/cup | 450 kcal/cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 435 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 731 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| 15 kg (33 lb) | 991 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | 1,229 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| 25 kg (55 lb) | 1,453 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | 1,666 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | 2,068 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 5.2 | 4.6 |
Puppies, seniors and dogs on a diet
Puppies eat more per kilogram than adults and the amount changes every few weeks, so use the dog food calculator with the expected adult weight rather than a table. A dog on a weight-loss plan is fed at the resting energy requirement for its target weight (AAHA 2021), which is roughly the inactive column minus a quarter. Senior dogs usually fit the inactive column; adjust to body condition, not to age.
Frequently asked questions
- How many cups of food should a 20 kg (44 lb) dog eat?
- 2.6 cups a day of a 350 kcal/cup food for a neutered or not very active adult (898 kcal), 3.5 cups for an active one (1,229 kcal). Split into two meals.
- How many grams is a cup of dog food?
- It varies with the kibble: on a 3,600 kcal/kg food labelled 350 kcal per cup, a cup is 97 g. The bag prints both figures, and a kitchen scale is more accurate than any cup: a study in the AAHA 2021 guidelines found measuring cups imprecise for kibble.
- Should I feed once or twice a day?
- Twice for most adults, three or four times for puppies under six months. The daily amount does not change; halve it per meal. A 30 kg inactive adult on a 400 kcal/cup food gets 3.0 cups a day, so about 1.5 cups per meal.
- Why does the bag's feeding chart say more than this?
- Feeding charts are written for a range of dogs and tend to sit at the active end; the NRC inactive equation is lower and fits neutered pets that get a walk a day. Start with the table, weigh your dog monthly and adjust by about 10% if it gains or loses.
- Do treats count?
- Yes. Keep treats under 10% of daily calories and take them off the kibble: for a 10 kg dog at 534 kcal, that is at most 53 kcal of treats and correspondingly fewer cups.
More guides
- 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.
- How much wet food to feed a cat per day?
Pouches and cans a day for cats from 3 to 6 kg, wet only or half wet, half dry, for pouches labelled 70 to 110 kcal, plus the grams of kibble to add.
- How old is my dog in human years? Table from 1 to 16
Year-by-year table of dog age in human years by the AKC rule and the epigenetic clock, when a dog is senior by size, and the International Cat Care cat table.
Last updated 2026-09-15. Figures are planning estimates from typical product data: check the yield, size or coverage printed on what you buy and round up.