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.

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.

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.

Open the dog food calculator

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. For weights in pounds, see the dog feeding chart by weight in lbs.

Cups per day, inactive adult, by kcal per cup
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.

Cups per day, active adult, by kcal per cup
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.

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.

Sources

NRC 2006, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats — adult, puppy and kitten energy equations
WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Dogs (July 2020) — chart range for dogs
WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Cats (July 2020) — chart range for cats
AAHA 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines — weight loss at the resting requirement of the target weight

Published 2026-09-15, last updated 2026-10-13. Figures are starting points from the published equations: individual animals vary by up to 30%, so adjust by body condition and ask your vet for puppies under 8 weeks, pregnancy, lactation or any illness.