Energy (kcal/100 g) is an estimate calculated from the declared analysis using modified Atwater factors, not a measured value. It commonly differs from the figure on the pack by ±10 %, and for good-quality kibble our estimate tends to come out on the low side. For wet food, everything hinges on water content, which manufacturers don't publish in their data, and the gap there can reach 20 %. Copying the metabolisable energy off the pack is always the most accurate route. Prices per kilogram come from real pack prices as of June 2026 and are indicative only.
What raw feeding means
Raw feeding (BARF) is a diet of raw muscle meat, meaty bones, organs and a smaller share of vegetables and fruit. The daily ration is usually 2–3 % of an adult dog's body weight, or 4–8 % for puppies. This calculator works from energy rather than a percentage – the percentage is shown as a sanity check.
Dog feeding chart by weight
| Weight | kcal/day | Dry food 350 kcal | Dry food 400 kcal | Raw 2.5 % BW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kg | 188 | 54 g | 47 g | 50 g |
| 5 kg | 374 | 107 g | 94 g | 125 g |
| 10 kg | 630 | 180 g | 158 g | 250 g |
| 15 kg | 854 | 244 g | 213 g | 375 g |
| 20 kg | 1,059 | 303 g | 265 g | 500 g |
| 25 kg | 1,252 | 358 g | 313 g | 625 g |
| 30 kg | 1,436 | 410 g | 359 g | 750 g |
| 35 kg | 1,612 | 461 g | 403 g | 875 g |
| 40 kg | 1,781 | 509 g | 445 g | 1,000 g |
| 50 kg | 2,106 | 602 g | 526 g | 1,250 g |
| 60 kg | 2,415 | 690 g | 604 g | 1,500 g |
The chart assumes a neutered adult dog with normal activity. For your own dog, use the calculator above – it accounts for breed, body condition and the specific food you feed.
Puppy feeding chart by age
| Puppy age | Daily energy | Meals |
|---|---|---|
| 2–4 months | 3 × RER | 4 meals a day |
| 4–12 months | 2 × RER | 3 meals a day |
| Over 12 months | 1.6–1.8 × RER | 2 meals a day |
A puppy is fed for the weight it has today, not the adult weight of the breed – so recalculate the ration every one to two weeks.
Dog feeding chart by weight: why the chart on the bag isn't enough
The feeding chart on a bag of kibble knows exactly one thing about your dog: its weight. It doesn't separate a neutered indoor dog from a working one, a puppy from a senior, or an overweight dog from a lean one. That's why pack recommendations tend to run systematically high.
This calculator works the way a veterinary clinic does: resting energy first, then a factor for life stage, neutering and workload, and only at the very end a conversion to grams based on the energy density of your food.
Step 1: resting energy (RER)
RER (Resting Energy Requirement) is what a dog burns at rest, calculated as 70 × weight0.75. The exponent isn't arbitrary – metabolism doesn't scale linearly with body mass, so a 40 kg dog doesn't need twice what a 20 kg dog needs, but roughly 1.7 times as much.
A linear shortcut, 30 × weight + 70, is also widely used. It only holds between roughly 2 and 45 kg, though – for a chihuahua or a great dane it gives a markedly different number from the exponential formula. A 60 kg dog comes out at 1,509 kcal the exponential way and 1,870 kcal the linear way, a quarter more. That's why we use the exponential version for every dog, whatever its size.
Step 2: ideal weight, not current weight
The equation takes the weight you're aiming for, not the one on the scale today. We derive it from the body condition score: each point above 5 corresponds to roughly ten percent of excess body weight. A 30 kg dog scoring 7 has an ideal weight near 25 kg – and 25 kg is what we feed for.
Below 5 we measure from a score of 4, because 4 and 5 are both ideal – so a lean dog's target weight isn't inflated artificially. At the other end the equation has its limits: at 8–9 it underestimates the ideal weight, since a score of 9 is defined as 40 % or more above ideal but in practice usually means 45–70 %. For such a dog the target weight belongs in the hands of a vet working from the weight history.
Step 3: the MER factor
Resting energy is multiplied by a factor for life stage and lifestyle. The literature puts the drop in requirement after neutering at twenty to thirty percent; a growing puppy, by contrast, needs two to three times its resting energy. Our factor of 1.6 instead of 1.8 is a cut of about eleven percent – a deliberately conservative estimate, erring towards feeding slightly more rather than too little. If your dog is gaining weight after neutering, take another ten percent off the calculated ration. Weight loss is a special case – the dog is fed at the resting requirement calculated from the target weight.
Step 4: from calories to grams
Only the last step converts calories to grams, and it stands or falls on energy density. Real products run from around 300 kcal per 100 g for light formulas to 450 and beyond for performance and puppy foods – a spread of more than half. It pays to copy the “metabolisable energy” figure off the pack; without it we use an average and the result can be tens of grams out.
How to verify the result
No equation replaces a scale and your hands. Weigh your dog every two to three weeks and check the body condition score monthly. If weight is climbing, cut the ration by five to ten percent; if it's dropping faster than two percent a week, add some back. The calculation is a starting point, not a final number.
RER = 70 × weight^0.75. The figures follow NRC 2006 and AAHA guidance – an individual dog can differ by up to 20 %. Lactation is fixed at 5 × RER in this calculator, which matches a medium litter (4–6 puppies) in the third to fourth week of nursing; with a single puppy the real requirement is closer to 4 × RER, and with a litter of more than eight it can reach 8 × RER or more.
Frequently asked questions
How much dry food does a 20 kg dog need?+
A neutered adult dog at an ideal weight of 20 kg with normal activity needs around 1,060 kcal a day. On a kibble providing 370 kcal per 100 g that works out at roughly 290 g a day, split into two meals. If you reserve ten percent for treats, the main ration drops to about 260 g. Treat that as an upper estimate – plenty of neutered family dogs this size do fine on 900–1,000 kcal. Add roughly a tenth for an intact dog, and take the same off for a quiet indoor one.
Why does the calculator suggest less than the bag does?+
Manufacturer charts assume an average intact dog with a normal amount of exercise, and they tend to be generous. Most family dogs are neutered and less active, so their real requirement is ten to thirty percent lower. If your dog gains weight on the pack recommendation, that isn't your dog's fault.
How do I know the portion is right?+
By weight and body condition, not by whether the bowl gets licked clean. Weigh your dog every two to three weeks. Stay on the portion as long as weight holds steady and ribs are palpable under a thin fat cover. If weight shifts by more than five percent, adjust the ration by a similar five to ten percent and wait another fortnight.
Do treats count towards the daily ration?+
Yes, and they cause more overweight than the main food does. Rewards, chews and table scraps together should stay under ten percent of daily calories. The calculator automatically reduces the main ration by that share so you don't end up feeding twice.
How do I split the ration between kibble and wet food?+
Divide the daily energy between the two – the calculator has a “Mixed” mode with a slider for exactly this. You split calories, not grams: 100 g of wet food carries about a quarter to a third of the energy of the same weight of kibble (76–114 kcal per 100 g across our database), so swapping gram for gram would leave your dog hungry.
How many meals a day?+
Four for puppies under four months, three up to a year, two a day for adults. Splitting the ration makes sense for digestion and satiety. The advice to keep a dog quiet for an hour either side of a meal to prevent gastric torsion, however, isn't supported: in Glickman et al.'s study of 1,637 large and giant-breed dogs, neither restricting exercise around meals nor the number of meals came out as protective. What the data does support is different: don't feed from a raised bowl (that raises the risk), use a slow-feeder bowl for fast eaters, and in giant breeds with torsion in the family, discuss preventive gastropexy with your vet.
How much raw food per day, and how do I check it?+
An adult dog usually eats two to three percent of its ideal body weight a day; a puppy four to eight. The calculator works from energy and shows the percentage only as a sanity check – if it lands outside the usual range, the energy value you entered is usually the problem. Have homemade recipes reviewed by a veterinary nutritionist; unbalanced raw diets are the leading cause of nutrient deficiencies.
Does the ration change after neutering?+
Yes. The literature puts the drop in energy requirements at twenty to thirty percent, and appetite often increases, so without an adjustment a dog gains weight within months. Our factor of 1.6 instead of 1.8 is conservative against that – it cuts the ration by only about a tenth. If your dog gains weight after the procedure, take another ten percent off. Reduce the ration right away, not once the excess weight shows up.
How do I know my dog is on a prescription diet, and what does that mean for the calculator?+
Prescription diets (renal, hypoallergenic, urinary, gastrointestinal and others) are usually sold through a clinic or pharmacy and state the indication – the condition they are meant for – on the pack. Their purpose is therapeutic, not merely nutritional: both the food and the amount are set by your vet, and neither should change without them. In that situation the calculator is at most a cross-check on whether the energy of the prescribed ration matches your dog's needs – if you find a large discrepancy, raise it with your vet rather than adjusting the ration yourself.
What if my dog loses or gains weight on the calculated ration?+
That's normal and doesn't mean the calculation was wrong. The equation works from an average, and two dogs of the same weight can differ in real requirements by a fifth, so the result is a starting point rather than a final number. The routine is simple: weigh every two to three weeks and adjust in steps of five to ten percent, not by halves. After each adjustment, wait a fortnight before judging whether it worked.
How much dry food for a 10 kg dog?+
A neutered adult dog at an ideal weight of 10 kg with normal activity has a resting requirement of RER 70 × 10^0.75 = 394 kcal. Multiplied by the 1.6 factor, that comes to 630 kcal a day. On a typical kibble providing 370 kcal per 100 g that means roughly 170 g a day; reserve a tenth of the energy for treats and the main ration drops to 153 g. Split it into two meals, and check the kcal/100 g figure on your own pack – light and performance kibbles shift the answer noticeably.
How much to feed a puppy by age and weight?+
Under four months a puppy is fed three times its resting energy (3 × RER), split into four meals a day. Between four and twelve months the factor drops to 2 × RER and three meals are enough. The important part is that the calculation uses the weight the puppy has TODAY, not the adult weight of the breed. Because puppies grow fast, recalculate the ration every one to two weeks. With large breeds, never feed to appetite either – excess energy and calcium speed up growth and raise the risk of joint disease.
What percentage of body weight does a dog eat per day?+
On dry food it is usually around 1.5–2.5 % of the dog's ideal body weight, on wet food 4–6 %, and on a raw diet 2–3 % (4–8 % for a puppy). The percentage is only a sanity check, not a method: this calculator works from energy, because comparing two foods by weight tells you nothing until you know their kcal per 100 g. If a dry-food result lands above 3 % of body weight, the energy value you entered is almost certainly wrong. Treat the percentage as a quick plausibility test of the result.