Pets
How much food should you feed your dog per day?
Daily calories and grams of kibble, wet or raw food based on your dog’s weight, age and activity level.
Quick answer
A 10 kg neutered adult on dry kibble eats about 170 g a day; a 30 kg one about 390 g — not three times as much, because energy need rises with weight to the power of 0.75, not in a straight line. The vet formula is RER = 70 × kg^0.75, multiplied by 1.6 for a neutered adult, up to 2.5 for a puppy, down to 1.4 for a senior.
Food per day
286 g
- Calories per day
- 1,059 kcal
- Per meal (2 meals)
- 143 g
Based on the standard veterinary formula (RER = 70 × kg^0.75) with age and activity multipliers, assuming average energy density. Kibble brands vary from 3.2 to 4.2 kcal/g — check your bag’s label and adjust. Watch body condition over 2-3 weeks rather than trusting any single number. Not a substitute for veterinary advice.
How it works
| Dog weight | Puppy | Adult, neutered | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg | 160 g | 100 g | 90 g |
| 10 kg | 265 g | 170 g | 150 g |
| 20 kg | 445 g | 285 g | 250 g |
| 30 kg | 605 g | 390 g | 340 g |
| 40 kg | 750 g | 480 g | 420 g |
More than half the dogs in western countries are overweight, and the commonest cause is measuring by eye against a bag guideline that tends to be generous. The curve is also why scaling a small dog's bowl down from a big dog's "by size" overfeeds it. The portions above assume normal activity and dry kibble; the calculator adjusts for both.
Calories then convert to grams through the energy density of the food, and this is where owners get caught out: dry kibble packs roughly 3.5-4 kcal per gram while wet food is only about 1 kcal per gram — so the same dog needs more than three times the weight in wet food. The calculator above does the full chain: weight → calories → grams per day → grams per meal. Treat the result as a starting point, check it against your bag’s label, and let your dog’s body condition over the following weeks be the final judge.
One input decides whether this calculation helps or entrenches the problem: if the dog is already overweight, enter the weight it should be, not the weight it is. Feeding correctly for an obese dog keeps it obese — the portion has to belong to the target. The other thing worth knowing before you change bag: switch over seven to ten days, mixing an increasing share of the new food into the old. A clean switch overnight usually means a week of loose stools, and most owners read that as "this food doesn't agree with him" and go back.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is one scoop of kibble?+
There is no general answer, and the scoop in the bag is the reason: it measures **volume**, while the dose is in **grams**. Kibble differs in size and shape, so the same scoop holds noticeably different weights between brands — and the figure drifts again as the bag settles. Weigh one level scoop on a kitchen scale, once, and write the number on the bag with a marker: from then on that scoop is exact for that bag. And if the dog is overweight, work the portion from the weight it should reach, not the one it has — feeding correctly for an obese dog keeps it obese.
How many grams of kibble should a 10 kg dog eat per day?+
A neutered adult 10 kg dog with normal activity needs roughly 630 kcal per day, which is about 170 g of average kibble (3.7 kcal/g), split into two meals of ~85 g. An active dog of the same weight can need 20-25% more, a couch-loving senior 15-20% less. Always cross-check with your specific food’s kcal/100g on the label.
How do I know if I’m feeding the right amount?+
Use the body condition check, not the bowl: you should feel the ribs easily under a thin layer of fat without seeing them, and see a visible waist from above. If ribs disappear under padding, cut portions by ~10% and re-check in three weeks. The scale matters less than the shape — muscle and breed variation make weight alone misleading.
Do treats count toward the daily amount?+
Absolutely — and they’re the most common hidden cause of weight gain. The guideline is that treats should stay under 10% of daily calories: for a 10 kg dog that’s about 60 kcal, which a single dental stick can use up entirely. If you train with treats often, subtract the equivalent from the kibble ration or use part of the daily kibble as training treats.
How much should a puppy eat compared to an adult?+
A growing puppy needs 2-3× the calories per kg of an adult — the calculator uses a 2.5 factor. Feed puppy-specific food (higher protein and calcium) in 3-4 meals a day until about 6 months, then 2-3. Recalculate every few weeks as weight changes fast. For large breeds, avoid overfeeding: growing too fast is a risk factor for joint problems.
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