Dog Food Calculator How Much to Feed Your Dog: Cups, Grams & Cans per Day
Find exactly how much food your dog needs each day, whether you feed dry kibble, wet food or a mix of both. Get cups and grams per meal, cans per day, how long a bag will last and what it costs per month.
By Manzoor Ahmad · Updated October 18, 2026
Bag size & cost (optional)
Dry food per day
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Daily calories
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How long will a bag last?
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Your feeding plan
How much should I feed my dog?
Feed your dog the number of calories it needs per day, divided by the calories in your food. A neutered adult needs about 1.4–1.6 × its resting energy requirement (RER = 70 × kg0.75). For a dry food with 350 kcal per cup, that works out to roughly ¾–1 cup a day for a 10 lb dog, 1¾–2 cups for a 30 lb dog, 2¾ cups for a 50 lb dog and 3½ cups for a 70 lb dog, split into two meals. Always check the kcal per cup on your bag, because foods range from about 300 to over 450 kcal per cup.
Key facts at a glance
- Portions depend on calories, not volume. The same cup of two different foods can differ by 30% or more.
- Every complete dog food in the US must show a calorie statement (kcal/kg and kcal per cup or can) on the label.
- Adults usually eat 2 meals a day. Puppies under 4 months need 3–4 meals.
- Keep treats at 10% or less of daily calories and reduce meals to match.
- A kitchen scale is more accurate than a scoop. A heaped cup can hold 10–20% extra.
- Weigh your dog every 2–4 weeks and change portions by about 10% if weight drifts.
Dog feeding chart by weight (cups per day)
Daily amounts for a spayed or neutered adult with normal activity (1.5 × RER), with 10% kept for treats. Find your food’s kcal per cup on the bag, then read across.
| Dog weight | kcal/day | 300 kcal/cup | 350 kcal/cup | 400 kcal/cup | 450 kcal/cup | 13-oz cans* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb (2.3 kg) | 190 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 330 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 15 lb (6.8 kg) | 440 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 550 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| 25 lb (11.3 kg) | 650 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| 30 lb (13.6 kg) | 740 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| 40 lb (18.1 kg) | 920 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 1090 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| 60 lb (27.2 kg) | 1250 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| 70 lb (31.8 kg) | 1400 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
| 80 lb (36.3 kg) | 1550 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| 90 lb (40.8 kg) | 1700 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
| 100 lb (45.4 kg) | 1840 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
| 120 lb (54.4 kg) | 2100 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
*Cans assume about 400 kcal per 13-oz can, but wet foods vary widely (roughly 300–550 kcal per 13-oz can), so check your label. Intact, active, young or pregnant dogs need more. Use the calculator above for your dog.
How to use the dog food calculator
- Describe your dog. Weight, life stage, spay/neuter status and activity set the calorie target, using the same AAHA formulas as our dog calorie calculator.
- Choose your food type. Dry, wet or mixed. For mixed feeding, slide to set how much of the day’s calories come from wet food.
- Copy the label numbers. Enter kcal per cup and kcal per kg for dry food, or kcal per can for wet food. They’re printed near the ingredient list.
- Add bag size and price to see how many days a bag lasts and your monthly food cost. Then copy the feeding plan to stick on the fridge.
Daily calories = 70 × kg^0.75 × life-stage factor
Cups per day = food calories ÷ kcal per cup · Grams = food calories ÷ kcal per kg × 1000
Bag lasts (days) = bag weight in grams ÷ grams per day
How much to feed a puppy
Puppies need about 3 × RER until 4 months, then about 2 × RER until they reach adult size. The amounts below use the puppy’s current weight and a typical 400 kcal per cup puppy food, with 10% kept for training treats.
| Puppy weight now | Under 4 months (3× RER) | 4 months to adult (2× RER) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 lb (2.3 kg) | 350 kcal · 0.9 cups | 230 kcal · 0.6 cups |
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 590 kcal · 1.5 cups | 390 kcal · 1.0 cups |
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 990 kcal · 2.5 cups | 660 kcal · 1.6 cups |
| 30 lb (13.6 kg) | 1340 kcal · 3.3 cups | 890 kcal · 2.2 cups |
| 40 lb (18.1 kg) | 1660 kcal · 4.2 cups | 1110 kcal · 2.8 cups |
| 60 lb (27.2 kg) | 2250 kcal · 5.6 cups | 1500 kcal · 3.8 cups |
| Age | Meals per day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8–12 weeks | 4 | Small stomachs. Use a complete puppy food. |
| 3–6 months | 3 | Recalculate every 2 weeks as weight climbs |
| 6–12 months | 2–3 | Small breeds near adult size by 9–12 months |
| Large/giant 12–24 months | 2 | Large-breed puppy food. Avoid rapid growth. |
To see how big your puppy will get, and when to switch to adult food, use the puppy weight calculator.
How to read a dog food label for feeding
Calorie content
Look for “Calorie Content (calculated)”: kcal/kg and kcal per cup or can. That’s the only number this calculator needs.
Feeding guide
The chart on the bag is a broad average and often assumes active, intact dogs. Treat it as a ceiling, not a target.
“Complete and balanced”
Choose foods with a nutritional adequacy statement for your dog’s life stage: growth, adult maintenance or all life stages.
Feeding wet food or mixing wet and dry
Wet food is mostly water (often about 75–80% moisture), so a can holds far fewer calories per ounce than kibble. When mixing, split the day’s calories, not the volume. If wet food supplies 25% of calories, cut the dry portion by 25%. The calculator’s slider does this automatically.
Mostly dry (10–30% wet)
A spoonful of wet food as a topper boosts appetite. Remember to reduce kibble to match.
Half and half
Popular for picky eaters and dogs that need more water. Store opened cans in the fridge for up to about 3 days.
Mostly wet
Higher cost per calorie, but helpful for small dogs, seniors with dental issues and dogs on hydration plans.
Worked example: a 30 lb neutered adult on dry food
- Calories: RER 70 × 13.60.75 ≈ 496 kcal × 1.5 ≈ 744 kcal/day.
- Food after treats: 744 × 0.9 ≈ 670 kcal (74 kcal left for treats).
- Portions: 670 ÷ 350 kcal/cup ≈ 1.9 cups/day, about 0.96 cup per meal over 2 meals, or ≈ 186 g/day at 3,600 kcal/kg.
- Bag: a 30 lb bag (13.6 kg) lasts about 73 days. At $60 per bag, that’s about $0.82 a day or $25 a month.
These are the calculator’s default values, so you can check every step.
A pharmacist’s tips for feeding safely
- Hide pills in a measured treat, not extra food. Pill pockets and cheese add calories. Count them in the 10% treat budget.
- Some medicines must be given with food, others on an empty stomach. Ask your vet or pharmacist how to time doses around meals.
- Avoid “people food” toppers with onion, garlic or xylitol. Gravy, broth and some peanut butters can contain them. Check exposures with the onion and garlic toxicity calculator.
- Change foods gradually over 7–10 days by mixing increasing amounts of the new food, to avoid stomach upset.
- Don’t add supplements to “balance” a complete diet unless your vet advises it. Extra calcium is especially risky for large-breed puppies.
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Dog food calculator FAQs
Divide your dog’s daily calorie needs by the calories per cup of its food. A 30 lb neutered adult needs about 740 kcal a day, which is roughly 1.9 cups of a 350 kcal/cup kibble after leaving 10% for treats.
It depends on weight and the food’s calorie density. With a 350 kcal/cup food, a neutered adult typically needs about ¾–1 cup at 10 lb, 1.9 cups at 30 lb, 2¾ cups at 50 lb and 3½ cups at 70 lb per day.
Most adult dogs do well on two meals a day. Puppies under 4 months need 3–4 meals, and 3 meals until about 6 months. Some vets suggest 2–3 smaller meals for large, deep-chested breeds.
Divide the daily food calories by the food’s kcal per kg, then multiply by 1,000. For example, 670 kcal ÷ 3,600 kcal/kg × 1,000 ≈ 186 grams per day.
Divide daily food calories by the kcal per can. With a 400 kcal 13-oz can, a 30 lb neutered adult needs about 1.7 cans a day. Wet foods vary a lot, so always use your label.
Split the daily calories between them. If wet food provides 25% of calories, feed 25% of the calories as wet and reduce the dry portion by 25%. The calculator’s slider handles this automatically.
It’s a rough starting point. Bag charts cover wide weight ranges and often suit active, intact dogs, so many neutered pet dogs gain weight following them. A calorie-based calculation is more precise.
Divide the bag weight in grams by the grams your dog eats per day. A 30 lb bag (13.6 kg) lasts a 30 lb neutered adult eating 186 g/day about 73 days.
Base calories on the target weight at about 1.0 × RER, choose “Lose weight” and enter the target weight. Use a complete weight-loss diet and recheck every 2–4 weeks with your vet.
You should be able to feel the ribs easily without pressing, and see a waist from above. Weigh your dog every 2–4 weeks and adjust portions by about 10% if weight changes unintentionally.
Weighing food on a kitchen scale is the most accurate method. Studies of owners using scoops show large errors, and a heaped cup can be 10–20% more than a level one.
It depends on dog size and food price. Enter your bag size and price in the calculator. For example, a 30 lb dog eating a $60, 30 lb bag costs about $25 a month.
Manzoor Ahmad
Pharmacist & health writer · 13+ years of web development and SEO experience
Manzoor is a pharmacist with more than nine years of experience writing evidence-based health, nutrition and supplement content. He builds every dexocalc pet calculator from primary veterinary references. The calorie engine in this tool follows the 2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines and is shared with the dexocalc dog calorie calculator. This tool gives a feeding starting point. It does not replace advice from your veterinarian.
Sources
Disclaimer: This dog food calculator gives educational feeding estimates. Individual needs vary with breed, metabolism, health and environment, and food calorie values vary by brand. Use the result as a starting point, monitor your dog’s weight and body condition, and consult your veterinarian, especially for puppies, pregnant or nursing dogs, and dogs with medical conditions.