Raw Dog Food Calculator BARF & Prey Model Portions · Grams per Day
Work out how much raw food your dog needs each day and how to split it into muscle meat, raw meaty bone, liver, other organs and plants. Covers BARF, prey model and custom ratios, puppies, and a calorie cross-check against veterinary formulas.
By Manzoor Ahmad · Updated October 18, 2026
Batch prep & cost (optional)
Raw food per day
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Calorie cross-check (percent method vs veterinary formula)
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Before you switch to raw
The American Veterinary Medical Association discourages feeding raw or undercooked animal protein because of Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter risks to pets and people, especially children, older adults, pregnant and immunocompromised people. If you do feed raw, follow strict hygiene and have your recipe balanced by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
How much raw food should I feed my dog?
Raw feeders typically give an adult dog 2–3% of its ideal body weight in raw food per day: about 2% for less active or overweight dogs, 2.5% for most adults and 3% or more for very active or working dogs. A 50 lb (22.7 kg) adult at 2.5% eats about 570 g (20 oz) per day. Puppies eat much more relative to their size, from around 8% of current weight at 2–4 months down to about 3.5% by 9–12 months. Because raw foods vary widely in fat and calories, check the result against a calorie estimate and adjust to your dog’s body condition.
Key facts at a glance
- BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) ratio: about 70% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organ and around 10% vegetables, fruit and seeds.
- Prey model raw (PMR): 80% muscle, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organ, with no plant matter.
- Heart, gizzard and tongue count as muscle meat, not organ. Only liver counts toward the liver share.
- The percent-of-body-weight rule is a raw-feeding convention, not a veterinary standard. This calculator also checks calories with AAHA formulas.
- The AVMA discourages raw feeding because of bacterial risks to pets and people. Commercial high-pressure-processed (HPP) raw foods reduce, but don’t eliminate, that risk.
Raw dog food feeding chart by weight
Daily raw food for adult dogs based on ideal body weight. Use the calculator to split it into muscle, bone, organ and plant portions.
| Dog weight | 2% (less active) | 2.5% (typical adult) | 3% (active) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb (2.3 kg) | 45 g · 1.6 oz | 57 g · 2.0 oz | 68 g · 2.4 oz |
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 91 g · 3.2 oz | 113 g · 4.0 oz | 136 g · 4.8 oz |
| 15 lb (6.8 kg) | 136 g · 4.8 oz | 170 g · 6.0 oz | 204 g · 7.2 oz |
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 181 g · 6.4 oz | 227 g · 8.0 oz | 272 g · 9.6 oz |
| 30 lb (13.6 kg) | 272 g · 9.6 oz | 340 g · 12.0 oz | 408 g · 14.4 oz |
| 40 lb (18.1 kg) | 363 g · 12.8 oz | 454 g · 16.0 oz | 544 g · 19.2 oz |
| 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 454 g · 16.0 oz | 567 g · 20.0 oz | 680 g · 24.0 oz |
| 60 lb (27.2 kg) | 544 g · 19.2 oz | 680 g · 24.0 oz | 816 g · 28.8 oz |
| 70 lb (31.8 kg) | 635 g · 22.4 oz | 794 g · 28.0 oz | 953 g · 33.6 oz |
| 80 lb (36.3 kg) | 726 g · 25.6 oz | 907 g · 32.0 oz | 1089 g · 38.4 oz |
| 100 lb (45.4 kg) | 907 g · 32.0 oz | 1134 g · 40.0 oz | 1361 g · 48.0 oz |
| 120 lb (54.4 kg) | 1089 g · 38.4 oz | 1361 g · 48.0 oz | 1633 g · 57.6 oz |
BARF vs prey model raw: which ratio should you use?
| Component | BARF | Prey model (PMR) | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muscle meat | 70% | 80% | Beef, lamb, turkey, chicken thigh, heart, gizzard, green tripe |
| Raw edible bone | 10% | 10% | Chicken necks, wings and backs, duck frames (never cooked bones) |
| Liver | 5% | 5% | Beef, lamb or chicken liver |
| Other secreting organ | 5% | 5% | Kidney, spleen, pancreas, brain |
| Vegetables, fruit, seeds | ~10% | 0% | Leafy greens, broccoli, carrot, pumpkin, berries (no grapes, raisins, onion or garlic) |
The “bone” percentage refers to the bone itself, not the whole raw meaty bone. A chicken wing, for example, is roughly half bone and half meat, so a portion of wings counts toward both the bone and muscle shares. Bone content varies by cut and supplier.
Daily raw food (g) = ideal weight (kg) × 1000 × feeding %
Each component (g) = daily raw food × component %
Calorie check = daily grams × kcal per kg ÷ 1000 vs 70 × kg^0.75 × factor
How much raw food to feed a puppy
Puppies are fed as a percentage of their current weight, and the percentage drops as they grow. Recalculate every week or two, and keep an eye on body condition. A lean, steadily growing puppy is the goal, especially for large breeds.
| Puppy age | % of current weight per day | 10 lb puppy | 25 lb puppy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2–4 months | 8% | 363 g/day | 907 g/day |
| 4–6 months | 6% | 272 g/day | 680 g/day |
| 6–9 months | 4.5% | 204 g/day | 510 g/day |
| 9–12 months | 3.5% | 159 g/day | 397 g/day |
| 12+ months (large breeds still growing) | 3% | 136 g/day | 340 g/day |
Calcium and phosphorus balance is critical for growing bones, and homemade raw diets for puppies are among the hardest to get right. Work with a veterinary nutritionist, compare against kibble with the puppy food calculator, and track growth with the puppy weight calculator.
Worked example: a 50 lb adult dog on BARF
- Daily total: 22.7 kg × 1000 × 2.5% ≈ 567 g (20 oz) per day, split into 2 meals of about 283 g.
- Split: muscle ≈ 397 g · bone ≈ 57 g · liver ≈ 28 g · other organ ≈ 28 g · plants ≈ 57 g.
- Calories: at 1,800 kcal/kg, that supplies ≈ 1,020 kcal, against an AAHA estimate of ≈ 1,090 kcal for a neutered adult. That’s close enough to start, then adjust by body condition.
- Batch: a 7-day batch is about 4 kg of raw food in total.
These are the calculator’s default values.
Raw feeding safety: what vets want you to know
Raw diets are a genuine debate in veterinary medicine. Supporters report shinier coats and smaller stools, but the AVMA policy discourages raw animal protein because studies and recalls have found Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter. Healthy-looking dogs can shed these bacteria and pass them to people. If you choose raw:
Handle it like raw meat
Thaw in the fridge, use separate boards and bowls, wash hands and surfaces with hot soapy water, and pick up leftovers within about 30 minutes.
Balance the recipe
Homemade raw diets are often short of nutrients such as zinc, vitamin E, iodine or vitamin D, or carry too much calcium. A board-certified veterinary nutritionist can formulate a complete recipe.
Know who’s at risk
Reconsider raw in homes with infants, elderly or immunocompromised people, and for dogs that visit hospitals or care facilities as therapy animals.
Common raw feeding mistakes
Too much bone
Hard, white, crumbly stools and constipation mean too much bone. Reduce the bone share or switch to meatier cuts.
Too much liver
Liver is rich in vitamin A. Going far beyond about 5% can cause loose stools, and long-term excess risks vitamin A toxicity.
Cooked bones
Never feed cooked bones. They splinter and can cause choking, broken teeth or gut perforation.
Toxic “healthy” extras
Onion, garlic, grapes, raisins and some nuts are toxic to dogs. Keep them out of veggie blends and broths.
Single protein forever
Rotating proteins (beef, lamb, turkey, fish) helps cover nutrient gaps. Only the balanced, complete recipe as a whole meets the dog’s needs.
Ignoring the scale
Raw foods vary from roughly 1,200 to over 2,500 kcal/kg depending on fat. Weigh your dog every 2–4 weeks and adjust by about 10%.
Worried about something added to the bowl? Check onion and garlic with the onion and garlic toxicity calculator, or grapes and raisins with the grape toxicity calculator.
A pharmacist’s notes on supplements for raw-fed dogs
- Fish oil: raw diets heavy in chicken and beef are high in omega-6 fats. Many recipes add an omega-3 source, dosed by your vet for your dog’s weight.
- Vitamin E often needs supplementing when omega-3 oils are added, because those fats increase vitamin E requirements.
- Never use human multivitamins. Doses, iron and vitamin D levels aren’t designed for dogs, and some contain xylitol.
- Avoid calcium “top-ups” without a calculation. Excess calcium is as harmful as too little, especially for large-breed puppies.
- Medication timing: some drugs, such as certain antibiotics, bind to calcium in bone-rich meals. Ask your vet or pharmacist how to space doses.
Explore the dog nutrition cluster
Each tool answers the next question in a feeding plan:
Browse every tool in the Pets Calculators hub.
Raw dog food calculator FAQs
Most adult dogs eat 2–3% of their ideal body weight in raw food daily: 2% for less active or overweight dogs, about 2.5% for typical adults and 3% or more for very active dogs. A 50 lb dog at 2.5% eats about 570 g (20 oz) per day.
A common BARF ratio is about 70% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organ and around 10% vegetables, fruit and seeds.
Prey model raw (PMR) uses about 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other secreting organ, with no fruit or vegetables.
Puppies eat a higher percentage of their current weight: roughly 8% at 2–4 months, 6% at 4–6 months, 4.5% at 6–9 months and 3.5% at 9–12 months. Large breeds may need about 3% until fully grown. Recalculate as they grow.
No. Heart, gizzard and tongue are counted as muscle meat. The organ share should be liver plus other secreting organs such as kidney, spleen, pancreas or brain.
It varies widely with fat content, from about 1,200 to more than 2,500 kcal per kg. Check the label and use the calorie cross-check in the calculator to see whether the percent method fits your dog.
It carries real risks. The AVMA discourages feeding raw or undercooked animal protein because of Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter, which can affect pets and people. If you feed raw, use strict hygiene and a recipe balanced by a veterinary nutritionist.
Many owners transition over 7–10 days, starting with a single protein and gradually replacing kibble. Some switch cold turkey. Watch stools, and talk to your vet first, especially for dogs with sensitive stomachs or health conditions.
Some owners do. If you mix, split the day’s calories between the two so you don’t overfeed. Use the dog food calculator for the kibble portion and reduce the raw portion to match.
Usually too much bone. Reduce the bone share or choose meatier cuts. Very loose stools can mean too much organ, especially liver, or a too-rapid change in diet.
Raw feeders often use about 1.5–2% of the dog’s ideal weight, with leaner cuts. Check the calories against a weight-loss target and weigh your dog every 2 weeks with your vet’s guidance.
Often, yes. Raw food contains a lot of moisture, so raw-fed dogs may drink noticeably less than kibble-fed dogs. Fresh water should always be available.
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. This raw dog food calculator applies common raw-feeding conventions (percent of body weight, BARF and prey model ratios) and checks them against the 2021 AAHA energy formulas. Safety guidance follows the AVMA’s policy on raw animal-source protein. It’s a planning tool, not a substitute for a veterinary nutritionist.
Sources
Disclaimer: This raw dog food calculator gives educational estimates based on common raw-feeding conventions and veterinary energy formulas. It does not create a nutritionally complete recipe. Raw diets carry bacterial risks for pets and people. Consult your veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist before starting or changing a raw diet, especially for puppies, pregnant or nursing dogs, and dogs with health conditions.