Feeding the right amount of a high-quality dog food is one of the simplest things you can do to help keep your dog healthy. Feed too much and you put your dog at risk for obesity. Feed too little and nutritional deficiencies are possible.
If you’re wondering “how much food should I feed my dog?” you’re in the right place. Our dog feeding guide is here to help.
How To Find the Right Amount of Dog Food for Your Dog
Many factors play a role in how much you should feed your dog:
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Age: Puppies need more energy (calories), more protein, and more of certain vitamins and other nutrients compared to adult dogs.
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Size: Larger dogs need to eat more than smaller dogs.
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Activity level: Dogs that get a lot of exercise need more food.
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Reproductive status: Spayed and neutered dogs need fewer calories than unaltered dogs. If your dog is pregnant or nursing, she’ll need to eat more food to support herself and her puppies.
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Body condition score: Overweight dogs should eat fewer calories than a dog that’s at a healthy weight. Alternatively, dogs that need to gain weight should eat more.
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The food you offer: Some foods are very calorie- and nutrient-dense, meaning a little goes a long way.
A dog’s nutritional needs can vary as they get older or as their lifestyle or health status changes. It’s also important to remember that every dog and every situation is unique—what’s ideal for one dog may not work well for another.
Dog Feeding Charts
Determining how much food your dog should eat isn’t always easy, but lots of help is available. The best place to start is on the label of the dog food that your pet eats. Look at the packaging and you will find a feeding chart that provides recommendations tailored to that specific dog food.
A calorie calculator can also help, but the results are just an estimate. Your dog’s specific needs can be as much as 50% more or less than what is typical.
Body condition scoring is a good way to fine-tune how much food to give your dog, and of course, talk to your veterinarian if you have questions.
How Much To Feed a Healthy Adult Dog
Healthy adult dogs are the easiest to feed. They’re done growing, so their nutritional needs should be fairly consistent over time—unless something big changes in their lives.
The most important factor is their weight. Use your dog’s ideal weight to figure out how much food to offer. This may be lower than your dog’s actual weight if they’re overweight, or a little higher if they’re too thin.
Let’s look at an example. Below is the feeding guide for the Purina® Pro Plan® dry dog food. The food contains 379 calories (kcal) per cup, so the ranges would be similar for any adult dog food that has a similar calorie content.
Adult Dog Feeding Chart
| 3–12 pounds | ½–1¼ cup |
| 13–20 pounds | 1¼–1⅔ cups |
| 21–35 pounds | 1⅔–2⅓ cups |
| 36–50 pounds | 2⅓–3 cups |
| 51–75 pounds | 3–3¾ cups |
| 76–100 pounds | 4–4⅔ cups |
| Over 100 pounds | 4⅔ cups, plus ⅓ cup for each 10 pounds of body weight over 100 pounds |
How Much To Feed Puppies
Puppies are more complicated.
In their early months, they require extra calories, protein, and other nutrients to fuel their growth.
As they get closer to their full-grown size, they become more like an adult dog. So, you have to look up both your puppy’s current weight and their age to determine how much dog food to give your dog.
This feeding guide for the Blue Buffalo™ Wilderness™ Rocky Mountain Recipe™ makes it easy to determine how much to feed your puppy as they get older.
Puppy Feeding Chart
| Up to 5 pounds | ½–1 cup | ½–¾ cup | ¼–½ cup | ¼–½ cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–10 pounds | 1–1½ cups | ¾–1 cup | ½–1 cup | ½–¾ cup |
| 11–20 pounds | 1½–2½ cups | 1–1¾ cups | 1–1½ cups | ¾–1¼ cups |
| 21–40 pounds | 2½–4¼ cups | 1¾–3 cups | 1½–2½ cups | 1¼–2¼ cups |
| 41–60 pounds | 4¼–5¾ cups | 3–4 cups | 2½–3½ cups | 2¼–3 cups |
How Much To Feed Senior Dogs
Senior dogs are on the other end of the spectrum.
Veterinarians usually consider dogs to be seniors when they reach 7–12 years of age, depending on their size.
A dog’s lifestyle and health status should also be considered. Senior diets often (but not always) have lower calorie counts than adult dog foods to help prevent unhealthy weight gain as dogs become less active with age.
The food may contain ingredients to support joint health or help manage other conditions that become more common as dogs get older.
Your veterinarian can help you pick the right time to make the switch to a senior dog food.
Here is the feeding guide for Wellness® Complete Health™ senior dry dog food.
Senior Dog Feeding Chart
| 18–23 pounds | 1–1⅓ cups |
| 24–45 pounds | 1⅓–2¼ cups |
| 46–65 pounds | 2⅓–3 cups |
| 66–85 pounds | 3–3⅔ cups |
| 86–105 pounds | 3¾–4⅓ cups |
| 106–125 pounds | 4⅓–4 ¾ cups |
| Dogs over 125 pounds | Add ¼ cup per additional 10 pounds |
How Many Times a Day Should a Dog Eat?
You may have noticed that dog feeding guides tell you how much dog food to feed per day. But most dogs shouldn’t have just one meal a day, so you’ll have to divide the amount of food on the feeding chart by the number of meals your dog eats daily.
Recommendations vary based on a dog’s size and age:
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Large and giant breeds:
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Small and medium breeds:
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Toy breeds:
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For puppies up to 4 months of age: four to five meals per day
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For puppies 4–6 months of age: three meals per day
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For dogs 6 months of age and older: two meals per day
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While it requires some work to determine how much food to give your dog, your efforts will be rewarded with all the extra healthy years you get to spend with your fur friend.
