How Much to Feed Your Dog, and How Often

Start with the feeding guide on your dog’s food for their ideal weight, weigh it in grams, then check your dog’s ribs, waist and tummy every couple of weeks and adjust. Keep treats under a tenth of the day’s calories. Vets and charities suggest two meals a day for adults and more for young puppies. This guide follows the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the Merck Veterinary Manual, Tufts University’s vet nutritionists, VCA hospitals’ vets, and the UK charities PDSA and RSPCA, all checked on 22 October 2026.

The bag’s feeding guide is a starting point

PDSA says to use the guide on the packet as a starting point and to feed for your dog’s target weight, which may not be what they weigh now (PDSA). Label amounts are based on an “average” dog (WSAVA), and a real dog’s needs can be 30% higher or lower (WSAVA, 2011).

Some guides are off, too. Tufts vet nutritionist Lisa Freeman checked eight dry adult dog foods against standard calculations: only two matched at every body weight, four gave larger dogs too much, and one recommended up to 61% more calories than a dog would need (Tufts). So the real test is your dog’s body.

Check your dog’s body condition

Vets use a 9-point body condition score. WSAVA’s goal for most dogs is 4 to 5 out of 9, and it warns that this can look “too thin” to some people (WSAVA, 2011). To check, using WSAVA’s chart:

• Ribs: run your hands along the sides of the chest. You shouldn’t need to dig your fingers in to find them, says PDSA.
• Waist: look down from above. PDSA describes an hourglass shape that fades as a dog gains weight.
• Tummy tuck: look from the side. At an ideal score the belly tucks up towards the back legs.

Each point up the scale means about 5% more body fat, says AAHA (AAHA, 2021). In a medium or long coat, feel rather than just look (WSAVA, 2011).

Weigh the food, not a cup

A study pooling 12 trials found that dry food scooped with measuring cups ranged from 18% too little to 80% too much (German et al., 2011). PDSA advises weighing food on electronic scales (PDSA).

To turn calories into grams, divide the calories your dog needs by the calories in a gram of food: a food with 3,750 kcal per kg has 3.75 kcal per gram (Tufts). For example, a dog needing 900 kcal a day would get 900 ÷ 3.75 = 240 g. In North America the label must give calories per kg and per cup or can (WSAVA); in the EU it’s optional and often missing (WSAVA), so ask the maker.

Treats and extras count

Treats should make up less than 10% of the day’s calories, says WSAVA’s treat guide, and that includes chews, supplements and the food you hide tablets in (WSAVA). AAHA and PDSA give the same limit. Cut the main meals to make room (PDSA).

Ten per cent isn’t much: about 30 kcal a day for a 4.5 kg (10 lb) dog and 140 kcal for a 34 kg (75 lb) dog, says Tufts. One digestive biscuit has 75 kcal, and 28 g of cheddar has 120 (WSAVA). Tufts suggests crunchy vegetables instead, such as a medium carrot at about 25 kcal, or a few pieces of the day’s own kibble (Tufts).

How a vet works out calories

This is the maths behind dog food calculators. A vet starts with the resting energy requirement (RER), the energy a dog uses at rest:

RER = 70 × (body weight in kg) to the power of 0.75 (Merck Veterinary Manual)

On a phone calculator, turn it sideways, type the weight, press the x^y key and type 0.75 (AAHA).

The vet then multiplies RER by a factor. Merck gives 1.8 for an intact adult, 1.6 for a neutered adult, 1.4 for a dog prone to obesity, 3 for a puppy under 4 months and 2 after that (Merck). AAHA’s factors differ slightly; its example is a 4.5 kg neutered dog with an RER of 216 kcal, times 1.4, making 302 kcal a day.

WSAVA’s starting ranges for an average healthy adult dog at ideal body condition (WSAVA):

Every formula is only a starting point (Merck). Tufts warns that calculators shouldn’t be used for a dog that is over- or underweight: ask your vet instead.

Neutered, older and active dogs

• Neutered: energy needs drop after spaying or neutering, so the food must drop too (AAHA).
• Older: AAHA says energy needs are thought to fall through middle age, though studies disagree, and senior dogs can lose muscle and weight. It says a dog doing well on its adult food can stay on it. PDSA suggests a senior food from about half the dog’s life expectancy: around 7 years for small dogs and 5 for larger ones. Ask your vet.
• Active: AAHA’s factors run from 1.6 to 2.0 × RER for light work up to 5 to 11 for heavy work, and it notes that sedentary or indoor dogs may need less than standard.

How many meals a day

• Adults: PDSA recommends two equal meals, and VCA’s vets call two meals the best schedule for adults (VCA). The RSPCA says at least once a day unless your vet advises otherwise.
• Puppies: VCA’s puppy handout suggests four measured meals a day from 5 to 12 weeks, dropping one by 3 to 4 months and perhaps another later. A VCA article written with the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition says generally 2 to 3 a day, by age and body condition (VCA). PDSA says puppies and small dogs may need up to four. At first, keep to the breeder’s routine: see bringing home a puppy.
• Puppy food until about a year for small and medium dogs, and 15 to 16 months for some large and giant breeds (AAHA).
• Leaving food out all day suits only dogs that keep an ideal weight on it, says WSAVA, and never large-breed puppies, which need measured portions to grow slowly at a score of 4. PDSA allows it for active dogs and those that struggle to keep weight on.

Helping your dog lose weight

Feed for the target weight, not the current one (PDSA). If your dog is very overweight, see your vet first: PDSA says the vet may test for an underlying cause, and practices often run weight clinics led by vet nurses. Don’t just shrink the usual food too far: Tufts says that if you’re feeding less than 75% of the label amount, switch to a lower-calorie or weight-loss food to avoid nutrient shortfalls. For a step-by-step plan, see how to slim down an overweight Labrador.

Weigh your dog regularly (PDSA). WSAVA’s FAQ says to adjust the amount every two weeks at first, until your dog reaches and keeps an ideal weight.

Home-cooked food

Most recipes in books and on websites, even ones written by vets, aren’t complete and balanced, says AAHA. It recommends a recipe from a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, followed exactly and updated every year. WSAVA adds check-ups with blood tests twice a year, and suggests asking your vet or a local vet school to find a nutritionist; the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), which certifies nutrition specialists, has a search. Only 13% of Tufts’ clients were still following their recipe 6 to 12 months later, and adjusting or leaving out the supplements was a common change (Tufts).

When to see a vet

Call your vet if your dog:

• Gains or loses weight and you don’t know why. WSAVA lists this as a reason for a closer look.
• Stops eating, or doesn’t eat enough to keep their weight. WSAVA says to see a vet as soon as possible.
• Changes how much they eat or drink, which can be a sign of illness (RSPCA).
• Is hungrier and drinking more, but losing weight. Merck lists these among the signs of diabetes (Merck).
• Stays at a healthy weight on unusually little food. Merck suggests checking for an underactive thyroid.
• Is older and eating less or drinking more. PDSA says arthritis or dental problems can cause this.

FAQs

Can I feed my dog once a day? The RSPCA’s minimum is once a day unless your vet says otherwise, but PDSA and VCA’s vets recommend two meals. Ask your vet if you’d like to feed once.

Should my dog eat more in winter? Not usually. PDSA says colder weather shouldn’t change how much you feed, as long as your dog has a warm bed.

How much home-cooked food does a dog need? It depends on the recipe, which is why a vet nutritionist works in calories, not cups. Home-cooked food usually has fewer calories per cup than kibble: Tufts says moving from a 400 kcal-per-cup dry food to a chicken and rice diet means feeding about twice the volume.