Dog Feeding Amounts

How much to feed a dog by weight, life stage and the calorie density of the food — using the veterinary energy formula rather than the linear chart printed on the bag.

Calories for a dog do not scale with body weight. The veterinary formula uses an exponent:

Resting energy = 70 × (weight in kg)^0.75

That 0.75 is the whole story. A 40 kg dog does not need twice what a 20 kg dog needs — it needs about 1.7 times as much. Feeding charts printed on bags interpolate in a straight line, which is why large dogs fed off the bag tend to end up heavy.

Daily requirement is resting energy multiplied by a factor for life stage: about 1.6 for a neutered adult, 1.8 intact, 1.3 for an inactive indoor dog, 3.0 for a genuinely working dog or a puppy under four months.

Check the calories on your bag

Dry food runs roughly 300 to 500 kcal per cup depending on brand and formula. The same "two cups" can therefore be a third more or less food than intended. The figure is on the bag, usually in small print near the guaranteed analysis, and it is the most useful number on the packaging.

The working-dog multiplier is not for a long walk

×3.0 is for a sled dog, a herding dog on a farm, a dog running with you for hours daily. Applying it to a pet that gets a good walk is the fastest route to an overweight dog.

Treats count, and they are usually the culprit

Under 10% of the daily total. That is less than most people expect, and it is the common reason a carefully measured bowl still produces a heavy dog.

Where this stops

This is arithmetic for a healthy adult dog. Large-breed puppies, pregnant or nursing dogs, and any dog with kidney, heart, pancreatic or endocrine disease need a plan from a vet — and weight loss should be supervised, because dogs that lose weight too quickly can develop serious liver problems.

Body condition beats any calculator: you should feel the ribs easily without pressing, and see a waist from above.

How much to feed a 70 lb dog: working dog, food at 375 kcal per cup

Daily food

7.49cups a day

2,809 kcal for a 70 lb dog — working / very active, food at 375 kcal/cup

Daily calories	2,809kcal
Cups per dayat 375 kcal per cup	7.49cups
Twice a dayper meal	3.75cups
Three times a dayper meal	2.5cups
Resting energy (RER)70 × 31.8 kg^0.75 — what a dog burns doing nothing	936kcal
Activity multipliersustained daily work, not a long walk	× 3
Body weight70 lb	31.8kg

Notes

Calories do not scale with weight. The exponent is 0.75, not 1 — a 70 lb dog needs 7.49 cups, but scaling straight up from a 20 lb dog would say 10.25 cups, 37% too much. Feeding charts printed on the bag usually interpolate in a straight line, which is why big dogs on them get overfed.
Check the kcal per cup on your bag. It ranges from about 300 to 500 across brands, so the same "two cups" can be a third more or less food. The figure is on the bag, usually in small print near the guaranteed analysis.
The ×3 multiplier is for genuine sustained work — a sled dog, a herding dog on a farm, a dog running with you daily for hours. A long walk is not it, and using this multiplier for an ordinary pet is the fastest route to an overweight dog.
Healthy adult dogs only. Puppies of large breeds, pregnant or nursing dogs, and any dog with kidney, heart, pancreatic or endocrine disease need a plan from a vet — the calorie figure is the least important part of those diets.
Treats count. They should stay under 10% of the daily total, which is 281 kcal here — less than most people think, and the usual reason a carefully measured bowl still leads to a heavy dog.

Daily feeding amount

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