Dog Food Calculator: How Much to Feed Your Pet
This dog food calculator works out exactly how much to feed your dog or cat each day instead of guessing portions or trusting a generic bag chart. Enter your pet's profile and it returns daily calories plus dry, wet, and mixed food amounts in grams.
The result is personalized to your animal because it factors in weight, age and life stage, activity level, body condition, and whether your pet is spayed or neutered. It covers both dogs and cats, which have different metabolic rates and life-stage thresholds.
How to Use the Pet Food Calculator
Pick the pet type
Choose Dog or Cat. The calculator applies different life-stage factors for each species.
Enter weight
Type your pet's current weight and toggle the unit between kg and lbs — the conversion is automatic.
Add age
Enter age in years and months to set the life stage: puppy/kitten under 12 months, adult, or senior (7+ years for dogs, 11+ for cats). Leave it blank and the tool assumes a 2-year-old adult.
Set activity and condition
Choose an activity level from Sedentary to Very Active, then a body condition of Underweight, Ideal, or Overweight, and confirm Spayed / Neutered status.
Read the results
Daily calories, portion sizes for dry, wet, and mixed food, a suggested feeding schedule, and tailored nutrition tips update instantly as you change any input.
Features
Vet-Standard Calorie Formula
Uses the RER/MER method (RER = 70 × weight0.75) to estimate daily caloric needs for dogs and cats.
Weight in kg or lbs
Enter weight in kilograms or pounds and the calculator converts it for you automatically.
Life-Stage Adjustments
Puppy/kitten, adult, and senior factors scale the result based on age in years and months.
Five Activity Levels
Match your pet's routine from Sedentary through Low, Moderate, Active, to Very Active.
Body Condition Scoring
Choose Underweight, Ideal, or Overweight so portions support gaining, maintaining, or losing weight.
Spayed / Neutered Factor
Lowers the recommendation by about 10% for neutered pets, which typically need fewer calories.
Dry, Wet & Mixed Portions
Get gram amounts for kibble (~350 kcal/100g), canned food (~85 kcal/100g), and a 50/50 mixed feed.
Feeding Schedule
Suggests how many meals per day and when to serve them, based on your pet's age and type.
RER & MER Breakdown
Shows the Resting Energy Requirement and the final Maintenance Energy Requirement after all factors.
Tailored Nutrition Tips
Contextual advice on growth, weight management, hydration, and high-energy feeding for your pet's profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much food should I feed my dog per day?
Enter your dog's weight, age, activity level, and body condition, and the calculator returns daily calories along with how many grams of dry, wet, or mixed food that works out to. Use it as a starting point and adjust if your dog gains or loses weight over time.
How do I calculate food by weight and age?
Weight drives the base calorie estimate through the RER formula (70 × weight in kg0.75), and age sets the life-stage multiplier. Puppies and kittens under 12 months need more calories per kilo than adults, while seniors usually need fewer — so entering both weight and age gives a far more accurate portion than weight alone.
How much should I feed a puppy?
Set the pet type to Dog and enter the puppy's current age in months. Puppies under 4 months get the highest multiplier and those aged 4–12 months a slightly lower one, because growing animals burn far more energy. Recalculate every few weeks as your puppy grows and gains weight.
How much should I feed my cat each day?
Switch the pet type to Cat and enter your cat's weight and age. Cats use different life-stage thresholds than dogs (senior begins at 11 years), and adult cats are scheduled for three smaller meals a day. The result shows daily calories plus dry, wet, and mixed portions.
Does activity level change how much to feed?
Yes. Activity is one of the multipliers in the Maintenance Energy Requirement, so a Very Active working dog gets a noticeably larger portion than a Sedentary indoor pet of the same weight. Pick the level that matches your pet's typical daily routine.
What do RER and MER mean?
RER (Resting Energy Requirement) is the calories a pet needs just to maintain basic body functions at rest. MER (Maintenance Energy Requirement) multiplies the RER by life-stage, activity, body-condition, and neutered factors to give the total calories needed for daily life. The calculator shows both.
Should I use the dry, wet, or mixed portion?
Follow the line that matches what you feed. Use the dry amount for kibble only, the wet amount for canned food only, or the mixed option for a balanced 50/50 calorie split between both. All three deliver the same total daily calories.
How accurate is the calculator?
It uses the widely accepted veterinary RER/MER approach, but individual pets vary in metabolism. Treat the result as a well-grounded starting point, monitor your pet's weight and body condition over a few weeks, and adjust portions or consult your veterinarian as needed.
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