Dog Food Amount Calculator: Grams and Cups per Meal
Turn your dog's calorie needs into grams and cups per meal from the food label, leave room for treats, and see how long a bag lasts.
Turn your dog's daily calorie needs into a portion you can actually measure: grams and cups per meal, after leaving room for treats. The calculator uses the calorie content from your food label, splits the day into meals, and shows how long a bag will last and what feeding costs each month.
How to use this tool
- Enter your dog's weight and life stage, or a daily calorie target from your vet.
- Copy the calorie content from the bag: kcal per kg, and kcal per cup if you feed by cup.
- Choose the number of meals and the share of calories given as treats.
- Enter the bag size and, if you like, its price.
- Weigh each portion on a kitchen scale.
Formula
grams per day = daily kcal × (1 − treat %) ÷ kcal per kg × 1,000; grams per meal = grams per day ÷ meals
Daily kcal = 70 × (weight in kg)^0.75 × a life-stage factor: 1.6 neutered adult, 1.8 intact, 1.2 inactive, 3.0 puppy under 4 months, 2.0 older puppy or active dog. Bag days = bag weight in grams ÷ grams per day; monthly cost uses an average month of 30.44 days.
Example
A 16 kg neutered adult needs 70 × 16^0.75 × 1.6 = 896 kcal a day. Giving 10% as treats leaves 806.4 kcal for meals. With a kibble of 4,000 kcal/kg and 400 kcal per cup, that is 806.4 ÷ 4 = 201.6 g a day, or 100.8 g (about 1 cup) per meal on two meals. A 10 kg bag lasts about 49.6 days.
Frequently asked questions
Should I measure in grams or cups?
Grams. How full a "cup" is depends on the scoop, the kibble size and how it is levelled, and studies of owners scooping dry food have found large errors. A kitchen scale gives the same portion every time.
Where do I find kcal per kg?
On US pet foods it appears in the "Calorie content" statement, usually near the guaranteed analysis, as kcal/kg followed by kcal per cup or per can.
How many meals a day should my dog get?
Most adult dogs do well on two meals; young puppies are usually fed three or four smaller ones. The daily total stays the same — only the portion size changes.
How much of the diet can be treats?
WSAVA recommends less than 10% of daily calories. The 10% input is a ceiling; choose a smaller actual share. The entered share is deducted from meals, and may need to be lower for therapeutic diets.
Sources
This tool gives an estimate for general information only. It is not financial, tax, legal or medical advice — check with a qualified professional before you rely on the result.
Last updated: 2026-10-30