Dog Food Calculator

This calculator estimates daily food portions and cost using standard veterinary energy-requirement formulas. Resting Energy Requirement (RER) is calculated from body weight using the widely used allometric formula RER = 70 x (weight in kg)^0.75, which scales sub-linearly with weight -- doubling a dog's weight less than doubles its RER, reflecting the real physiological pattern that larger animals have proportionally lower metabolic rates per pound than smaller ones. Daily Energy Requirement then multiplies RER by an Activity Level multiplier (1.2x for inactive dogs up to 3.0x for working/very active dogs) and a Life Stage multiplier (2.0x for puppies who need extra energy for growth, down to 0.8x for seniors), so both selections meaningfully change how much food is recommended even at the same body weight -- in fact, switching Life Stage moves Cups per Day by more than an equivalent percentage change in Weight does, since it's one of two multiplicative factors applied on top of the weight-based RER. Because AAHA/WSAVA feeding guidance publishes one combined multiplier per life-stage/activity pair rather than a literal product of two independent factors, the combined Activity Level x Life Stage multiplier is capped at 3.0x -- matching the upper end of commonly-cited puppy DER ranges (roughly 2-3x RER even for very active growing puppies) -- so a Puppy selected alongside Very High Activity doesn't multiply out to an uncapped 6x RER.

Cups per Day converts that daily calorie target into food volume using your food's actual Calories per Cup, which you should check on your specific product's label -- feeding a more calorie-dense food means fewer cups are needed for the same calorie target, and vice versa. Food Cost per Pound has no effect on how much your dog eats -- it only affects the Monthly Cost and Yearly Cost estimates, calculated separately from the feeding amount. This calculator provides a starting-point estimate; actual calorie needs vary by individual metabolism, breed, spay/neuter status, and health conditions, so monitor your dog's body condition and adjust portions with your veterinarian's guidance.