Dog/puppy feeding amount calculator

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

A while ago I made an excel sheet to calculate feeding amounts.  I made a web version to share so anyone can use it :)  It's especially useful for puppies since they grow so quickly it's hard to keep up with how much to feed them on a weekly basis.

Calculator link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NI8A94IIOdVwcm_Ifk2LKAR4_wU...

Just enter your dog's weight (either in pounds OR in kg, not both) and the kcal/cup of the food you are feeding. 

In the green area it tells you how much to feed your dog (use the info. from one column only).  I rounded it to the nearest 1/4 cup to simplify measuring but if you want a more accurate number it's below in the purple shaded area.

*NOTE* This assumes your dog has a normal activity level and is at a healthy weight.  Feeding amounts should always be adjusted depending on your dog's needs and body condition (under/overweight if applicable). If your dog gets treats in addition to kibble subtract 1/4 cup from the daily total. 

If your dog is outside of the "Medium" range (either very small or very large) then the "Alternate calculations" section (on the right) is likely to be more accurate.  

This calculator is made using the Resting Energy Requirements (RER) formula for caloric needs in dogs.  I confirmed with my vet this is the correct formula to be using to calculate feeding amounts.

More info on RER here:
https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-se...

Let me know if it's working properly!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I wasn't able to use it. It says View Only. Drop down says"You can only view this document. To make changes, ask the owner for edit access."
I guess trying to enter values in the yellow boxes is considered "making changes", lol. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Hm ok, I think I fixed it

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Expect a lot of emails, because there is an option to request edit access, and that's in the form of an email to the owner. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, J. It does work now.
It gave me a feeding amount for Jasper of 1 and a quarter cups per day of his current food, which is Fromm's Beef Frittata. Because I add a little Stella & Chewy's raw nuggets to his meals, and because he gets a fair amount amount of treats throughout the day, I feed him slightly less than one cup of kibble per day. 
I've always estimated feeding amounts using calories per lb of body weight. The smaller the dog, the more calories per lb they need. For giant breeds, you figure 15 k/cal per lb. For large breeds (Jack at 80 lbs was in this group), you figure 20 calories per lb. For mediums, I figure it at 25 kcal per lb and for tiny dogs, 30. This has always worked well for me. When I was discussing homemade diets with Jack's IMS, she calculated that he needed 1600 kcal per day, and he weighed 80 lbs at that time. I was pretty pleased with myself about that, lol. 
This calculator is giving me 27.73 kcal per lb of bodyweight for Jasper, so that's close to the 25 kcal I would use for a dog his size (18 lbs). However, there are those who would argue that dogs under 20 lbs need 30 kcal per lb. Either way, it's in the right ball park. 
The above is all for adult dogs. Puppies need as much as twice the amount of calories per lb as adult dogs do.

I remember when we discussed this in a previous discussion, I thought the calculator was giving calorie amounts that were a bit too high, and I still think that. It's very useful, but I would suggest using a slightly smaller amount than what this calculator gives you, especially if your dog gets treats and/or other foods (yogurt, pumpkin, peanut butter, whatever). It's always better to feed a little bit less than a little bit more, and for a dog to be slightly underwegiht than slightly overweight. :) 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

When I have time maybe I'll modify it somehow to account for treats.  Could probably just add a note that if you feed treats to just subtract 1/4 cup a day from the total.  Would probably work just as well as something complicated:p

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree. A note would be fine. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I can also add in those calculations you in a separate area too (maybe a separate calculator) since for toy and giant sized dogs the difference between your calculations and these might be large.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's a nice idea if you have the time. 
I really do appreciate this; very nice resource to have here. :) 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Glad you like it :) it seemed to me "how much should I feed my dog" is a very common question around here and I already had the formulas so I figured I would share.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

How would you do the spread for the weight categories here?

	Kcal/lb
Giant (80+ pounds)	15
Large (60-80 pounds)	20
Medium (30-60 pounds)	25
Small (20-30 pounds)	27
Tiny (20 pounds or less)	30

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think I'd have a range of 20-25 kcal per lb for the Medium category, because that's the one that varies the most and has the greatest size range, (a 60 lber should be getting 20 kcal/lb, but a 30 lbers should probably be getting 25)  and then I'd use 25 for the Small category. I'd also make the weight range 15-30 lbs for the Small category. I'd call the last one "Toy" rather than "tiny" and make the weight range anything under 15 lbs. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Maybe have to divide medium into two smaller ranges (30-45 and 45-60) then since the calculations don't work with a range.