Calculating Your Dog’s Serving Size

1. Determine Your Dog’s Activity Level

Active dog: 1-3 hours of daily, active movement

• Your dog takes long, energetic walks for at least an hour daily.
• Your dog goes jogging or hits the trails several times each week.
• Your dog plays constantly with another dog or with kids.
• In colder weather, your dog spends several hours outside each day.
• Your dog loves digging or running along the fence line for part of the day.

Less active dog: Less than 1 hour of exercise a day

• Your dog takes leisurely strolls around your neighborhood.
• Your dog is overall sedentary and pretty inactive.
• Your older pup has slowed down.
• Your dog prefers lounging around the house and yard rather than being active.

2. FIND THE NUMBER OF CALORIES YOUR DOG NEEDS DAILY

Based on activity level you determined above, find your dog’s weight and number of calories needed per day in the below Canine Feeding Guidelines table:

3. Note the caloric density of the diet

The caloric density of your dog’s diet is usually expressed in kcal/g or kcal/oz.

For example, the caloric density of our Beef & Turkey Harvest recipe is 42.25 kcal/oz.

4. CALCULATE YOUR DOG’S DAILY FEEDING AMOUNT

Use the caloric density of the diet you’re feeding (expressed in kcal/g or kcal/oz), and use this simple formula to determine the daily feeding amount:

Calories (kcal) per day ÷ diet caloric density

= Amount to feed per day

For example, Dr. Recker’s 50 lb less active dog needs 831 calories per day. Her dog eats a recipe with a caloric density of 31.7kcal/oz.

831 kcal per day ÷ 31.7 kcal per ounce
= 26.2 ounces per day

Dr. Recker will feed her dog about 26 oz per day, either as one meal or divided into as many meals as she needs, for a total of 26 oz.

Each of our homemade recipes comes with a done-for-you recipe spreadsheet to easily calculate your dog’s serving size per recipe.

Because diets are formulated on a caloric basis (the concentration of nutrients is set per calorie), feeding less than the amount specified or feeding a diet formulated for active dogs to a less active dog may result in nutrient deficiencies. If your dog needs to eat fewer calories, the diet must be adjusted to provide adequate nutrients in a smaller serving size.