Puppy food calculator
How much does your puppy need per day? Enter age, weight and your food. The result is a starting point – the scale has the final say.
How old is your puppy?
In months, from 2 to 12. 8 weeks is 2 months, 12 weeks almost 3.
A starting point – the scale has the final say. Weigh your puppy regularly, ideally every week. Talk to your vet if it’s a large breed, doesn’t gain steadily or is ill.
The short answer
A puppy aged 2 to 12 months needs about (254.1 − 135 × share of adult weight) × (weight in kg)^0.75 kcal per day. A 20 lb puppy that will weigh about 50 lb as an adult (share 0.4) needs about 1,046 kcal, or roughly 2.75 cups of dry food with 380 kcal/cup. The formula comes from the FEDIAF guidelines (2025). The amount is a starting point: weigh your puppy regularly and never free-feed.
Puppy feeding chart by age
Example: a puppy that will weigh about 50 lb as an adult, fed dry food with 380 kcal/cup. The weight at each age comes from the growth curve in the FEDIAF guidelines.
| Age | Weight | kcal/day | Dry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 months | 12.7 lb | 818 | 2.15 cups |
| 3 months | 20.8 lb | 1,065 | 2.80 cups |
| 4 months | 26.5 lb | 1,179 | 3.10 cups |
| 5 months | 31.0 lb | 1,237 | 3.26 cups |
| 6 months | 34.6 lb | 1,267 | 3.33 cups |
| 9 months | 42.7 lb | 1,282 | 3.37 cups |
| 12 months | 48.4 lb | 1,279 | 3.36 cups |
Every puppy grows a little differently. Use the calculator above with your puppy’s weight and your food.
Questions
How much should I feed my puppy per day?
It depends on weight and on how much of its adult weight your puppy has already reached. A 20 lb puppy that will weigh about 50 lb needs about 1,046 kcal per day. With kibble at 380 kcal per cup, that’s about 2.75 cups.
How many times a day should I feed my puppy?
Four times a day until 3 months, three times from 3 to 6 months, and twice from 6 months. That’s the feeding schedule in the Merck Veterinary Manual. The calculator splits the daily amount accordingly.
How do I know how big my puppy will get?
For purebred dogs, from the breed standard; for mixed breeds, roughly from the parents’ weight. If you don’t know, the calculator estimates it from age and weight using the growth curves in the FEDIAF guidelines. That’s a rough guide.
Why shouldn’t a puppy eat as much as it wants?
Too much food speeds up growth, which can harm the skeleton, especially in large breeds. That’s why the FEDIAF guidelines say puppies should never be free-fed and should be weighed regularly.
When should I use the regular calculator?
From 12 months, the growth formula no longer applies. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, small and medium dogs may be fully grown at 8–12 months, large and giant breeds often only at 10–16 months. If your dog is fully grown, use the dog food calculator; if it’s still growing, ask your vet.
Related
- Puppy feeding: how much and how often?Puppies need more energy than adult dogs, in smaller meals more often. Exactly how much depends on weight and on how big your dog will get.
- How big will my puppy get?Puppies don’t grow at a steady pace in their first year: fast at first, then slower and slower. The growth curve shows how much of its adult weight a puppy has already reached.
- When to switch to adult foodPuppy and kitten food is made for growth. You can switch once your pet is fully grown. When that is depends mostly on size.