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How much homemade food should I feed my dog?
Feed calories, not cups. Homemade food doesn't come with a feeding chart on the bag, so you borrow the math vets use — two formulas and a weekly weigh-in.
The math vets actually use
RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)0.75
Step 2 — MER (maintenance, i.e. real life): multiply RER by a life-stage factor:
~1.6 typical neutered adult · ~1.8 intact adult · 2.0+ very active · higher for puppies · lower (vet-guided) for weight loss
Worked example: a neutered 20 kg (44 lb) adult. 200.75 ≈ 9.5, so RER ≈ 70 × 9.5 ≈ 660 kcal. Times 1.6 → ≈ 1,060 kcal/day. That's the whole trick.
Starting points by body weight
Typical neutered adult, moderate activity (RER × 1.6), rounded:
| Dog's weight | RER | Daily calories (starting point) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | ≈ 235 kcal | ≈ 375 kcal |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | ≈ 395 kcal | ≈ 630 kcal |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | ≈ 660 kcal | ≈ 1,060 kcal |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | ≈ 900 kcal | ≈ 1,440 kcal |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | ≈ 1,110 kcal | ≈ 1,780 kcal |
These are starting points, not prescriptions. Two dogs of the same weight can differ by 20% or more in actual need. Treats count too — keep them under about 10% of daily calories.
Why not "2–3% of body weight"?
You'll see this rule all over raw-feeding forums. It's a shortcut that breaks at the extremes: energy needs scale with metabolic weight (kg0.75), not linearly — so the percent rule underfeeds small dogs and overfeeds giants. Calories are more work to think about once, and then they're just correct.
The feedback loop that makes you right
- Weigh every 1–2 weeks after a diet change.
- Body-condition check: ribs easy to feel under a thin fat layer; visible waist from above; belly tucks up from the side.
- Unintentionally gaining → cut ~10% of calories. Losing → add ~10%. Re-check in two weeks.
- Puppies, pregnant/nursing dogs, and dogs with medical conditions: get your vet's numbers, not a website's — including ours.
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