How much should they really eat?
Bag charts overfeed most pets. Get daily calories and exact cups of your food.
How much should my pet eat?
The same formula vets use: resting energy needs, adjusted for life stage and activity. Then we convert it to cups of your food.
Why the bag’s feeding chart is usually too much
Pet food feeding guides are written for young, intact, active animals, and they’re often a range wide enough to cover a 30% difference. Most house pets in LA are spayed or neutered, live in apartments, and get less exercise than the chart assumes. That’s a big reason more than half of US dogs and cats are overweight. Extra weight shortens lives: in a lifelong study of Labrador retrievers, dogs kept lean lived about two years longer than their littermates.
Find the calories on your bag
Look for “Calorie Content” on the bag or can, usually near the guaranteed analysis. It’s listed as kcal/kg and kcal/cup (or kcal/can). Enter the kcal/cup number above. Most dry dog foods run 330 to 450 kcal per cup; dry cat foods often 400 to 550.
Need food delivered?
Order your pet’s food, including prescription diets, through pprx.vet, our online pharmacy, and have it shipped to your door.
Common questions
How many cups should I feed my dog a day?
It depends on weight, activity, and the calories in your food. A typical 40 lb neutered adult dog needs about 1,000 kcal a day (roughly 900 to 1,100). With a 380 kcal/cup food, that’s about 2â…œ cups a day, leaving room for treats. Use the calculator above with the number from your bag.
How much should I feed my cat?
A typical 10 lb neutered cat needs about 220 to 260 kcal a day, depending on activity. That’s only about half a cup of most dry foods, much less than most people expect.
How fast should my pet lose weight?
Dogs: about 1 to 2% of body weight per week. Cats: about 0.5 to 1% per week. Cats should never be put on a crash diet because rapid weight loss can cause hepatic lipidosis, a serious liver disease.
Do treats count?
Yes. Keep treats, chews, and table food to 10% or less of daily calories. The calculator already sets aside a 10% treat budget.
Want a real nutrition plan?
We weigh, body-condition score, and build a plan around your pet’s food. Exams $100. Paw Priority, 8020 Melrose Ave.
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