How much dry food should a dog eat a day?

«How much do I put in the bowl?» is the most common question in any dog household, and the answer is on the bag, on the scale and on the dog's waistline — in that order.

Start with the bag, then correct

Every feed prints a table by weight and often by activity level. Those amounts are a starting point, not a prescription: two dogs of the same weight can need 20 % more or less food depending on age, exercise and whether they are neutered.

Weigh the food for a week with a kitchen scale. A «cup» can mean 90 g or 150 g depending on the scoop, and that difference is a whole meal.

The two checks that tell you if it is right

• Touch: you should feel the ribs easily with a light pressure and see a waist from above. If the ribs are hidden, there is food to take away; if they stand out sharply, food to add.
• Weight: weigh it every four to six weeks on the same scale. A dog that puts on 500 g a month is a dog that is eating more than it spends.

Mistakes that change the daily amount

Topping the bowl up when it is half empty, counting wet food as if it had no calories, or feeding the dog from the table: each of those easily adds 300-500 kcal a day, which is a whole extra meal. If you use wet food, a common balance is one third wet and two thirds dry, weighing both.