Puppy Feeding Chart: Amounts by Age and Weight
What actually determines the right amount
Four things set how much a puppy needs: current body weight, growth stage (under or over 4 months old), spay or neuter status once that applies, and the calorie density of the specific food in the bowl. A printed chart that only asks for weight is missing three of those inputs, which is why two puppies at the same weight can need different portions. The fastest way to get a trustworthy number is to run your puppy's weight and age through the dog food calculator, which accounts for all four factors at once.
Why one feeding chart doesn't work for every puppy
Most printed charts assume calorie needs rise in a straight line with body weight: double the pounds, double the food. That is not how metabolism works. Veterinary nutrition uses an exponential formula for resting energy requirement (RER): 70 × (body weight in kilograms)^0.75, per the Merck Veterinary Manual. The 0.75 exponent means energy needs grow more slowly than weight does. A 60-pound puppy does not need six times the food of a 10-pound puppy, even though it weighs six times as much. A chart built around round numbers like "a quarter cup per 10 pounds" bakes in the straight-line assumption and gets less accurate the further a breed sits from whatever weight the chart's author had in mind.
How growth-stage multipliers shift at 4 months
Weight is only half the picture. Puppies also burn calories for growth, and that growth multiplier changes sharply at 4 months old. The Merck Veterinary Manual sets the multiplier at 3.0 times RER for puppies under 4 months old, then drops it to 2.0 times RER for puppies from 4 to 12 months old. That is a one-third cut in the growth multiplier, layered on top of whatever weight change happened in between.
A chart that lists amounts by weight only, with no age cutoff, will overfeed an older puppy who has settled into the lower multiplier, or underfeed a younger puppy still in the higher one. If your puppy is approaching 4 months old, recalculate rather than assume last month's portion still applies.
Get exact amounts with the food calculator
Because the real formula needs weight, age, and a growth-stage multiplier working together, the dog food calculator runs all three at once rather than making you interpolate between rows on a table. Enter your puppy's current weight and age, and it applies the RER formula, the correct age-based multiplier, and your food's calorie density to return a daily amount in both calories and cups. When your puppy crosses the 4-month mark or gains a meaningful amount of weight, run the numbers again. Growth is not a one-time calculation.
Why kcal per cup varies so much
Even a solid calorie target is only half the answer, because cups are not a fixed unit of energy. Dry food commonly runs between 330 and 420 kcal per cup across real products, and the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine recommends foods around 300 kcal per cup or less as a weight-conscious benchmark. Wet food shows similar spread, often landing between 300 and 450 kcal per 13-ounce can. A cup of one brand's puppy formula can carry noticeably more energy than a cup of another's, so a chart that just says "cups" without naming a product is guessing.
Check the calorie content statement on your specific bag or can, a step the World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines call for directly, and enter that number into the calculator. Two puppies eating the identical calorie target can need different cup amounts depending on what is actually in the bag.
Check body condition instead of following bowl lines
No formula, including this one, replaces watching the dog in front of you. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association's 9-point body condition score is the standard veterinary tool for this. At the ideal score of 4 or 5, you should be able to feel your puppy's ribs under a thin layer of fat, see a waist when looking down from above, and see a tucked-up abdomen from the side. A score of 3 or below means ribs are easy to see and the puppy may be running light. A score of 6 or above means the waist is starting to disappear.
Run a body condition check any time you weigh your puppy or recalculate a portion, and adjust from there. A calculator gives you a starting number; the dog's actual body tells you whether that number still holds.
Feeding amounts on this page and in the calculator are starting points based on published veterinary formulas, not a substitute for an exam. If your puppy is losing weight, gaining weight faster than expected, or showing any health concern, your vet's guidance wins over any chart or calculator, including this one.
Find your breed's feeding table
The breed pages carry computed feeding tables built from the same RER formula and AKC weight standards, broken out by projected adult weight and by spayed/neutered or intact status. Search your breed there for a ready-made table across its typical weight range, or use the dog food calculator directly if your puppy's projected adult weight falls between breeds or your dog is mixed breed.
FAQ
How much should I feed my puppy at 8 weeks?
It depends on projected adult weight and current weight, since a puppy at 8 weeks is still building toward its adult size. Enter your puppy's weight into the dog food calculator, which applies the under-4-months growth multiplier automatically, or check the breed pages for a starting range.
Do I need to change amounts as my puppy grows?
Yes. Recalculate whenever your puppy gains a noticeable amount of weight and again when it crosses the 4-month mark, since the growth multiplier drops from 3.0 times RER to 2.0 times RER at that point.
What if my puppy's breed isn't listed on the breed pages?
Use the dog food calculator with your puppy's current weight and age. The RER and growth-multiplier formulas apply to any dog regardless of breed, so you need only an accurate weight and age, not a breed match.
DogTally guides and tools are for information only and are not veterinary advice. Talk to your vet about your dog's health.