One 40 lb dog, 111 foods Every kibble below is a dry dog food in our list, placed at the number of cups the same 40 lb spayed or neutered dog needs a day (985 kcal). The answer runs from 1 ⅞ cups to 3 ⅝ cups a day. There is no “typical” scoop: the food you buy decides it.
2 2 ½ 3 3 ½ cups a day 1 ⅞ cups Purina Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performan 3 ⅝ cups Kirkland Signature Healthy Weight Chicke Purina Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Salmon & Rice: 1 ⅞ cups (534 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Adult Toy Breed Chicken & Rice: 2 cups (488 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice: 2 cups (484 kcal per cup) Canidae PURE Wild-Caught Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Limited Ingredient: 2 cups (484 kcal per cup) Orijen Original Grain-Free High-Protein: 2 ⅛ cups (473 kcal per cup) Diamond Pro89 Beef, Pork & Ancient Grains for Adult Dogs: 2 ⅛ cups (467 kcal per cup) Merrick Healthy Grains Small Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice: 2 ⅛ cups (467 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete Adult Dog Chicken & Rice: 2 ⅛ cups (466 kcal per cup) Orijen Regional Red Grain-Free: 2 ⅛ cups (463 kcal per cup) Merrick Grain Free Real Texas Beef + Sweet Potato Recipe: 2 ⅛ cups (455 kcal per cup) Orijen Six Fish Recipe Grain-Free: 2 ⅛ cups (451 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice: 2 ¼ cups (449 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Adult Small Breed Chicken & Rice: 2 ¼ cups (448 kcal per cup) Purina Dog Chow High Protein Adult With Real Chicken: 2 ¼ cups (431 kcal per cup) Wellness Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe: 2 ¼ cups (427 kcal per cup) Orijen Senior Grain-Free: 2 ¼ cups (427 kcal per cup) Nulo FreeStyle Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Adult: 2 ⅜ cups (424 kcal per cup) Taste of the Wild High Prairie with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison: 2 ⅜ cups (422 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals All Life Stages Dog Chicken & Rice: 2 ⅜ cups (421 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Chicken & Rice: 2 ⅜ cups (418 kcal per cup) Fromm Gold Adult: 2 ⅜ cups (418 kcal per cup) Wellness CORE Grain Free Original Turkey & Chicken Recipe: 2 ⅜ cups (417 kcal per cup) Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Chicken Recipe Adult Grain-Free: 2 ⅜ cups (415 kcal per cup) Nulo FreeStyle Salmon & Peas Recipe Grain-Free Adult: 2 ⅜ cups (411 kcal per cup) Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain with Roasted Lamb: 2 ⅜ cups (410 kcal per cup) Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream with Smoke-Flavored Salmon: 2 ⅜ cups (408 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Skin & Coat All Life Stages Dog Salmon & Potato: 2 ⅜ cups (408 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Adult Large Breed Chicken & Rice: 2 ⅜ cups (407 kcal per cup) Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato: 2 ⅜ cups (406 kcal per cup) Victor Classic Hi-Pro Plus: 2 ⅜ cups (406 kcal per cup) Purina Dog Chow Complete Adult Chicken Flavor: 2 ⅜ cups (405 kcal per cup) Purina Dog Chow Complete Adult Beef Flavor: 2 ⅜ cups (405 kcal per cup) Purina Dog Chow Complete Adult Lamb Flavor: 2 ⅜ cups (405 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Lamb Meal & Rice: 2 ½ cups (403 kcal per cup) Orijen Fit & Trim Grain-Free: 2 ½ cups (401 kcal per cup) Victor Classic Professional: 2 ½ cups (400 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Beef Meal & Rice: 2 ½ cups (399 kcal per cup) Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain Beef and Sweet Potato: 2 ½ cups (398 kcal per cup) Blue Buffalo Life Protection Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Adult: 2 ½ cups (398 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Adult Small Breed Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice: 2 ½ cups (397 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Large Breed Adult Dog Chicken & Rice: 2 ½ cups (397 kcal per cup) Purina Beneful Originals Natural with Real Salmon: 2 ½ cups (395 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Large Breed Chicken & Barley Recipe: 2 ½ cups (393 kcal per cup) Iams Proactive Health Adult MiniChunks Small Kibble High Protein with Real Chicken: 2 ½ cups (393 kcal per cup) Kirkland Signature Adult Chicken, Rice and Vegetable: 2 ½ cups (393 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Small Bites Chicken & Barley Recipe: 2 ½ cups (393 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Adult Shredded Blend Lamb & Rice: 2 ½ cups (390 kcal per cup) Victor Select Grain Free Yukon River Canine: 2 ½ cups (390 kcal per cup) Purina Dog Chow Little Bites With Real Chicken And Beef Small Breed: 2 ½ cups (390 kcal per cup) Acana Red Meat Recipe Grain-Free: 2 ½ cups (388 kcal per cup) Purina ONE Chicken & Rice: 2 ⅝ cups (383 kcal per cup) Iams Proactive Health Adult Lamb & Rice: 2 ⅝ cups (382 kcal per cup) Purina Beneful IncrediBites Small Dog With Farm-Raised Chicken: 2 ⅝ cups (382 kcal per cup) Merrick Grain Free Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe: 2 ⅝ cups (381 kcal per cup) Blue Buffalo Life Protection Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe: 2 ⅝ cups (379 kcal per cup) Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult: 2 ⅝ cups (377 kcal per cup) Purina Beneful IncrediBites with Farm-Raised Beef Small Breed: 2 ⅝ cups (376 kcal per cup) Kibbles 'n Bits Original Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors: 2 ⅝ cups (375 kcal per cup) Kibbles 'n Bits Bistro Oven Roasted Beef, Spring Vegetable & Apple Flavors: 2 ⅝ cups (375 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Adult 7+ Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice Large Breed Senior: 2 ⅝ cups (374 kcal per cup) Kirkland Signature Adult Lamb, Rice and Vegetable: 2 ⅝ cups (373 kcal per cup) Victor Select Chicken Meal & Brown Rice: 2 ⅝ cups (372 kcal per cup) Acana Wholesome Grains Red Meat Recipe: 2 ⅝ cups (371 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Adult Complete Essentials Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice with Probiotics: 2 ⅝ cups (369 kcal per cup) Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural - Lamb & Rice: 2 ⅝ cups (369 kcal per cup) Royal Canin X-Small Adult: 2 ⅝ cups (369 kcal per cup) Purina Beneful Originals Farm-Raised Beef Natural: 2 ¾ cups (366 kcal per cup) Kibbles 'n Bits Savory Bacon & Steak Flavor: 2 ¾ cups (366 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult Chicken & Barley Recipe: 2 ¾ cups (365 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult Small Bites Chicken & Barley Recipe: 2 ¾ cups (365 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult Large Breed Chicken & Barley Recipe: 2 ¾ cups (365 kcal per cup) Purina Pro Plan Weight Management Chicken and Rice: 2 ¾ cups (364 kcal per cup) Purina Dog Chow Tender and Crunchy With Real Lamb and Turkey Flavor Adult: 2 ¾ cups (364 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Large Adult: 2 ¾ cups (360 kcal per cup) Victor Purpose Senior Healthy Weight: 2 ¾ cups (360 kcal per cup) Kibbles 'n Bits Mini Bits Small Breed Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors: 2 ¾ cups (360 kcal per cup) Purina Beneful Originals Natural with Real Farm-Raised Chicken: 2 ¾ cups (360 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Small Adult: 2 ¾ cups (359 kcal per cup) Purina ONE +Plus Large Breed Adult: 2 ¾ cups (358 kcal per cup) Purina ONE True Instinct High Protein with Real Chicken & Duck: 2 ¾ cups (357 kcal per cup) Nutro Natural Choice Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe: 2 ¾ cups (357 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult Small & Mini Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe (formerly Small Paws): 2 ¾ cups (357 kcal per cup) Victor Select Beef Meal & Brown Rice: 2 ¾ cups (357 kcal per cup) Blue Buffalo Life Protection Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe: 2 ¾ cups (355 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Shih Tzu Adult: 2 ¾ cups (355 kcal per cup) Iams Proactive Health Large Breed Adult with Real Chicken & Whole Grains: 2 ¾ cups (354 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Poodle Adult: 2 ¾ cups (353 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice Recipe: 2 ¾ cups (352 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Senior Dog Chicken, Egg & Oatmeal: 2 ⅞ cups (347 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Small Adult 8+: 2 ⅞ cups (343 kcal per cup) Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Breed Adult Grilled Steak & Vegetables: 2 ⅞ cups (341 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Medium Adult: 2 ⅞ cups (340 kcal per cup) Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Chicken & Veggies Recipe: 2 ⅞ cups (340 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier Adult: 2 ⅞ cups (336 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Boxer Adult: 3 cups (335 kcal per cup) Fromm Gold Weight Management: 3 cups (334 kcal per cup) Purina Beneful Healthy Weight Farm-Raised Chicken Natural: 3 cups (331 kcal per cup) Royal Canin French Bulldog Adult: 3 cups (331 kcal per cup) Kirkland Signature Mature Chicken, Rice and Egg: 3 cups (330 kcal per cup) Purina ONE +Plus Healthy Weight High-Protein: 3 cups (326 kcal per cup) Pedigree Complete Nutrition Adult Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor: 3 cups (324 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Chihuahua Adult: 3 cups (323 kcal per cup) Blue Buffalo Life Protection Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Adult: 3 cups (322 kcal per cup) Royal Canin German Shepherd Adult: 3 ⅛ cups (321 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Medium Adult 7+: 3 ⅛ cups (315 kcal per cup) Diamond Naturals Light Adult Dog Lamb Meal & Rice: 3 ⅛ cups (310 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult: 3 ¼ cups (306 kcal per cup) Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe: 3 ¼ cups (298 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Dachshund Adult: 3 ⅜ cups (293 kcal per cup) Royal Canin Golden Retriever Adult: 3 ½ cups (278 kcal per cup) Kirkland Signature Healthy Weight Chicken and Vegetable: 3 ⅝ cups (275 kcal per cup)
See the numbers Questions How many cups of food should my dog eat a day? It depends on the food more than on the dog. A cup of one kibble holds about 320 kcal and a cup of another about 480 kcal. Pick your food above and enter your dog’s weight to get the right number of cups.
How do you work out the portion? We use the resting energy formula from the 2021 AAHA nutrition guidelines (70 × body weight in kg0.75 ), multiply it for your dog’s life stage and activity, and divide by the calories printed on the food’s label.
Why is the bag’s feeding chart different? Bag charts cover a wide range of dogs. Our number is for your dog’s weight, neuter status and lifestyle. Both are starting points: weigh your dog every two weeks and adjust by about 10%.