The maths, with your numbers
No guesswork and no brand chart. This is the same calculation a vet does on paper, so you can check it.
What this means for the bowl
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Adult is on the lighter side: at 322 kcal per cup it has less energy than 94% of the 140 dry dog foods in our list, so the bowl will look fuller for the same calories.
To show how much the food matters: a 40 lb spayed or neutered dog needs about 985 kcal a day. That is 3 cups of this food, but 1 ⅞ cups of Purina Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Salmon & Rice and 3 ⅝ cups of Kirkland Signature Healthy Weight Chicken and Vegetable. Same dog, same day, very different scoops.
A level 8 oz measuring cup holds about 99 g of this kibble. If you have kitchen scales, weighing is more accurate than scooping, because a heaped cup holds noticeably more than a level one.
This is a weight-control recipe. If your dog needs to slim down, tick “Needs to lose weight” in the calculator and enter the target weight your vet gave you; the portion is then worked out for the target, not the current weight.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Adult feeding chart
Daily amounts for healthy adult dogs with no treats, from the label calories and the AAHA 2021 energy factors. Split the amount into meals.
| Weight | Couch dog | Spayed or neutered | Very active |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb 2.3 kg | ½ cup48 g | ⅝ cup63 g | ¾ cup79 g |
| 10 lb 4.5 kg | ¾ cup80 g | 1 ⅛ cups107 g | 1 ⅜ cups133 g |
| 15 lb 6.8 kg | 1 ⅛ cups108 g | 1 ½ cups145 g | 1 ⅞ cups181 g |
| 20 lb 9.1 kg | 1 ⅜ cups135 g | 1 ⅞ cups179 g | 2 ¼ cups224 g |
| 30 lb 13.6 kg | 1 ⅞ cups182 g | 2 ½ cups243 g | 3 ⅛ cups304 g |
| 40 lb 18.1 kg | 2 ¼ cups226 g | 3 cups302 g | 3 ⅞ cups377 g |
| 50 lb 22.7 kg | 2 ¾ cups267 g | 3 ⅝ cups357 g | 4 ½ cups446 g |
| 60 lb 27.2 kg | 3 ⅛ cups307 g | 4 ⅛ cups409 g | 5 ⅛ cups511 g |
| 70 lb 31.8 kg | 3 ½ cups344 g | 4 ⅝ cups459 g | 5 ⅞ cups574 g |
| 80 lb 36.3 kg | 3 ⅞ cups380 g | 5 ⅛ cups507 g | 6 ⅜ cups634 g |
| 90 lb 40.8 kg | 4 ¼ cups416 g | 5 ⅝ cups554 g | 7 cups693 g |
| 100 lb 45.4 kg | 4 ½ cups450 g | 6 ⅛ cups600 g | 7 ⅝ cups750 g |
Label values: 322 kcal per cup, 3,264 kcal per kg. Source: petsmart.com, checked 18 Oct 2026.
Questions
How much Blue Buffalo Life Protection Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Adult should I feed a 50 lb dog?
About 3 ⅝ cups or 357 g a day for a spayed or neutered dog, before treats. That is 1,164 kcal a day divided by the food’s label value. Use the calculator above to adjust for your pet.
How many calories are in Blue Buffalo Life Protection Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Adult?
The label states 322 kcal per cup, 3,264 kcal per kg (checked 18 Oct 2026). Recipes change, so check your bag.
More from Blue Buffalo
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- Life Protection Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
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- Homestyle Recipe Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables & Brown Rice Adult
- Life Protection Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Adult
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