How the amount is worked out
This calculator works from your dog's energy needs, not from a percentage of body weight. The 2021 AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) nutrition guidelines give resting energy requirement as 70 × body weight in kilograms to the power 0.75, in kilocalories a day, and daily energy as that figure multiplied by a life stage factor. The calculator then divides the daily energy by the energy in your food to give an amount of food.
The AAHA factors for dogs are 1.4 to 1.6 for a neutered adult, 1.6 to 1.8 for an adult that is not neutered, 1.0 to 1.2 for an inactive adult or one prone to weight gain, 1.0 for weight loss, 3.0 for a puppy under 4 months and 2.0 for a puppy from 4 months. AAHA describes them as general guidelines and says to adjust by monitoring body weight and body condition.
Why not a percentage of body weight?
Many raw food sellers suggest a percentage of body weight, often 2 to 3 per cent for adults. We could not find a veterinary or regulatory source for those percentages, so they are not used here to set your dog's amount. The calculator shows the percentage your result works out to, so you can compare it with whatever rule you were given. A dog weighing less needs a larger share of its body weight in food, because energy needs rise more slowly than weight.
Worked example: a neutered adult dog weighing 20 kg
For a neutered adult dog weighing 20 kg on a raw food with 161 kcal per 100 g and two meals a day, resting energy is 662 kcal and daily energy at the middle of the AAHA range is 993 kcal. That is 617 g of food a day, between 576 g and 658 g, or 308 g a meal and 4.32 kg a week. It is 3.08% of body weight.
The 161 kcal per 100 g is only an example: it is the USDA FoodData Central value for raw chicken drumstick meat and skin. Replace it with the figure for your own food, because bone, offal and water change the energy in a real raw mix a lot.
Puppies
A puppy under 4 months uses the factor of 3.0 and a puppy from 4 months until it is fully grown uses 2.0, both applied to its current weight. A 4 kg puppy under 4 months eating 161 kcal per 100 g food needs 369 g a day, or 92 g at each of four meals. That is 9.22% of its body weight. Weigh your puppy often and check with your vet that it is growing at the right rate, particularly if it is a large breed.
Is raw feeding safe?
AAHA does not advocate or endorse feeding pets raw or dehydrated foods of animal origin that have not been sterilised. It says that raw diets increase the risk of bacteria and protozoa passing to the pets that eat them and to people and other animals, and that dogs can shed Salmonella without showing signs. It also says that studies of home-prepared diet recipes, even those written by veterinarians, found that most did not provide complete and balanced nutrition, and recommends a consultation with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
This page gives an amount of energy as food. It does not tell you what a balanced raw diet contains, and it does not give meat, bone and organ ratios, because we could not find a primary source for them.
What this calculator leaves out
It covers dogs only. It has no pregnancy, nursing or working-dog factors, and no ingredient split. Always check your dog's weight and body condition and adjust with your vet. This is not veterinary advice.
For US units and wording, open the US dog raw diet calculator.
If your dog has eaten something it should not have, use the UK dog chocolate calculator.
Inputs for the UK dog raw diet calculator
Life stage
Adult dogs get a range; puppies and dogs losing weight get one figure.
Your dog's weight
Current weight in kilograms. Not the expected adult weight.
Energy in your raw food
Kilocalories per 100 g, from the label or supplier. The default is only an example.
Meals per day
How many meals you split the daily amount into.
CALCULATOR QUESTIONS
UK dog raw diet calculator questions
How much raw food should I feed my dog?
It depends on your dog's weight, life stage and the energy in the food. A neutered adult dog weighing 20 kg on a food with 161 kcal per 100 g needs about 617 g a day, according to the AAHA energy figures.
Is 2 to 3 per cent of body weight the right amount?
That is a common rule among raw food sellers, but we found no veterinary source for it. This calculator uses energy needs instead and shows the percentage it works out to. For the example dog it is 3.08%.
How much should I feed a puppy?
AAHA gives a factor of 3.0 for a puppy under 4 months and 2.0 from 4 months until fully grown, applied to its current weight. Check growth with your vet.
Does the calculator split the food into meat, bone and organ?
No. We could not find a veterinary source for ratios, so it gives a total amount only. A board-certified veterinary nutritionist can design a complete and balanced diet.
Is a raw diet safe?
AAHA does not endorse feeding raw foods that have not been sterilised, because of the risk of bacteria passing to pets and people. Talk to your vet before you start.