dog food carbohydrate calculator

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

Contributions sourced from

How to Estimate the Carbohydrate Content of Any Dog Food

When comparing dog foods, the carbohydrate content of each product can be difficult to find.

Thats because dog food companies are not required by law to disclose the actual carb content of their products.

In fact, current Food and Drug Administration labeling rules require the inclusion of just four nutrients

Protein
Fat
Fiber
Moisture

How to Estimate the CarbohydrateContent of Any Dog Food

So, if knowing the carb content is important to you and it should be heres a quick and easy way to estimate the amount of carbohydrates in any dog food yourself.

Basically, all foods contain the same four major nutrients known as macronutrients:

Proteins
Fats
Carbohydrates
Moisture (water)

In addition, all foods also contain ash the non-combustible mineral residue remaining after burning away all the protein, fat and carbs.

Ash content can vary but typically measures about five to eight percent for most dog foods¹ .

So, for consistency, we routinely use 8 percent as a benchmark for this important variable (ash) throughout this site.

Making the Calculation

When making this calculation, its important to keep in mind the following scientific principle:

Protein + fat + ash + carbohydrate + water must always equal 100 percent of the total pre-cooking weight of any dog food.

So, you can use simple math to reveal the missing amount on any other variable which in this case of a pet food would be the carbohydrates.

Simply start with 100 percent and subtract the percentage for each of the known macronurients.

By the way, you can ignore the fiber content because fiber is a type of carbohydrate and would be automatically included in your carbohydrate calculation.

Heres an Example

Say a particular dog food contains 26% protein, 14% fat and 10% water.How much carbohydrate should we expect to find in that product?

To estimate the amount of carbohydrate present in this example, simply start with a total of 100 percent. Then subtract the protein, fat and moisture percentages.

And of course, dont forget to allow for an ash content of about 8 percent, too.

So, your math would look like this:

Carbohydrates = 100% 26% 14% 10% 8% = 42%

In other words, if you subtract all the known nutrients, youd be left with the missing variable carbohydrates which in our example would be about 42 percent.

An Important Caveat

Now, keep in mind, when using a pet foods Guaranteed Analysis as a products protein and fat content, youre not using the true percentages of those nutrients.

Youre using the minimums the amount each manufacturer is willing to guarantee to be the minimum protein or fat found in the recipe.

For example, if a label claims a food includes a minimum fat level of (say) 15%, it could and nearly always does contain a fat content notably higher than that stated amount.

So, by the laws of basic mathematics

Since protein and fat are nearly always understated on the label, the estimated carbohydrate figure must also be automatically overstated.

The Bottom Line

So, to estimate the percentage of carbohydrates in any pet food when that figure is not known, use the simple formula discussed in this article to obtain a reasonable estimate.

However, be sure to keep in mind that

The more a company understates a foods protein or fat content, the more overstated you should expect your estimate of its carbohydrate content to be, too.

In closing, on the rare occasion the actual amounts for protein, fat and carbohydrates are reported by a company on its website, its always better to ignore our estimate and go with those figures instead.

Dog Food Calculator, Feeding Guide, and Chart

Quick Links: Table of Contents

Introduction to Feeding the Dog

Most dog owners do not know how to properly feed their dogs.

Also, most dog owners overfeed their dogs.

That explains why 59 percent of dogs and cats are overweight, according to research.

Overfeeding your Dog will make your Dog overweight and obese. Obesity leads to worse health problems for your Dog.

Unfortunately, the Dog is a dog breed that can become overweight very easily.

Therefore, you need to pay careful attention to what you feed your Dog and how much food you feed your Dog.

Furthermore, when you overfeed your Dog, you waste dog food. Wasting dog food is the same as wasting money. Dog food is a recurring expenditure that adds up to a lot of money over the lifespan of your Dog.

When you feed your Dog the right type of food and the right amount of food, your Dog will be of the right body weight and the right body condition (not overweight or underweight).

Similarly, underfeeding your Dog is as bad of a problem as overfeeding your Dog.

When you underfeed your Dog or feed your Dog an incomplete or unbalanced diet, you reduce your Dog`s quality of life.

The right amount of food that your Dog needs depends on six important factors.

You need to take all these factors into account when developing a meal plan for your Dog. These six factors are:

The life stage of your Dog (puppy, adult, or senior)
The current weight of your Dog
The body condition of your Dog (normal weight, overweight, underweight)
How active your Dog is (inactive/obese prone, or active/athletic)
If your Dog has been spayed/neutered
The type of dog food that you feed your Dog

This article will provide you with a detailed guide on how to properly feed your Dog based on the above factors as recommended by veterinarians.

This article also includes the Dog food calculator that you can use to estimate how much food to feed your Dog based on the six factors we have just mentioned.

Our Dog food calculator uses the dog food formula and feeding guidelines developed by the veterinarians from The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center and by veterinarians from the Mark Morris Institute.

Moreover, our calculator knows the calorie content per cup in over 800 popular dog foods (data from the Frankin Animal Clinic). Thus, the calculator can automatically calculate the right amount of each popular dog food that your Dog needs daily.

Importantly, since the nutrient requirements of the Dog puppy are different from the nutrient requirements of the adult Dog, this article contains recommendations on the best food to feed the Dog at different ages.

Dog Food Calculator

The Dog Food Calculator above lets you estimate how much food to feed your Dog.

Similarly, to calculate how much water your Dog needs, check out our Dog water calculator

Our dog water calculator lets you estimate how much water your Dog needs to drink in a day.

How to Use our Dog Food Calculator

To use the

dog food calculator

Select the name of the dog food that you feed your Dog from the list.

If the name of the dog food that your feed your Dog is not on the list, then find the bag or can of your dog food, the bag should have written on it how many kcals per cup is in the dog food. Enter this value in the calculator in the place of the dog food name.

Check the label of your commercial dog food to know the calorie content per cup in that dog food

Enter the current weight of your Dog.

Select your Dog`s age range, activity level, and neuter status.

If your Dog is overweight or underweight, and you want your Dog to lose or gain weight, enter the ideal weight of your Dog for its current age in the `How much you wish your dog currently weighs` box. Leave this box blank if your Dog is of normal weight.

To know how much Dogs typically weigh at different ages, check out our article and calculators on Dog weight and growth.

CONSULT A LICENSED VETERINARIAN FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE BEFORE YOU PUT YOUR DOG ON A WEIGHT LOSS OR WEIGHT GAIN DIET.

How the Dog Food Calculator Works

First, the calculator estimates what is known as the Resting Energy Requirement (RER) of your Dog.

The RER is the amount of energy that your Dog needs when it is `resting`, that is when doing nothing. The calculator uses the current weight of your Dog to calculate your Dog`s resting energy.

Next, the calculator scales up the resting energy by a factor that corresponds to your Dog`s life stage (puppy or adult) and lifestyle (activity level, spayed/neutered, etc). This scaled up energy value (called the maintenance energy) is the energy that your Dog needs to maintain its life when not resting.

Finally, the Dog food calculator divides the maintenance energy by the amount of energy in one cup of dog food to calculate how many cups of dog food your Dog needs.

Monitoring Your Dog`s Growth

Tracking your Dog`s weight will let you catch abnormal growth.

The answer from the Dog food calculator is a starting point number on how much food you need to feed your Dog.

Start by feeding your Dog the amount of food recommended by the Dog food calculator every day.

While feeding your Dog this daily amount of food, weigh your Dog at least once a week to ensure that your Dog is not on its way to becoming overweight or underweight.

If your Dog is becoming overweight, reduce the amount of food your feed it by 10 to 15 percent, if underweight increase its food by 10 to 15 percent.

You can use our dog weight tracking tool to keep records of your Dog`s weight. This tool will let you know if the feeding plan is making your Dog grow normally or abnormally.

You can also check your Dog body condition score to find out if it is overweight or underweight. Learn how to check your Dog body condition score here.

Resting Energy Requirements (RER) Multipliers for Dogs

The basic mode of the dog food calculator above should work for most dogs. However, if the basic options do not apply to your dog, you can enter a custom RER multiplier for your dog in the dog food calculator under the expert mode.

The multiplier is used to obtain your dogs Daily Energy Requirement (DER). The DER is what the calculator uses to calculate how much food your dog needs daily.

The multipliers for a dog may range from 1 x RER for sedentary dogs to almost 15 x RER for endurance athletes under extreme conditions.

Most pet dogs are minimally active and have 1.2 to 1.4 x RER.

A good starting point for estimating the DER of more active adult dogs would be 1.6 x RER age between two and seven.

Dogs between two and seven years of age would probably have between 1.4 to 1.9 x RER with the higher number used in the lower age group and the lower number applied to the higher age group.

See the table below for other RER multipliers

Dog Status	RER Multiplier
Puppies 2 to 4 months of age	3.0
Puppies 4 to 12 months of age	2.0
Neutered adult dogs	1.6
Intact adult	1.8
Inactive/obese-prone adult dogs	1.2 to 1.4
Working adult dog	2.0 to 8.0
Dogs trying to lose weight	1.0
Dogs in critical care	1.0
Dogs trying to gain weight	1.2 to 1.4
Dogs doing light work	2.0
Dogs doing moderate work	3.0
Dogs doing heavy work	4.0 to 8.0

Resting Energy Multipliers for Dogs

Dog Feeding Chart

Below is the typical feed chart for the Dog. This chart provides you a rough guide on how much dry dog food (kibble) to feed your Dog.

If you want a more accurate estimate of how much food to feed your Dog, use this Dog food calculator.

Weight	How Much Food
14.2 lbs (6.4 kg)	2.2 cups per day
15.6 lbs (7.1 kg)	2.3 cups per day
16.8 lbs (7.6 kg)	2.5 cups per day
18.1 lbs (8.2 kg)	2.6 cups per day
19.2 lbs (8.7 kg)	2.7 cups per day
20.3 lbs (9.2 kg)	1.9 cups per day
21.3 lbs (9.7 kg)	2.0 cups per day
22.3 lbs (10.1 kg)	2.0 cups per day
23.3 lbs (10.5 kg)	2.1 cups per day
24.1 lbs (10.9 kg)	2.2 cups per day
25.0 lbs (11.3 kg)	2.2 cups per day
25.7 lbs (11.7 kg)	2.3 cups per day
26.5 lbs (12.0 kg)	2.3 cups per day
27.2 lbs (12.3 kg)	2.4 cups per day
27.8 lbs (12.6 kg)	2.4 cups per day
28.4 lbs (12.9 kg)	2.4 cups per day
29.0 lbs (13.1 kg)	2.5 cups per day
29.5 lbs (13.4 kg)	2.5 cups per day
30.0 lbs (13.6 kg)	2.5 cups per day
30.5 lbs (13.8 kg)	2.6 cups per day
30.9 lbs (14.0 kg)	2.6 cups per day
31.3 lbs (14.2 kg)	2.6 cups per day
31.6 lbs (14.4 kg)	2.7 cups per day
32.0 lbs (14.5 kg)	2.7 cups per day
32.3 lbs (14.7 kg)	2.7 cups per day
32.6 lbs (14.8 kg)	2.7 cups per day
32.9 lbs (14.9 kg)	2.7 cups per day
33.1 lbs (15.0 kg)	2.7 cups per day
33.3 lbs (15.1 kg)	2.8 cups per day
33.5 lbs (15.2 kg)	2.8 cups per day
33.7 lbs (15.3 kg)	2.8 cups per day

How to Measure the Right Amount of Dog Food for Your Dog

Research has shown that most owners over-measure a cup of dog food. As a result, most dogs owners overfeed their dogs. This is because dog owners do not level off the cup when measuring out the food they give to their dogs.

See how and how not to measure ONE cup of dry dog food in the picture below:

How to properly measure ONE cup of dry dog food

Note that one cup of dog food equals 8 oz of dog food or ~237 milliliters of dog food.

You can buy standard dog food measuring cups here on Amazon.

Best Food for Dog. Dog Feeding Guide

The Dog has different nutrient needs at different life stages. Therefore, the dog food that you feed your Dog at different ages should be the type that is appropriate for its age.

For example, during its puppy stage, your Dog needs the type of dog food that has been designed to help boost a puppy`s weak immune system.

On the other hand, the adult Dog should have already developed a good immune system. So, during the adult stage, you should feed your Dog the type of dog food that has been designed to prolong the life of a dog.

Nevertheless, some dogs still do well eating the same food at every stage of their lives.

However, feeding your Dog dog food that has been optimized for its age will ensure that your Dog grows well, lives well, and lives long.

Feeding Guide for the Dog Puppy: 12 weeks to one year

The dog food that you feed your puppy should have the nutrients that will boost a puppy`s immune system since puppies easily get infected with the disease at this age.

Also, a good puppy food should have the nutrients that support brain development and good vision.

Finally, a good dog food for the Dog puppy should be the type that will not make your Dog fat. The puppy food should also help increase the health of your puppy`s bones.

See our list of the best dry dog food and the best wet dog food for the Dog puppy below.

These dog foods have all the right amount of nutrients that the Dog puppy needs to grow well during its puppy years.

Feeding Guide for the Young Adult Dog: Ages 1 year to 6 years

The dog food that you feed a young adult Dog should have the nutrients that will make a dog live longer.

A good dog food for the young adult Dog should also have the nutrients that will minimize the chances of your Dog getting infected with common dog diseases.

Also, a good dry dog food for the young adult Dog should help clean your dog`s teeth as your dog chews on the food.

Below is our best dog food recommendations for the young adult Dog

Feeding Guide for Mature Adult Dogs: 6 years and older

You should feed the mature adult Dog food that has been formulated to improve their quality of life, increase their life expectancy, and increase their overall health.

Older dogs are prone to age-related health problems. A good diet is essential to minimize the possibility of becoming frail with age.

See our recommendation on the best food for the mature adult Dog below:

Feeding Guide for Senior Dogs

One way to slow down the effects of aging in dogs is to reduce the amount of food you feed old dogs by 20 to 30% of normal while meeting essential nutrient needs.

Reducing a senior Dog`s food slows the aging process and reduces the risk for cancer, kidney diseases, arthritis, and immune-related diseases.

AAFCO-Certified Dog Food for the Dog

No matter which commercial food that you feed your Dog, make sure that the food is approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).

AAFCO is an expert body that rigorously tests dog food to make sure that the dog food is safe.

Also, AAFCO ensures that a dog food has all the nutrients (not just calories) that a dog needs to grow well before AAFCO approves the dog food.

Unlike homemade dog food, most commercial dog foods are AAFCO-approved. Double-check the label of your dog food to make sure it has been certified by AAFCO before feeding it to your Dog.

How Many Times to Feed the Dog a Day

When it comes to how many times to feed a dog, there are three different ways to feed the Dog

One way is to make food available to the Dog at all times (free-choice feeding).

Another way is to feed the Dog two or three times a day (food-restricted feeding). This is the feeding method that works the best for most Dogs.

The third way is to make food available to your Dog for a short time (about 10 minutes) once or twice a day (time-restricted feeding).

Each of these feeding methods has its advantages and disadvantages, which will be discussed next.

Free-Choice Feeding

This is a feeding method when you make food available to your Dog all the time.

Food-Restricted Meal Feeding

Food-limited feeding requires feeding a measured amount of food based on the Dogs daily energy requirements divided into two or three meals per day.

This is the method of choice for feeding puppies that are at risk of developing bone diseases due to rapid growth. Restricting the food of a rapidly growing dog will ensure that the dog grows normally.

Time-Limited Feeding

This is a dog feeding method in which dogs are allowed access to food for a short period, usually 10 to 15 minutes, once or twice daily (three times per day for the first month after weaning, then twice per day).

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Free-choice feeding	Requires less work on your part Requires less knowledge If you own many Dogs, the less dominant Dogs will have a better chance of getting their share of food	You have less control over how much food your Dog eats Makes it hard for you to monitor how much food your Dog is eating This feeding method can easily make your Dog overweight
Food-restricted feeding	You have control over how much food your Dog eats You can quickly tell if your Dog`s appetite suddenly changes You have better control of your Dog`s weight
Time-restricted feeding	You have a little bit of control over how much food your Dog eats You will be able to tell if your Dog`s appetite suddenly changes	You cannot really control how much food your Dog eats This feeding method can easily make your Dog overweight This feeding method requires a lot of work on your part

Effect of Neutering/Spaying on How Much Food your Dog eats

Neutered/spayed dogs tend to get fat twice as easily as intact dogs.

Studies have shown that neutering/spaying may increase your Dog`s appetite for more food. Also, your Dog`s physical activity decreases after neutering/spaying. These factors lead to weight gain.

Neutering may lead to more weight gain in male Dogs because neutered dogs roam less (which means less exercise).

Therefore, the amount of food that you give to a neutered Dog should be reduced after you neuter your Dog to prevent weight gain.

Use our Dog food calculator to calculate how much food to feed a neutered/spayed Dog.

Effect of Weather on How Much Food Your Dog Needs

Dogs that live in cold environments need more food (especially, food high in fat) than Dogs that live in hot environments.

Hot weather, on the other hand, does not increase the amount of food your Dog needs. Hot weather only makes your Dog need more water.

Since most Dogs live in a temperature-controlled environment as their owners. Therefore, owners do not need to increase or decrease the amount of food they give to their Dogs based on the outside weather.

Important Note on Treats and Table Food

Because meeting a dog`s nutrient requirements is not the primary goal of dog treats, most commercial dog treats do not contain the essential nutrients that your Dog needs.

However, a few treats are complete and balanced and are approved by AAFCO, or some other credible dog food regulatory agency. Check the label on your dog treat to know if the dog treat has a complete and balanced nutrient profile.

Nevertheless, dog treats, either balanced or unbalanced in nutrients, are valid sources of calories for your dog. Therefore, if you give your dog lots of treats, you should reduce the amount of the regular dog food that you give your dog accordingly to account for the treats. That way, you will not overfeed your dog.

Also, human table foods do not contain the important nutrients that your Dog needs for healthy growth.

Also, human table foods may contain very high levels of fat or sodium and other minerals that are harmful to your Dog.

Moreover, know that when you feed your Dog table food, you fill your Dog`s stomach with dog `junk food`. This will suppress your Dog`s appetite and thereby make your Dog unable to eat its normal dog food that contains the essential nutrients for your Dog`s growth.

We do not recommend giving your Dog table food.