{"success":true,"version":"v1","request":{"tool":"get_calculator_schema","calculator_id":"dog-food-portion"},"result":{"entity_type":"calculator","id":"dog-food-portion","calculator_id":"dog-food-portion","canonical_url":"https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/dog-food-portion","name":"Dog Food Portion Calculator","title":"Dog Food Portion Calculator – Daily Calories, Cups and Grams from Weight and Life Stage","category":"everyday","category_name":"Everyday Life","tool_name":"estimate_dog_food_portion","featured_mcp_tool":false,"description":"Estimates a dog's resting energy requirement (RER = 70 × kg^0.75), multiplies it by the life-stage factor used by veterinary nutrition services (e.g. neutered adult 1.6, puppy under 4 months 3.0) and converts the daily calories into cups and grams of a food of known energy density, with a meal split.","use_when":"You need to know how many cups or grams of a specific food to feed a dog per day from its weight, life stage and the kcal per cup or per 100 g on the bag.","do_not_use_when":"The dog is ill, underweight, a giant-breed puppy or on a prescription diet; results are informational starting points, not veterinary advice. For cats or a calorie figure without food conversion use pet-calories.","inputs":[{"name":"weight_kg","label":"Body weight","type":"number","unit":"kg","required":true,"min":0.5,"max":120,"description":"Current body weight (use the target weight for weight loss).","example":20},{"name":"life_stage","label":"Life stage / activity","type":"enum","required":false,"default":"adult_neutered","values":[{"value":"puppy_under_4_months","label":"Puppy under 4 months ×3.0","aliases":["young_puppy","weaned_puppy"]},{"value":"puppy_4_to_12_months","label":"Puppy 4–12 months ×2.0","aliases":["puppy","older_puppy","junior"]},{"value":"adult_neutered","label":"Neutered adult ×1.6","aliases":["neutered","spayed","adult"]},{"value":"adult_intact","label":"Intact adult ×1.8","aliases":["intact","entire"]},{"value":"adult_inactive_obese_prone","label":"Inactive / obese-prone adult ×1.4 (table range 1.2–1.4)","aliases":["inactive","obese_prone","couch_potato"]},{"value":"weight_loss","label":"Weight loss ×1.0 (of RER at target weight)","aliases":["diet","overweight"]},{"value":"senior","label":"Senior ×1.4","aliases":["old","geriatric"]},{"value":"working_dog_moderate","label":"Working dog, moderate work ×3.0","aliases":["working","sporting","active"]},{"value":"pregnant_last_trimester","label":"Pregnant, last 21 days ×3.0","aliases":["pregnant","gestation"]},{"value":"lactating","label":"Lactating ×4.0 (4–8 depending on litter size)","aliases":["nursing","lactation"]}],"description":"Life stage or activity; each maps to a multiple of RER.","example":"adult_neutered"},{"name":"food_kcal_per_cup","label":"Food energy per cup","type":"number","unit":"kcal/cup","required":false,"default":350,"min":50,"max":1000,"description":"Metabolisable energy per standard 8 oz measuring cup from the bag (dry foods 300–450).","example":350},{"name":"food_kcal_per_100g","label":"Food energy per 100 g","type":"number","unit":"kcal/100 g","required":false,"min":30,"max":700,"description":"Energy per 100 g from the bag, to get the portion in grams (dry foods 330–420, wet foods 70–130).","example":360}],"outputs":[{"name":"rer_kcal","label":"Resting energy requirement","type":"number","unit":"kcal/day","decimals":1,"description":"RER = 70 × weight_kg^0.75."},{"name":"mer_factor","label":"Life-stage factor","type":"number","decimals":2,"description":"Multiplier applied to RER."},{"name":"mer_kcal","label":"Daily calories","type":"number","unit":"kcal/day","decimals":1,"description":"Maintenance energy requirement = RER × factor."},{"name":"cups_per_day","label":"Cups per day","type":"number","unit":"cups","decimals":2,"description":"mer_kcal / food_kcal_per_cup."},{"name":"grams_per_day","label":"Grams per day","type":"number","unit":"g","decimals":0,"description":"mer_kcal / food_kcal_per_100g × 100 (when given)."},{"name":"meals_per_day","label":"Meals per day","type":"integer","decimals":4,"description":"2 for adults, 3 for puppies of 4–12 months, 4 for puppies under 4 months."},{"name":"cups_per_meal","label":"Cups per meal","type":"number","unit":"cups","decimals":2,"description":"cups_per_day / meals_per_day."},{"name":"grams_per_meal","label":"Grams per meal","type":"number","unit":"g","decimals":0,"description":"grams_per_day / meals_per_day (when given)."},{"name":"meals_note","label":"Feeding note","type":"string","decimals":4,"description":"How to split the daily amount."},{"name":"body_condition_note","label":"Adjustment note","type":"string","decimals":4,"description":"How to adjust the portion over time."}],"input_schema":{"type":"object","properties":{"weight_kg":{"description":"Current body weight (use the target weight for weight loss). Unit: kg.","type":"number","minimum":0.5,"maximum":120,"examples":[20],"x-unit":"kg"},"life_stage":{"description":"Life stage or activity; each maps to a multiple of RER.","type":"string","enum":["puppy_under_4_months","puppy_4_to_12_months","adult_neutered","adult_intact","adult_inactive_obese_prone","weight_loss","senior","working_dog_moderate","pregnant_last_trimester","lactating"],"default":"adult_neutered","examples":["adult_neutered"]},"food_kcal_per_cup":{"description":"Metabolisable energy per standard 8 oz measuring cup from the bag (dry foods 300–450). Unit: kcal/cup.","type":"number","minimum":50,"maximum":1000,"default":350,"examples":[350],"x-unit":"kcal/cup"},"food_kcal_per_100g":{"description":"Energy per 100 g from the bag, to get the portion in grams (dry foods 330–420, wet foods 70–130). Unit: kcal/100 g.","type":"number","minimum":30,"maximum":700,"examples":[360],"x-unit":"kcal/100 g"}},"additionalProperties":false,"required":["weight_kg"]},"output_schema":{"type":"object","properties":{"rer_kcal":{"description":"RER = 70 × weight_kg^0.75. Unit: kcal/day.","type":"number","x-unit":"kcal/day"},"mer_factor":{"description":"Multiplier applied to RER.","type":"number"},"mer_kcal":{"description":"Maintenance energy requirement = RER × factor. Unit: kcal/day.","type":"number","x-unit":"kcal/day"},"cups_per_day":{"description":"mer_kcal / food_kcal_per_cup. Unit: cups.","type":"number","x-unit":"cups"},"grams_per_day":{"description":"mer_kcal / food_kcal_per_100g × 100 (when given). Unit: g.","type":"number","x-unit":"g"},"meals_per_day":{"description":"2 for adults, 3 for puppies of 4–12 months, 4 for puppies under 4 months.","type":"integer"},"cups_per_meal":{"description":"cups_per_day / meals_per_day. Unit: cups.","type":"number","x-unit":"cups"},"grams_per_meal":{"description":"grams_per_day / meals_per_day (when given). Unit: g.","type":"number","x-unit":"g"},"meals_note":{"description":"How to split the daily amount.","type":"string"},"body_condition_note":{"description":"How to adjust the portion over time.","type":"string"}}},"formula":"RER = 70 × weight_kg^0.75; MER = RER × factor (puppy <4 months 3.0, puppy 4–12 months 2.0, neutered adult 1.6, intact adult 1.8, inactive 1.4, weight loss 1.0, senior 1.4, moderate work 3.0, last-trimester pregnancy 3.0, lactation 4.0); cups_per_day = MER / food_kcal_per_cup; grams_per_day = MER / food_kcal_per_100g × 100","method":"Factors follow the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center calorie table used with the WSAVA nutrition toolkit; the inactive factor is the upper end of its 1.2–1.4 range, the senior factor 1.4 and the lactation factor the lower bound of 4–8. Individual needs vary by ±25 %, so the portion is a starting point to be adjusted against body condition; informational, not veterinary advice.","sources":[{"name":"Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center – Basic calorie calculator for dogs and cats","url":"https://vmc.vet.osu.edu/services/companion-animal-nutrition-support-service","type":"reference","retrieved_at":"2026-09-24"},{"name":"WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee – Nutritional assessment guidelines and toolkit","url":"https://wsava.org/global-guidelines/global-nutrition-guidelines/","type":"standard","retrieved_at":"2026-09-24"}],"freshness":{"type":"static","max_age_seconds":null,"note":"Deterministic formula with fixed constants; results never go stale. Inputs supplied by the caller determine the output."},"examples":[{"name":"20 kg neutered adult, 350 kcal/cup","inputs":{"weight_kg":20,"life_stage":"adult_neutered","food_kcal_per_cup":350},"expected":{"rer_kcal":662,"mer_factor":1.6,"mer_kcal":1059.2,"cups_per_day":3.03,"meals_per_day":2,"cups_per_meal":1.51},"url":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/dog-food-portion?weight_kg=20&life_stage=adult_neutered&food_kcal_per_cup=350"},{"name":"5 kg puppy of 6 months, 380 kcal/cup, 360 kcal/100 g","inputs":{"weight_kg":5,"life_stage":"puppy_4_to_12_months","food_kcal_per_cup":380,"food_kcal_per_100g":360},"expected":{"rer_kcal":234.1,"mer_kcal":468.1,"cups_per_day":1.23,"grams_per_day":130,"meals_per_day":3,"grams_per_meal":43},"url":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/dog-food-portion?weight_kg=5&life_stage=puppy_4_to_12_months&food_kcal_per_cup=380&food_kcal_per_100g=360"}],"faq":[{"q":"Where do I find kcal per cup?","a":"On the bag's guaranteed analysis or feeding guide as 'ME (calculated) kcal/cup' or kcal/kg; divide kcal/kg by 10 to get kcal per 100 g."},{"q":"Why is this less than the bag's feeding chart?","a":"Feeding charts are typically based on intact, active adults (1.8 × RER or more); most neutered pets need 20–30 % less, which is why bag-fed dogs often gain weight."},{"q":"Do treats count?","a":"Yes: keep treats under 10 % of daily calories and reduce the food portion accordingly, otherwise the diet becomes unbalanced and the dog overeats."}],"tags":["dog food calculator","how much to feed my dog","dog calories per day","cups of dog food per day","puppy feeding amount"],"related":[{"calculator_id":"pet-calories","reason":"Calorie needs for dogs and cats without food conversion."},{"calculator_id":"dog-age","reason":"Life stage from the dog's age and size."}],"links":{"html":"https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/dog-food-portion","markdown":"https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/dog-food-portion.md","json":"https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/dog-food-portion.json","api":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/dog-food-portion","schema":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/dog-food-portion","openapi":"https://tttkmbb.com/openapi.json","mcp":"https://tttkmbb.com/mcp"},"version":"v1","updated_at":"2026-09-24"},"timestamp":"2026-09-24T03:50:53Z","next_actions":[{"tool":"run_calculator","calculator_id":"dog-food-portion","reason":"Run Dog Food Portion Calculator with the inputs above."}],"links":{"markdown":"https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/dog-food-portion.md"}}