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How much dog food should I feed my dog daily for their ideal weight?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 8 months and 13 days old | 59 lbs

How much should my dog eat per day?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 28th, 2017

That depends on the food that you are feeding! Different types of dog food will contain a different number of calories per cup of food. I recommend starting with the feeding recommendations found on the bag of food you are using. There will usually be a grid that has the body weight and daily food amount. I recommend dividing the daily food amount into 2 feedings, AM and PM. Some dogs have a higher or lower metabolism than the average dog, so after feeding for a month, I re-evaluate and see if we need to increase or decrease that feeding amount to get them to their ideal body weight.

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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Published on April 18th, 2019

    More than the quantity the energy requirements are calculated by calories. I would recommend to have a look at this link to have further and complete explanations about it. https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator

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    Answered By Jenny, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 12th, 2018

    Large breeds are recommended to be fed 2-3 times a day. Depending on how weight he needs to lose will depend on how much food he should get in a day. If you want him to be 100 pounds, then he should get a little over 1.5 cups three times a day to start and try to increase his activity level.

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