How Much to Feed a 35 lb Dog (15.9 kg)

Quick answer A neutered adult dog of 35 lb (15.9 kg) needs about 891 kcal a day, which is about 247 g of a 3,600 kcal/kg dry food. Weigh your dog monthly and adjust by about 10% if the trend is wrong.

Daily calories and grams for a 35 lb (15.9 kg) dog

Resting energy for 15.9 kg is 557 kcal (70 × 15.9^0.75). Multiply by the factor for the life stage to get the day's energy, then divide by the food's kcal per gram.

Life stage	kcal a day	g at 3,400 kcal/kg	g at 3,600 kcal/kg	g at 3,800 kcal/kg
Neutered adult	891	262	247	234
Intact adult	1,002	295	278	264
Inactive or prone to weight gain	779	229	217	205
Puppy under 4 months	1,670	491	464	440
Puppy 4 months to adult	1,113	327	309	293

These are averages from the Merck/WSAVA energy factors. Your dog may need 10 to 20% more or less. Check the energy on your own food's label and use the calculator below.

Meals, treats, water and cost

Two meals a day (neutered adult)	124 g each
Three meals a day	82 g each
Treat allowance (10% of calories)	89 kcal: 30 pieces of 3 kcal, or 2.3 of 38 kcal
Water (about 50 mL per kg)	794 mL (range 635 to 953); call the vet above 1,588 mL
Dry food as a share of body weight	1.6% a day
Calories per kilogram of body weight	56.1 kcal per kg

Monthly food cost at example prices

Cost = grams a day × 30 ÷ 1,000 × price per kg. The prices are examples; use your own.

Price per kg	3.00	4.00	5.00	6.00
Dry food, 3,600 kcal/kg	22.27	29.69	37.12	44.54

How long a bag lasts

Bag size	2 kg	5 kg	10 kg	15 kg
Days at 247 g a day	8	20	40	61

A sample day for a 35 lb (15.9 kg) dog

One way to lay out a neutered adult's day on a 3,600 kcal/kg dry food, with treats counted inside the total.

Time	What	Amount
Morning	Meal	111 g
During the day	Treats and training rewards (counted)	89 kcal
Evening	Meal	111 g
All day	Fresh water (about 794 mL)	Always available

Meals are smaller than the table above because the treat allowance of 89 kcal is taken out of the day's 891 kcal: 802 kcal of meals is 223 g.

If you feed wet and dry together

Split the calories, not the grams. This uses a wet food of 1,000 kcal/kg and a dry food of 3,600 kcal/kg for a neutered adult needing 891 kcal.

Share of calories from wet food	Wet food	Dry food
25%	223 g	186 g
50%	445 g	124 g
75%	668 g	62 g

Do not add wet food on top of the full dry amount: that doubles the calories it replaces.

How 35 lb compares with nearby weights

Weight	kcal a day (neutered adult)	g of 3,600 kcal/kg food	kcal per kg of body weight
20 lb (9.1 kg)	585	163	64.5
25 lb (11.3 kg)	692	192	61.0
30 lb (13.6 kg)	794	220	58.3
35 lb (15.9 kg)	891	247	56.1
40 lb (18.1 kg)	985	274	54.3
45 lb (20.4 kg)	1,076	299	52.7
50 lb (22.7 kg)	1,164	323	51.3

If your 35 lb dog is overweight

Using the rule that each body-condition point above 5 (of 9) is about 10% over ideal weight, here is what a weight-loss plan could look like. The calorie target is 1.0 times resting energy at the goal weight, and the pace is 1 to 2% of body weight a week (AAHA 2014). Your vet should confirm the goal and the plan.

Body condition	Goal weight	kcal a day	g of 3,600 kcal/kg food	Weeks at 2% to 1% a week
6 of 9	14.4 kg (31.8 lb)	518	144	5 to 10
7 of 9	13.2 kg (29.2 lb)	486	135	10 to 19
8 of 9	12.2 kg (26.9 lb)	457	127	13 to 27

Not sure of your dog's score? The Dog Body Condition Score tool shows how to check, and the Dog Weight Loss Calculator works from your own goal weight.

Age and life stage if 35 lb (15.9 kg) is your dog's adult weight

Age charts group dogs by adult size. At 35 lb (15.9 kg) the size group is medium, which adds 5 human years for each dog year after the second.

Dog's age	Human years (size chart)	Human years (epigenetic formula)
1 year	15.0	31.0
3 years	29.0	48.6
5 years	39.0	56.8
8 years	54.0	64.3
10 years	64.0	67.8
12 years	74.0	70.8

Why a dog twice as heavy does not eat twice as much

Energy needs rise with body weight to the power 0.75, not in a straight line. Moving from 35 lb to 40 lb is a 14% weight increase but only about 11% more calories. At 35 lb (15.9 kg), the neutered figure is 56.1 kcal per kg of body weight.

What changes your dog's number

Neutering and activity. The table shows a 10 to 30% spread between stages.
The food. A richer food means fewer grams for the same calories.
Treats. They count within the daily total.
Weight trend. Weigh monthly, score body condition and adjust by about 10%.
Health. A pet on a veterinary diet or with a health condition should follow the vet's plan.

Frequently asked questions

How much should a 35 lb (15.9 kg) dog eat a day?

A neutered adult of 35 lb (15.9 kg) needs about 891 kcal a day. On a 3,600 kcal/kg dry food that is about 247 g. Intact and inactive dogs need 1,002 and 779 kcal.

How many meals a day for a 35 lb dog?

Two meals of about 124 g, or three of about 82 g, using the same 3,600 kcal/kg food. Your vet may suggest a different pattern.

How many treats can a 35 lb dog have?

Treats should stay within about 10% of daily calories, which is 89 kcal: 30 pieces of 3 kcal or 2.3 pieces of 38 kcal. Subtract them from the meals.

My 35 lb dog is overweight. How many calories should it eat to lose weight?

If your dog is at body condition 7 of 9 (about 20% over ideal), a goal weight is about 13.2 kg (29.2 lb). A common weight-loss target is 1.0 times resting energy at the goal weight: about 486 kcal a day, or 135 g of a 3,600 kcal/kg food. At 1 to 2% of body weight a week that takes about 10 to 19 weeks. Your vet should confirm the goal and the plan.

How much water should a 35 lb dog drink?

About 794 mL a day (range 635 to 953 mL). Drinking more than about 1,588 mL a day is a reason to call your vet.

Other weights

Related guides

How we calculate: RER = 70 × kg^0.75, times the life-stage factor, as set out on Formulas & sources. This page is general information, not veterinary advice; ask your vet about your dog.