How Much to Feed a 8 lb Dog (3.6 kg)

Quick answer A neutered adult dog of 8 lb (3.6 kg) needs about 294 kcal a day, which is about 82 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 8 lb (3.6 kg) dog

Resting energy for 3.6 kg is 184 kcal (70 × 3.6^0.75). 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	294	87	82	77
Intact adult	331	97	92	87
Inactive or prone to weight gain	258	76	72	68
Puppy under 4 months	552	162	153	145
Puppy 4 months to adult	368	108	102	97

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)	41 g each
Three meals a day	27 g each
Treat allowance (10% of calories)	29 kcal: 10 pieces of 3 kcal, or 0.8 of 38 kcal
Water (about 50 mL per kg)	181 mL (range 145 to 218); call the vet above 363 mL
Dry food as a share of body weight	2.3% a day
Calories per kilogram of body weight	81.1 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	7.36	9.82	12.27	14.72

How long a bag lasts

Bag size	2 kg	5 kg	10 kg	15 kg
Days at 82 g a day	24	61	122	183

A sample day for a 8 lb (3.6 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	37 g
During the day	Treats and training rewards (counted)	29 kcal
Evening	Meal	37 g
All day	Fresh water (about 181 mL)	Always available

Meals are smaller than the table above because the treat allowance of 29 kcal is taken out of the day's 294 kcal: 265 kcal of meals is 74 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 294 kcal.

Share of calories from wet food	Wet food	Dry food
25%	74 g	61 g
50%	147 g	41 g
75%	221 g	20 g

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

How 8 lb compares with nearby weights

Weight	kcal a day (neutered adult)	g of 3,600 kcal/kg food	kcal per kg of body weight
5 lb (2.3 kg)	207	57	91.3
8 lb (3.6 kg)	294	82	81.1
10 lb (4.5 kg)	348	97	76.7
12 lb (5.4 kg)	399	111	73.3
15 lb (6.8 kg)	472	131	69.3

If your 8 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	3.3 kg (7.3 lb)	171	48	5 to 10
7 of 9	3.0 kg (6.7 lb)	161	45	10 to 19
8 of 9	2.8 kg (6.2 lb)	151	42	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 8 lb (3.6 kg) is your dog's adult weight

Age charts group dogs by adult size. At 8 lb (3.6 kg) the size group is small, which adds 4 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	28.0	48.6
5 years	36.0	56.8
8 years	48.0	64.3
10 years	56.0	67.8
12 years	64.0	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 8 lb to 10 lb is a 25% weight increase but only about 18% more calories. At 8 lb (3.6 kg), the neutered figure is 81.1 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 8 lb (3.6 kg) dog eat a day?

A neutered adult of 8 lb (3.6 kg) needs about 294 kcal a day. On a 3,600 kcal/kg dry food that is about 82 g. Intact and inactive dogs need 331 and 258 kcal.

How many meals a day for a 8 lb dog?

Two meals of about 41 g, or three of about 27 g, using the same 3,600 kcal/kg food. Your vet may suggest a different pattern.

How many treats can a 8 lb dog have?

Treats should stay within about 10% of daily calories, which is 29 kcal: 10 pieces of 3 kcal or 0.8 pieces of 38 kcal. Subtract them from the meals.

My 8 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 3.0 kg (6.7 lb). A common weight-loss target is 1.0 times resting energy at the goal weight: about 161 kcal a day, or 45 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 8 lb dog drink?

About 181 mL a day (range 145 to 218 mL). Drinking more than about 363 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.