Adult, 10 kg
Resting energy lands near 750 kcal per day. On typical kibble at 3,300–3,800 kcal per kilogram that is roughly 200–225 g — weighed, not scooped.
Start with body weight
A daily ration is not a guess or a glance at the back of a bag. It starts with resting energy requirement — roughly 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the 0.75 power — then adjusts for life stage and format. This page walks the arithmetic, the formats and the changeover, step by step.
This is an independent feeding-arithmetic reference — not a shop, not a brand's feeding guide, and not veterinary advice for an individual animal.
Scroll the strip sideways — 6 cards.
Resting energy lands near 750 kcal per day. On typical kibble at 3,300–3,800 kcal per kilogram that is roughly 200–225 g — weighed, not scooped.
Resting energy comes out near 1,750 kcal per day, about 460–530 g of typical kibble. Note the maths: only about 70 kcal per kilogram, against about 75 for the 10 kg dog.
Roughly 2.5 times resting energy, on a growth formula with the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio inside 1.2:1 to 2:1. The multiplier steps down to 2× by eight months.
Held at about 1.5 times resting energy until twelve months. Pushing energy higher to grow a big dog faster is linked to developmental bone problems, not to a stronger dog.
Similar resting arithmetic per kilogram to dogs, a higher protein requirement, and a ration split near 70% wet and 30% dry by calories so water arrives inside the food.
Moving from a 9%-fat kibble (≈3,600 kcal/kg) to an 18%-fat one (≈4,000 kcal/kg) adds only about 10% more calories — but that quiet surplus is what shows up on the scales.
Three pages, one method
Body weight, converted by one formula, gives the baseline calories an adult animal needs at rest.
The working formula is 70 multiplied by body weight in kilograms raised to the 0.75 power. For a 10 kg adult dog that comes out near 750 kcal per day; for a 25 kg dog, near 1,750 kcal. Cats sit on similar arithmetic per kilogram, though they carry higher protein requirements than dogs.
The exponent matters. Because weight is raised to the 0.75 power rather than taken straight, needs per kilogram fall as animals grow: the 25 kg dog runs on about 70 kcal per kilogram while the 10 kg dog runs on about 75. Scaling the bowl in direct proportion to weight overfeeds the small dog and underfeeds the large one.
This number is the resting floor, not the final ration. Age, activity and neuter status move the real target, which is why the same 10 kg dog can hold condition on slightly less or need slightly more. The full worked method sits on the How much to feed page.
| Animal and stage | Daily energy | In the bowl | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult dog, 10 kg | ≈750 kcal per day (resting) | about 200–225 g of typical kibble | activity and neuter status shift the real need |
| Adult dog, 25 kg | ≈1,750 kcal per day (resting) | about 460–530 g of typical kibble | split into two meals rather than one |
| Puppy up to 4 months | ≈2.5 × resting energy | growth formula weighed out in grams | overdoing calcium is linked to bone problems |
| Puppy, 4–8 months | ≈2 × resting energy | growth formula, portion stepped down with age | keep calcium-to-phosphorus near 1.2:1–2:1 |
| Large-breed puppy to 12 months | ≈1.5 × resting energy | large-breed growth formula | do not push energy higher to speed growth |
| Adult cat | resting arithmetic similar per kg to dogs | ≈70% of calories wet, ≈30% dry | dry-only feeding raises urinary risk in males |
| Wet food pouch, 100 g | 60–90 kcal | one pouch is a fraction of the day, not a day | easy to over-give as just a treat |
| Kibble, one measuring cup | 350–450 kcal | weigh it once to learn what your cup holds | cup sizes and recipes vary by brand |
Each card applies the resting-energy formula and the life-stage multipliers to one typical animal.