How much should a senior dog eat?
Older dogs usually eat less — but the risk is not the calories, it is the muscle. The senior factor trims the portion; the protein and the weigh-ins protect the dog underneath it.
Enter your dog's details
Pre-set to the senior factor (×1.4) — adjust the weight to your dog.
Senior portions by weight
| Dog weight | RER (resting) | Daily target | Food per day | Per meal (×2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kg · 7 lb | 160 kcal | 223 kcal | 54 g | 27 g |
| 5 kg · 11 lb | 234 kcal | 328 kcal | 80 g | 40 g |
| 8 kg · 18 lb | 333 kcal | 466 kcal | 113 g | 57 g |
| 10 kg · 22 lb | 394 kcal | 551 kcal | 134 g | 67 g |
| 15 kg · 33 lb | 534 kcal | 747 kcal | 182 g | 91 g |
| 20 kg · 44 lb | 662 kcal | 927 kcal | 225 g | 113 g |
| 25 kg · 55 lb | 783 kcal | 1,096 kcal | 267 g | 133 g |
| 30 kg · 66 lb | 897 kcal | 1,256 kcal | 306 g | 153 g |
| 35 kg · 77 lb | 1,007 kcal | 1,410 kcal | 343 g | 172 g |
| 40 kg · 88 lb | 1,113 kcal | 1,559 kcal | 379 g | 190 g |
| 50 kg · 110 lb | 1,316 kcal | 1,843 kcal | 448 g | 224 g |
| 60 kg · 132 lb | 1,509 kcal | 2,113 kcal | 514 g | 257 g |
Senior, lower activity (×1.4), food at 370 kcal/100 g, 10% treat allowance removed, 2 meals. Generated by the same engine as the calculator above.
Why seniors eat less — and why the calories are the easy part
Older dogs move less and their metabolism slows, so the maintenance factor drops from 1.6 to 1.4 × RER. That is a real cut — about 12% fewer calories — but it is the easy part of senior feeding. The hard part is muscle: seniors lose lean mass with age, and a dog that loses muscle loses strength, balance and the ability to keep warm. Calories are the number on this page; muscle is what the number is protecting.
Muscle loss is the real risk, not hunger
The classic senior-feeding mistake is cutting food and protein together. A senior that eats less overall but keeps its protein up holds muscle far better than one fed a low-protein senior diet at the same calories. There is no single protein number for every senior — kidney disease changes the answer — but for a healthy older dog, the rule is simple: trim the calories with the 1.4 factor, do not trim the protein, and weigh every two weeks. If the ribs are easy to feel and the waist is visible, the portion is right; if muscle is visibly wasting from the hindquarters, that is a vet visit, not a bigger bowl.
When to switch to the senior factor
Size sets the timetable: giant breeds from about 6–7 years, large breeds from 7–8, medium breeds from 8–10, small and toy breeds from 10–12. But the switch should follow the dog, not the calendar. The signs that the senior factor fits: the dog sleeps more, walks shorter, gains weight on the adult portion, or loses muscle despite eating the same amount. Switch gradually — move the factor from 1.6 to 1.4 over two or three weeks, not overnight — and re-weigh after a fortnight. A still-active older dog that holds condition on 1.6 should stay on 1.6: activity, not age, is what the factor measures.
Feeding a senior with health problems
Many senior conditions change the feeding plan, and none of them is fixed by this page alone. Kidney disease usually means a vet-prescribed diet with controlled protein and phosphorus. Diabetes means consistent meal times and consistent portions, every day the same. Dental disease means smaller, softer food — the calories stay the same, only the form changes. Arthritis means weight matters more than ever: every extra kilo is carried by sore joints. If your senior dog has a diagnosis, the vet's diet overrides the calculator, and this page is the starting point you bring to the appointment, not the prescription.
Worked example: a 20 kg senior
RER = 70 × 200.75 = 662 kcal. MER at the senior factor 1.4 = 927 kcal. Remove 10% for treats (93 kcal) and divide by a typical kibble at 370 kcal/100 g: 225 g per day, or 113 g per meal over two meals. The same dog as an adult ate 1,059 kcal and 258 g — the senior cut is 33 g a day, about an eighth of the bowl. That is the whole difference: a small cut, made gradually, with the protein kept up and the scale checked every two weeks.
Every breed page on this site carries the same senior arithmetic for its own weight range — see the breed pages for your dog — and the method page documents where the 1.4 factor comes from.
How to use this calculator
Enter weight
Enter the dog's weight (use ideal weight for weight loss).
Select life stage and goal
Select the life stage and goal so the correct MER factor applies.
Enter food energy density
Enter the food's energy density (kcal per 100 g) from its label.
Read the daily portion
Read the daily portion in grams, split it across meals, and adjust by 10% every 2 weeks based on body condition.
Frequently asked
How much should a senior dog eat per day?
At the senior factor (1.4 × RER instead of 1.6), a 20 kg senior needs about 927 kcal/day instead of 1,059 — roughly 225 g of typical kibble after the 10% treat allowance. A 10 kg senior needs about 552 kcal/day, roughly 134 g. But judge by muscle and condition, not birthdays: a still-active older dog may hold condition on the adult number.
At what age is a dog a senior?
It depends on size: giant breeds are seniors from about 6–7 years, large breeds from about 7–8, medium breeds from about 8–10, and small and toy breeds from about 10–12. The calendar is only a rough guide — a lean, active 9-year-old Labrador is not a senior in feeding terms, while a stiff 7-year-old Great Dane is. Body condition and muscle matter more than the birthday.
Should senior dogs eat less protein?
No — the opposite is the usual mistake. Seniors lose muscle with age, and protein is what defends it: cutting protein to cut calories is the wrong trade. Feed the senior factor (1.4 × RER) for the calories, keep the protein up, and judge by muscle and condition. The exception is kidney disease, where a vet may prescribe a restricted-protein diet — that is a vet decision, not a website one.
My senior dog is losing weight — should I feed more?
First, see the vet: weight loss in an older dog is a symptom to check (dental pain, kidney or thyroid disease, tumours) before it is a portion problem. If the vet clears the dog, increase by 10% steps every two weeks — from the senior factor toward the adult 1.6 — until weight and muscle stabilise. A senior that eats less because of sore teeth may do better on smaller, softer meals than on a bigger bowl of the same kibble.
How often should a senior dog eat?
Two meals a day is the default, as for adults. Three small meals suit seniors with poor appetite, dental problems or an empty-stomach nausea pattern — the daily total stays the same (about 927 kcal for a 20 kg senior), only the split changes. One meal a day is the worst option for an older dog: a large meal on an empty stomach, then hours of nothing, is hard on digestion and on blood sugar.
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