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Dog Raw Food Calculator

Calculate your dog's daily raw food amount in seconds. Enter weight, life stage, and activity level — choose BARF or prey model — and get the total grams, oz, and component breakdown.

Raw Food Calculator

BARF & Prey Model · 2–3% body weight method

Daily amount

250g/ 8.8 oz2.5% of body weight

Per meal (2×): 125g / 4.4 oz

BARF ratio breakdown

Muscle meat (70%)175g
Edible bone (10%)25g
Liver (5%)13g
Secreting organ (5%)13g
Plant matter (10%)25g

How Much Raw Food Does Your Dog Need?

The universal starting point for raw feeding is the body weight percentage method: feed 2–3% of your dog's body weight in raw food per day. The exact percentage depends on life stage, activity level, and weight goal.

2.0%

Low activity adult

10 kg dog → 200 g/day

2.5%

Moderate activity adult

10 kg dog → 250 g/day

3.0–3.5%

Active / working adult

10 kg dog → 300–350 g/day

Puppies eat 5–10% of current body weight and senior dogs 1.5–2.5%. Use the calculator above, then adjust after 2–4 weeks based on body condition score — the percentage is a starting point, not a fixed rule.

How the Raw Food Calculator Works

  • 1Enter your dog's weight in kg or lb — the calculator converts internally to kg.
  • 2Select life stage: puppy (5–10% BW), adult (2–3% BW), or senior (1.5–2.5% BW).
  • 3Activity level fine-tunes the percentage within the life-stage range.
  • 4Weight goal shifts the percentage slightly up (gain) or down (lose) from the activity baseline.
  • 5The total daily grams are then divided by your chosen meal frequency for per-meal amounts.
  • 6The ratio breakdown splits total grams across muscle meat, bone, liver, organ, and (BARF only) plant matter.

BARF vs Prey Model — Which Calculation Method Should You Use?

BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food)

  • • 70% muscle meat
  • • 10% edible raw bone
  • • 5% liver
  • • 5% other secreting organ (kidney, spleen, pancreas)
  • • 10% plant matter (vegetables, fruit, seeds)

Developed by veterinarian Ian Billinghurst. Includes plant matter on the basis that wild canids consume stomach contents of prey. More flexible for adding vegetables and fruit.

Prey Model Raw (PMR)

  • • 80% muscle meat (includes heart)
  • • 10% edible raw bone
  • • 5% liver
  • • 5% other secreting organ
  • • No plant matter

Mimics whole prey composition without plant material, based on the argument that dogs are obligate carnivores. Heart counts as muscle meat. Simpler to batch-prepare.

Both models produce the same total daily gram amount for a given dog — only the component split differs. Neither has definitive clinical evidence of superiority; choose based on your sourcing options and philosophy. See the full 80-10-10 raw feeding ratio guide for a deeper explanation.

Raw Feeding Amounts by Dog Weight

Daily raw food amounts (grams) for adult dogs at three activity levels using the 2%/2.5%/3% body weight method.

Dog weightLow activity (2%)Moderate (2.5%)Active (3%)
2–5 kg70g88g105g
5–10 kg150g188g225g
10–20 kg300g375g450g
20–35 kg550g688g825g
35–50 kg850g1063g1275g
50+ kg1150g1438g1725g

Adult dogs at maintenance weight. Puppies and seniors have different percentages — use the calculator above.

Feeding kibble instead of raw?

Our general dog food calculator covers dry, wet, and mixed diets using the NRC RER calorie formula — with outputs in grams and cups.

Use the general dog food calculator →

Frequently Asked Questions

A 50 lb (22.7 kg) adult dog at moderate activity needs approximately 568 g (20 oz) of raw food per day, calculated at 2.5% of body weight. At low activity the amount drops to about 454 g (2%), and at high activity it rises to around 681 g (3%). Use the calculator above to get a number based on your dog's exact weight, life stage, and activity level.
Both are correct — they apply to different dogs. 2% is the starting point for low-activity or overweight dogs. 2.5% suits most moderately active adults. 3% fits active dogs with high daily exercise. Working dogs can need 3.5% or more. Start at 2.5% for an average adult, then adjust up or down based on body condition score after 2–4 weeks. Body condition, not a fixed percentage, is the final arbiter.
Puppies are calculated differently from adults. Because puppies are growing rapidly, they eat 5–10% of their current body weight per day rather than the adult 2–3%. The percentage decreases as the puppy grows and approaches adult weight. Giant breed puppies should stay at the lower end (5–6%) to avoid excessively rapid bone growth, which can cause developmental orthopaedic disease. Switch to adult percentages at around 12 months (earlier for large/giant breeds).
Yes. Toggle between BARF and Prey Model (PMR) using the diet model selector. Both methods use the same 2–3% body weight calculation for the total daily amount. The difference is the ratio breakdown: BARF uses 70% muscle meat / 10% bone / 5% liver / 5% secreting organ / 10% plant matter; PMR uses 80% muscle meat / 10% bone / 5% liver / 5% secreting organ with no plant material. The calculator shows both the total amount and the component gram breakdown for your chosen model.
Most adult dogs do well with 2 meals per day. Puppies under 6 months should eat 3–4 times daily because their smaller stomachs cannot hold enough food in one or two sittings. Senior dogs may also benefit from 2–3 smaller meals if they have reduced gastric motility or a tendency to regurgitate. Some raw feeders use once-daily feeding for adult dogs, which is fine if your dog tolerates it well.
In both BARF and PMR models, organ meat makes up 10% of the diet, split between liver (5%) and other secreting organs such as kidney, spleen, or pancreas (5%). Muscle meat forms the largest share at 70% (BARF) or 80% (PMR). Liver is the most nutrient-dense component and should not exceed 5% — too much liver causes loose stools and, over time, vitamin A toxicity. Introduce organ meat gradually when starting a raw diet.

Related Raw Feeding Guides

Raw Feeding Guide for Dogs

How to start a BARF or prey model diet — complete beginner overview.

Raw Feeding Ratio Guide

The 80-10-10 and BARF ratio explained with per-ingredient gram targets.

Switching Your Dog to Raw Food

Step-by-step 7-day transition schedule for moving from kibble to raw.

Raw Puppy Feeding Guide

Age-based schedule and 5–10% body weight calculation for puppies.

Raw Food for Senior Dogs

Adjusted percentages, protein needs, and safety for dogs 7+.

Raw Dog Food vs Kibble

Evidence-based comparison of nutrition, cost, and convenience.

About This Calculator

The PawToolkit Dog Raw Food Calculator uses the body weight percentage method, the most widely used framework for raw feeding dose estimation. The 2–3% guideline for adult dogs is derived from general canine nutrition principles and the practical experience of the raw feeding community (see NRC 2006, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats for the underlying energy requirement data). The puppy 5–10% guideline is derived from growth-phase energy requirement data in the same source.

BARF ratios (70/10/10 + plant) are based on the framework described in Ian Billinghurst's foundational work. PMR ratios (80/10/10) follow the prey model community standard. Neither ratio has been validated in prospective controlled feeding trials as nutritionally complete in all configurations — raw diets should ideally be reviewed by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (DACVN) for long-term use.

This calculator is a starting-point tool for healthy adult dogs. Dogs with health conditions (kidney disease, pancreatitis, cancer, metabolic disorders) require individualised nutritional planning under veterinary supervision — do not use this tool as a substitute for professional dietary advice.

PawToolkit provides general information only. Always consult a licensed veterinarian before making significant changes to your dog's diet.