Raw Diet Amounts Table by Age and Activity
Raw feeding chart for dogs and cats: percent-of-body-weight portions by life stage, activity and weight goal, converted to grams — print or personalize free.
Raw Feeding Chart for Dogs (Percent of Body Weight)
A raw feeding chart maps life stage and activity to a body-weight percentage. Adult maintenance corresponds to 2.5% of body weight daily, working dogs feed at 3% or more, and puppies run 3-10% depending on age. The chart uses ideal body weight for adults and current weight for puppies.
Read your row, multiply, and weigh the result in grams. The raw feeding calculator converts your chart row into daily grams and splits it into meals; the raw feeding primer explains where these percentages come from.
| Life stage / activity | % of body weight per day | Daily amount per 10 lb of body weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy 2-4 months | 8-10% | 12.8-16 oz (363-454 g) |
| Puppy 4-6 months | 6-8% | 9.6-12.8 oz (272-363 g) |
| Puppy 6-9 months | 4-6% | 6.4-9.6 oz (181-272 g) |
| Puppy 9-12 months | 3-4% | 4.8-6.4 oz (136-181 g) |
| Adult, sedentary / weight loss | 2% | 3.2 oz (91 g) |
| Adult, maintenance | 2.5% | 4 oz (113 g) |
| Adult, active / working | 3%+ | 4.8 oz (136 g) or more |
| Senior, low activity | 2% | 3.2 oz (91 g) |
How to Read and Apply the Chart
Three steps turn the chart into a bowl. First, pick the life-stage row that matches your dog. Second, multiply body weight by the percentage. Third, weigh the food in grams: pounds x 453.6 x percentage = grams per day. Daily grams equal body weight times the chart percentage, nothing more.
Worked example: a 60 lb adult at maintenance is 60 x 0.025 = 1.5 lb = 680 g per day, served as two meals of about 340 g. The table below runs the same multiplication for common adult weights; the detailed adult dog raw amounts guide adds cost math and meal-splitting rules.
| Dog weight | 2% (sedentary) | 2.5% (maintenance) | 3% (active) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 lb | 181 g | 227 g | 272 g |
| 40 lb | 363 g | 454 g | 544 g |
| 60 lb | 544 g | 680 g | 816 g |
| 80 lb | 726 g | 907 g | 1,089 g |
| 100 lb | 907 g | 1,134 g | 1,361 g |
Adjusting the Chart by Body Condition
Body condition score adjusts the chart percentage. Weigh every 2 weeks and move up or down 0.25 percentage points whenever BCS drifts from the ideal 4-5 out of 9: ribs padding over means minus a quarter point, ribs and spine sharpening means plus a quarter point. The chart starts the plan; the scale runs it.
Calorie density drives the second adjustment. Fatty raw mixes require lower feeding percentages because they pack about 2.0 kcal per gram, while lean high-energy mixes at roughly 1.2 kcal/g need the top of the range to deliver the same energy. The raw feeding fundamentals and ratios guide shows the full calorie cross-check formula for verifying any row of this chart.
Brand Patty Charts vs Percent-of-Body-Weight
Commercial raw brands chart their food in patties or nuggets per day, and brand patty charts translate to percent-of-body-weight amounts with one division. Patties per day equal daily grams divided by patty weight: a 60 lb dog needing 680 g on 8 oz (227 g) patties eats three patties daily. Verify the result against the brand's printed kcal per patty, because patty recipes vary in fat and therefore in energy.
This chart stays valid across brands because it anchors to body weight, not package units, which is what a bag-specific chart never does. The same conversion works in reverse to audit a brand chart that looks generous. For kibble feeders, the dog feeding chart runs the equivalent cups-per-day math, and cat raw portion sizes follow their own 2-4% table.
Frequently asked questions
- What percentage of body weight should a dog eat raw?
- Adults eat 2-3%: 2% for sedentary or dieting dogs, 2.5% for maintenance, 3% or more for working dogs. Puppies eat 5-10% of current weight by age band, tapering to adult percentages around 12 months.
- How many grams of raw food per day for my dog?
- Multiply pounds x 453.6 x the chart percentage. A 60 lb maintenance dog is 60 x 453.6 x 0.025 = 680 g per day, served as two 340 g meals. Weigh in grams; volume scoops drift badly with chunky raw food.
- Do raw feeding charts work for any brand?
- Yes, percentage charts are brand-agnostic because they anchor to body weight rather than package units. To convert a brand's patty chart, divide your dog's daily grams by the patty weight, then confirm against the brand's kcal per patty.