Your Cart is Empty
RP Essentials
Add it to your order!
RP Essentials
Herring Oil
Add it to your order!
Digestive Paste
January 30, 2025 5 min read
When it comes to feeding your dog or cat, getting the portions right is critical to their overall health and well-being. At Raw Performance Dog Food, we’ve created an easy-to-use online feeding calculator to help pet owners provide their furry friends with the perfect balance of nutrients tailored to their unique needs. Let’s explore why portion control is so important and how factors like weight, activity level, and body condition impact feeding requirements.
Feeding your pet too much or too little can have significant effects on their health.
Overfeeding: This can lead to obesity, which increases the risk of joint problems, diabetes, heart disease, and a shorter lifespan.
Underfeeding: Inadequate nutrition can result in weight loss, muscle deterioration, a weakened immune system, and low energy levels.
Balanced Feeding: Proper portions ensure your pet maintains a healthy weight, strong muscles, and an active, happy lifestyle.
To determine how much to feed, it’s essential to consider your pet’s:
Our feeding calculator takes the guesswork out of portion control. By entering your pet’s weight, age, activity level, and other details, you’ll receive a customized feeding recommendation tailored to their specific needs.
The calculatoralso adjusts for age and other unique factors, ensuring puppies, kittens, senior pets, and adults get exactly what they need.
Growing puppies generally benefit from eating a higher percentage of their current body weight each day:
Very young puppies (e.g., under 4 months) may require up to 8–10% of their existing body weight in raw food daily, split into 3–4 smaller meals per day to support digestion and steady energy.
As puppies age (4–6 months), this can gradually decrease to about 6–8%, and by 7–12 months, around 4–6% may be appropriate.
Because puppies are developing so quickly, it’s important to monitor their growth and adjust amounts regularly — small breeds often finish growing closer to 12 months, while large breeds may take up to 18–24 months.
Once dogs reach maturity, their calorie and food needs are much lower relative to body weight. A common guideline for adult dogs eating raw diets is around 2–3% of their ideal body weight per day, depending on activity level and metabolism.
Dogs with higher activity levels or those that are very active may thrive on the higher end of this range.
Less active or weight-sensitive dogs may do well at the lower end.
Adult feeding amounts can be split into two meals per day — morning and evening — which often suits most dogs’ digestion and energy rhythms.
Key Point:
Puppies need more food relative to their weight than adult dogs — sometimes more than double the percentage — because they are in a rapid growth phase. Adult dogs require maintenance levels of calories that keep them at a healthy weight and energy level.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they thrive on protein-rich diets, and many cat owners who feed raw choose it for improved coat, dental health, and overall wellbeing. Like dogs, cats’ feeding needs vary by life stage and activity level, but the general rule is to start with a daily raw food amount based on their body weight and adjust as needed.
For adult cats on a raw diet, a common guideline is to feed about 2–3% of their body weight per day.
Less active or indoor cats may do well toward the lower end of this range.
More active or outdoor cats may benefit from slightly higher amounts closer to 3%.
Because cats regulate their intake well when offered a nutritionally complete raw diet, many owners prefer to adjust portions based on body condition and activity rather than strict percentages.
Growing kittens need more calories relative to their size than adult cats, and raw feeding guides commonly recommend higher percentage feeding — often around 4–6% of their current body weight per day, split into at least two meals.
Kittens will typically eat more frequently and in smaller quantities, which can help maintain steady energy levels and support rapid growth.
Adult cats typically do well with two meals per day.
Kittens often need three or more meals daily to meet their energy and nutrient needs.
Tip: Always monitor your cat’s body condition and adjust feeding amounts. If your cat appears too lean or too heavy, altering the portion size slightly is more effective than forcing rigid numbers.
By using the Raw Performance Dog Food feeding calculator, you’re giving your pet the best chance at a healthy, balanced diet. Ensuring they get the right portions helps them maintain an ideal weight, prevents health issues, and supports their overall quality of life.
Start today by visiting our feeding calculator here and tailoring your pet’s diet to their unique needs. If you have questions or need guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of experts—we’re here to help you every step of the way!
