How much should your dog eat on a fresh, raw or transitioning diet? Enter their details and get exact daily grams, based on the same formula used by veterinary nutritionists.
The right daily portion depends on your dog's weight, age, activity level and the calorie density of your specific recipe. This calculator uses the veterinary Resting Energy Requirement (RER) formula — the same method used by veterinary nutritionists — to calculate your dog's daily calorie target, then converts it into grams based on food type.
Adult dogs (1 year and older for small and medium breeds, 18–24 months for large and giant breeds) can safely transition to a well-formulated homemade or raw diet. Puppies under 12 months have more precise nutritional requirements and are better served by a complete puppy kibble until their growth phase is complete.
A gradual 4-stage transition over 5–7 weeks reduces the risk of digestive upset. Stage 1 (20% fresh / 80% kibble), Stage 2 (50/50), and Stage 3 (80% fresh / 20% kibble) each last 1–2 weeks, giving the gut microbiome time to adapt. Stage 4 is 100% home-cooked food — at that point, use the Already on home-cooked food option in this calculator for your exact daily portions.
Wet food is easier on the digestive system than kibble, so the transition can move faster — typically 4–6 days per stage rather than 1–2 weeks. Stage 1 (25% fresh / 75% wet food), Stage 2 (50/50), and Stage 3 (75% fresh / 25% wet) lead to Stage 4: 100% home-cooked food. At that point, use the Already on home-cooked food option for your exact portions. Because wet food is around 75% water, the gram amounts during stages will look large — this is normal. Note that this path is designed for dogs whose primary diet is wet food; if your dog mainly eats kibble with wet food as a topper, use the kibble transition path instead.