Dog nutrition is very important and it is important to understand the composition of different recipes and especially the calories it has per serving. In this post, we’ll look at the calories in 1 cup of different dog food types and especially dry dog food.
How many calories does a dog need?
To keep his nutrition, a 35-pound dog that is active needs around 1000 calories each day. A 20-pound dog who is active need about 650 calories every day. Do you have an idea of how many calories are in your dog’s meals?
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How many calories are in 1 cup of dry dog food
Dry dog food is a popular option for many pet owners because it is affordable and easy to store. Most dry foods contain around 350-400 calories per cup while a few brands have higher content going up to 600 calories per cup. This makes it a relatively low-calorie option, especially when compared to some of the other recipes on the market.
Blue Buffalo Dry Dog Food Calorie per cup
We sampled 9 different Buffalo Dry cat food and found the average calorie per serving to be 490kc per cup.
| Blue Buffalo Recipe | Calorie per cup serving |
|---|---|
| Puppy Chicken & Rice | 456 |
| Puppy Lamb & Rice | 554 |
| Puppy Large Breed | 505 |
| Chicken & Rice | 463 |
| Lamb & Rice | 505 |
| Fish & Potato | 490 |
| Weight Control | 444 |
| Small Breed | 492 |
| Large Breed | 505 |
IAMs Dry Dog Food Calories
We sampled 32 recipes of IAMs dry dog food and found that they have an average of 365 calories per cup.
| IAMs Dry Dog Food Recipe | Calorie Content |
|---|---|
| Iams Proactive Health Adult | |
| Small & Toy | 421 |
| MiniChunks | 426 |
| Chunks | 374 |
| Large Breed | 374 |
| Healthy Naturals | 352 |
| Premium Protection | 301 |
| Lamb Meal & Rice | 341 |
| Weight Control | 363 |
| Weight Control Large Breed | 313 |
| Active Maturity – Small & Toy (7+ yrs) | 383 |
| Active Maturity (7+ yrs) | 334 |
| Active Maturity – Large Breed (7+ yrs) | 293 |
| Iams Veterinary Formulas | |
| Skin & Coat – Response FP | 263 |
| Skin & Coat – Response KO | 329 |
| Intestinal Formula Low-Residue – Puppy | 386 |
| Intestinal Formula Low-Residue | 257 |
| Weight Loss Restricted-Calorie | 217 |
| Weight Control D – Optimum Weight Control | 252 |
| Joint | 294 |
| Renal – Early Stage | 245 |
| Renal – Multi Stage | 514 |
| Innova Holistic | |
| Puppy | 454 |
| Large Breed Puppy | 367 |
| Large Bites | 504 |
| Small Bites | 504 |
| Red Meat – Large Bites | 468 |
| Red Meat – Small Bites | 468 |
| Large Breed | 380 |
| Low Fat | 374 |
| Senior | 374 |
| Senior Plus | 391 |
| Large Breed Senior | 361 |
Other Dry Dog Food Calories
| Nature’s Logic | |
| Chicken | 551 |
| Lamb | 551 |
| Venison | 551 |
| Duck & Salmon | 551 |
| Nature’s Variety ~ Instinct | |
| Chicken Meal | 490 |
| Rabbit Meal | 482 |
| Duck Meal & Turkey Meal | 464 |
| Nature’s Variety ~ Prairie | |
| Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Medley | 391 |
| Beef Meal & Barley Medley | 430 |
| Lamb Meal & Oatmeal Medley | 409 |
| New Zealand Venison & Millet Medley | 434 |
| Salmon Meal & Brown Rice Medley | 420 |
| Newman’s Own Organics | |
| Adult Dog Formula | 397 |
| Advanced Dog Formula | 404 |
| NutriSource Super Premium | |
| Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice | 460 |
| Formula | |
| Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula | 360 |
| Adult Chicken & Rice Formula | 370 |
| Large Breed Adult Chicken & Rice Formula | 350 |
| Weight Management Chicken & Rice Formula | 340 |
| Lamb Meal & Rice | 340 |
| Large Breed Adult Lamb Meal & Rice | 350 |
| Performance Chicken & Rice Formula | 463 |
| Super Performance Chicken & Rice Formula | 480 |
| Senior Chicken & Rice Formula | 350 |
Nutro Dry Cat Food Calories
| Nutro Dry Dog Food Recipes | Calorie per cup |
|---|---|
| Nutro | |
| Premium | 333 |
| Nutro MAX Puppy | |
| Puppy | 363 |
| Large Breed | 325 |
| Nutro MAX Adult | |
| Adult | 380 |
| Mini Chunk | 369 |
| Natural | 380 |
| Beef Meal & Rice Dinner | 353 |
| Large Breed | 309 |
| Weight Control | 273 |
| Nutro MAX Senior 7+ years | |
| Senior | 280 |
| Nutro Natural Choice Puppy | |
| Lamb Meal & Rice | 333 |
| Small Bites Chicken, Rice & Oatmeal | 328 |
| Large Breed | 346 |
| Large Breed Lamb & Rice | 338 |
| Nutro Natural Choice Adult | |
| Lamb Meal & Rice | 342 |
| Lamb Meal & Rice Small Bites | 315 |
| Chicken, Rice & Oatmeal | 338 |
| Venison Meal & Whole Brown Rice | 282 |
| Herring Meal, Rice & Potato | 264 |
| Dental Care | 287 |
| High Energy | 396 |
| Lite | 244 |
| Large Breed | 323 |
| Large Breed Lamb & Rice | 318 |
| Large Breed Weight Management | 283 |
Purina Dry Dog Food Calorie
| Purina Dry Dog Food Recipe | Calorie per cup |
|---|---|
| Naturally Complete w/ Vitamins & Minerals | 433 |
| HiPro | 441 |
| Purina Dog Chow Senior 7+ years | |
| Healthy Morsels | 328 |
| Purina Moist n’ Meaty (pouches) | |
| Burger w/ Cheddar Cheese | 476 |
| With Chicken | 450 |
| Chopped Burger | 449 |
| With Lamb & Rice | 440 |
| Steak Flavor | 450 |
| Less Active Formula w/ Turkey & Rice | 452 |
| Purina ONE Puppy | |
| Healthy Puppy | 465 |
| Large Breed | 377 |
| Purina ONE Adult | |
| Beef & Rice | 441 |
| Chicken & Rice | 449 |
| Lamb & Rice | 451 |
| Healthy Weight Management | 337 |
| Large Breed | 400 |
| Large Breed Healthy Weight | 381 |
| Sensitive Systems | 453 |
| Purina ONE Senior 7+ years | |
| Protection Formula | 375 |
| Large Breed | 395 |
| Purina ONE Natural Blends + Vitamins & Minerals Adult | |
| Chicken & Oat Meal | 413 |
| Lamb & Barley | 420 |
| 16 | |
| Purina Pro Plan Puppy | |
| Chicken & Rice | 473 |
| Natural Lamb & Rice | 470 |
| Small Breed | 488 |
| Large Breed | 382 |
| Giant Breed | 405 |
| Purina Pro Plan Puppy Selects | |
| Natural Turkey & Barley | 443 |
| Purina Pro Plan Adult | |
| Beef & Rice | 465 |
| Chicken & Rice | 489 |
| Natural Lamb & Rice | 450 |
| Natural Turkey & Barley | 454 |
| Small Breed | 460 |
| Large Breed | 397 |
| Giant Breed | 369 |
| Sensitive Skin & Stomach | 419 |
| Chicken & Rice Weight Management | 337 |
| Small Breed Weight Management | 397 |
| Large Breed Weight Management | 369 |
| Performance | 493 |
| Purina Pro Plan Adult Selects | |
| Natural Turkey & Barley | 466 |
| Natural Lamb & Oat Meal | 514 |
| Natural Salmon & Brown Rice | 430 |
| Natural Lamb & Oat Meal Large Breed | 448 |
| Purina Pro Plan Senior 7+ years | |
| Chicken & Rice | 408 |
| Natural Lamb & Rice | 427 |
| Small Breed | 422 |
| Large Breed | 404 |
| 17 | |
| Purina Pro Plan Senior Selects 7+ years | |
| Natural Turkey & Barley | 437 |
| Purina Veterinary Diets | |
| DCO – Dual Fiber Control | 320 |
| DH – Dental Health | 315 |
| DH – Dental Health Small Bites | 302 |
| EN – GastroENteric | 397 |
| HA – HypoAllergenic | 311 |
| JM – Joint Mobility | 351 |
| LA – Limited Antigen | 394 |
| NF – Kidney Function | 459 |
| OM – Overweight Management | 276 |
How many calories are in dog treats?
While the calorie content in most dog foods is relatively low, this is not always the case with treats. Be sure to read the label on any treats you are considering giving your pup and aim for those that have around 150-250 calories per serving. A simple dog bone has 40 calories, while most store-bought treats have around 100-300 calories per serving.
So, as you can see, the calorie content in dry dog food is much lower than other recipes on the market. This doesn’t mean it is a bad choice; rather, it just means you need to feed your pup a bit more if he is eating dry food to meet his daily caloric needs.
If you are unsure of how many calories your dog needs each day, consult with your veterinarian. They will be able to help you create a diet that meets both your pup’s nutritional needs and his individual activity level. Thanks for reading!
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Hi there! My name is Alex Landy, one of the co-founders here at Our Pets HQ and a parent to a small-breed Yorkie. I am a published author of two books on dog breeding and currently write on various pet-related blogs about caring for dogs. I am a parent of two daughters and live outside Boston where I spend a lot of time with family and serve in different breeding clubs. You can reach me at alex@ourpetshq.com
