Dog food price comparison: what does each food really cost?
Enter the price, bag size and calories per kg of up to three dog foods, plus your dog's weight. You get each food's cost per 1,000 kcal and what it costs to feed your dog per day, month and year, ranked from cheapest.
Tim de JongYour dog's daily calories
Adult, spayed or neutered, healthy weight
A few short walks or play sessions
Foods to compare
Price, bag weight and kcal per kg from each label. The three filled in are made-up examples.
- $lb
- $lb
- $lb
Cheapest to feed per day
$1.51Food C
$45.89 a month or $550 a year at 1,182 kcal a day. A bag lasts about 33 days.
- 1. Food C$1.51/day · $1.28/1,000 kcal
$2.08 per lb of food · 39,190 kcal in the bag
- 2. Food B$1.55/day · $1.31/1,000 kcal
$2.50 per lb of food · 57,153 kcal in the bag
- 3. Food A$1.63/day · $1.38/1,000 kcal
$2.00 per lb of food · 43,545 kcal in the bag
- Yearly difference
- $44
- Most expensive
- Food A
- Daily calories
- 1,182 kcal
Cost per 1,000 kcal = price ÷ (bag weight in kg × kcal per kg) × 1,000. Cost per day = daily kcal ÷ 1,000 × cost per 1,000 kcal.
Costs assume your dog's whole daily calorie need comes from the food. Prices change often; use what you actually pay.
How do I compare dog food prices?
The price per pound on the shelf tag is the wrong number to compare. Foods differ a lot in how many calories each pound holds, so a dense food that looks pricey per pound can work out cheaper per day, because you feed less of it. The fair comparison is the price of the energy:
Cost per 1,000 kcal = price ÷ (bag weight in kg × kcal per kg) × 1,000
The calories per kg are on the label. AAFCO rules require a calorie content statement in kcal per kilogram and per cup or can, and the Merck Veterinary Manual describes the same requirement. Once you know the cost per 1,000 kcal, multiply by your dog's daily calories (divided by 1,000) to get the cost per day.
Worked example: the cheapest bag isn't the cheapest to feed
Three made-up foods, fed to a neutered, moderately active 40 lb dog that needs about 1,182 kcal a day:
| Food | Bag | kcal/kg | Per lb | Per 1,000 kcal | Per day | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food A | $60, 30 lb | 3,200 | $2.00 | $1.38 | $1.63 | $594 |
| Food B | $75, 30 lb | 4,200 | $2.50 | $1.31 | $1.55 | $566 |
| Food C | $50, 24 lb | 3,600 | $2.08 | $1.28 | $1.51 | $550 |
By the shelf price, Food A is cheapest at $2.00 a pound. By the cost of feeding, it comes last: Food C costs $1.51 a day against $1.63 for Food A, a difference of $44 a year for one dog.
The gap scales with how much your dogs eat. With two dogs, add their daily calories together and enter the total under "I know them"; the difference per year doubles along with it. For a single small dog the difference between foods may be only a few dollars a year, which is a good reason to pick the food on quality first and price second.
Why compare per calorie, not per pound?
Your dog eats to meet an energy need, not a weight of food. Dry foods differ in fat, fiber and moisture, so the same pound can carry very different calories. Canned foods are mostly water: the Merck Veterinary Manual puts them at 68 to 78% water against about 10% for dry food, which is why comparing a can with a bag of kibble by weight tells you almost nothing. Cost per 1,000 kcal puts every food on the same footing, wet or dry.
If a label only lists kcal per cup, ask the manufacturer for kcal per kg, or weigh a level cup and use the cups to grams converter to work it out.
What else to compare besides price
Cost only matters between foods that are good enough to begin with. The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee suggests looking for:
- A nutritional adequacy statement saying the food is complete for your dog's life stage. Foods labelled for intermittent or complementary feeding should make up only a small part of the diet.
- A qualified nutritionist on staff: a PhD in animal nutrition or board certification in veterinary nutrition.
- Quality control and research, such as nutrient analysis of the finished food and published studies.
- Easy contact details, so you can ask for nutrient levels or calories that are not on the label.
WSAVA also notes that terms like "holistic" and "premium" are unregulated, so they shouldn't sway the comparison.
Spending less without cutting corners
One easy saving is measuring properly. In a University of Guelph study, owners measuring dry food with scoops and cups were off by as much as 152%, and overfeeding wastes food as well as adding weight. A kitchen scale and the dog feeding calculator fix both. Store kibble in its original bag with the top folded down below 80 °F (27 °C) as the FDA advises, and use the bag calculator to see how long each size lasts.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to feed a dog per month?
Multiply your dog's daily calories by the food's cost per calorie. A neutered, moderately active 40 lb dog needs about 1,180 kcal a day; on a food costing $1.28 per 1,000 kcal that is about $46 a month, and on one costing $1.38 per 1,000 kcal about $50. Enter your own foods' prices and labels for real numbers.
Is more expensive dog food better?
Not necessarily. The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee warns that words like 'holistic' or 'premium' are unregulated marketing terms of little practical value. It suggests judging a brand by who formulates its foods, whether it employs a qualified nutritionist, its quality control and its research, which price alone doesn't tell you.
Where do I find the calories per kg on dog food?
In the US, look for 'Calorie content' on the bag; AAFCO rules require kcal per kg and per cup or can. WSAVA notes that calorie information is only required on labels in the US, so elsewhere you may need to ask the manufacturer or work it out from the label's nutrient analysis.
Are bigger bags of dog food cheaper?
Check rather than assume. Enter the same food twice in the calculator, once for each bag size and price, and compare the cost per 1,000 kcal. A bigger bag only saves money if your dog finishes it while it is still fresh, so store it in its original bag, folded shut, somewhere cool.
Sources
Related tools
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