How long will my dog food last? Bag calculator
Enter the bag size and how much your dog eats a day. You get how many days the bag lasts, the date it runs out and, if you add the price, what feeding your dog costs per day, month and year.
Tim de JongMost dry kibble is 3.5–4.5
All meals added together
Optional, for cost per day
This bag lasts
60days
About 8.6 weeks.
- Weeks
- 8.6
- Months
- 2.0
- Bags per year
- 6.1
- Cost per day
- add price
- Cost per month
- –
- Cost per year
- –
30 lb × 4 cups/lb = 120 cups, ÷ 2 cups a day = 60 days.
Results depend on how you measure. A level measuring cup or a kitchen scale gives the most accurate answer.
How long will my dog food last? The formula
Work out how many portions are in the bag, then divide by what your dogs eat in a day.
Days = (bag weight × cups per pound) ÷ (cups per day × number of dogs)
A 30 lb bag with 4 cups per pound holds 120 cups. If your dog eats 2 cups a day, that's 120 ÷ 2 = 60 days. In metric it's simpler: a 12 kg bag is 12,000 g, and at 250 g a day it lasts 48 days.
How long does a bag of dog food last?
Days per bag for one dog, assuming 4 cups per pound of dry food.
| Bag size | 1 cup a day | 2 cups a day | 3 cups a day | 4 cups a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb | 20 days | 10 days | 6 days | 5 days |
| 15 lb | 60 days | 30 days | 20 days | 15 days |
| 30 lb | 120 days | 60 days | 40 days | 30 days |
| 40 lb | 160 days | 80 days | 53 days | 40 days |
How many cups are in a pound of dog food?
Most dry kibble has 3.5 to 4.5 cups per pound, which is why the calculator starts at 4. The real number depends on kibble size and density, and some brands print it on the bag. To measure yours, weigh one level 8 oz measuring cup of food: 454 grams divided by that weight is your cups per pound. A cup weighing 110 g gives 4.1 cups per pound.
Not sure how much your dog should eat in the first place? Use the dog calorie calculator and divide the result by your food's kcal per cup.
Keeping a bag fresh until it's finished
A bag that lasts months can go stale before it's empty. The FDA recommends keeping dry food in its original bag, which has the lot number and best-by date, and storing it in a cool, dry place. Roll the bag shut or put the whole bag inside an airtight container. Many manufacturers suggest using an opened bag within about six weeks, so if the calculator shows a much longer time, a smaller bag is usually the better buy.
What does it cost to feed a dog per day?
Add the bag price to see the cost per day, month and year. It's the fairest way to compare a cheap small bag with a bigger, cheaper-per-pound one, and it makes budgeting for a second dog easy: set the number of dogs to 2 and the cost and run-out date update for both.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a 30 lb bag of dog food last?
At about 4 cups per pound, a 30 lb bag holds roughly 120 cups. That's 60 days for a dog eating 2 cups a day, 40 days at 3 cups and 30 days at 4 cups.
How many cups are in a pound of dog food?
Usually 3.5 to 4.5 cups per pound for dry kibble. Small, dense kibble packs more weight into a cup; large, airy kibble less. To check yours, weigh one level cup on a kitchen scale and divide 454 grams by that number.
How long does dog food last once opened?
Many manufacturers recommend finishing an opened bag of dry food within about six weeks, before the fats start to go stale. Keep it in the original bag, rolled shut, in a cool, dry place. If a big bag would take longer than that, buy a smaller one.
How much does it cost to feed a dog per month?
Divide the bag price by the number of days it lasts, then multiply by 30. A $65 bag that lasts 60 days costs about $1.08 a day, or $33 a month. Add the price in the calculator to get daily, monthly and yearly costs.
How do I work out how much food my dog needs?
Start from daily calories, not the chart on the bag. Use our dog calorie calculator, then divide the result by the kcal per cup printed on your food to get cups per day.
Sources
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