Feeding by breed and weight / Hound group
Feeding · Hound group
How much to feed a Afghan Hound
A neutered adult Afghan Hound at 60 lb needs about 1335 kcal a day, which is 3½ cups of a 369 kcal/cup food. That is the maintenance figure before treats, from the resting energy requirement formula and the Merck Veterinary Manual's factor of 1.6 for a neutered adult.
- 1Adult weight about 60 lb
- 2At 60 lb 1335 kcal a day
- 3Cups 3½ cups at 369 kcal/cup
Afghan Hound feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Afghan Hound at that weight. Columns are the Merck factors: a neutered adult (×1.6), an intact adult (×1.8) and a dog that is inactive or gains weight easily (×1.4). Cups assume 369 kcal per cup, the label figure for Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice (adult dry); change it to your bag's number on the sizer.
| Weight | RER | Neutered adult | Cups | Intact adult | Cups | Inactive / weight-prone | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 lb (27.2 kg) | 834 | 1335 kcal | 3½ | 1501 kcal | 4 | 1168 kcal | 3¼ |
| 60 lb (27.2 kg) | 834 | 1335 kcal | 3½ | 1501 kcal | 4 | 1168 kcal | 3¼ |
RER = 70 × kg0.75; factors from the Merck Veterinary Manual. Calorie density from the Purina product page (3790 kcal/kg, 369 kcal per 8 oz cup, about 96 g). Checked 2026-10-20.
Why the number is lower than the bag says
Bag feeding guides are written for an active, intact adult and often run above the neutered-maintenance figure; for a 60 lb Afghan Hound the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 166 kcal a day, roughly 0.4 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (1168 kcal at 60 lb) and be weighed every two weeks. Treats and chews count: a single dental chew can be 70–100 kcal, which adds up faster than it looks across a week.
Formulas get a healthy adult into the right range; body condition keeps it there. Ribs should be easy to feel under a thin layer of fat, and the dog should have a visible waist from above. If that is not the case after four weeks, adjust by about 10% and re-check — and ask your vet before changing a dog with a medical condition, a pregnant or nursing female, or a working dog in season.
Grams and meals
At 60 lb and 1335 kcal, 3½ cups is about 336 g a day of a 96 g/cup kibble — a kitchen scale is more repeatable than a scoop. Split into two meals for an adult. Puppies eat more per pound and more often: see the Afghan Hound puppy feeding chart.
How the Afghan Hound compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 60 lb Afghan Hound needs 22 kcal per pound; a 65 lb Belgian Malinois needs 1417 kcal (22 per lb), a 70 lb Wirehaired Pointing Griffon needs 1498 kcal (21 per lb), a 65 lb Belgian Tervuren needs 1417 kcal (22 per lb). The breed ranks 86 of 132 by weight on this site. Females of the breed top out around 50 lb, which is 1164 kcal a day neutered.
Adult weight from AKC breed standard (PDF), checked 2026-10-21. Figures are maintenance starting points for a healthy adult; they are not veterinary advice.