Feeding by breed and weight / Herding group
Feeding · Herding group
How much to feed a Australian Cattle Dog
A neutered adult Australian Cattle Dog at 49 lb needs about 1146 kcal a day, which is 3 cups of a 369 kcal/cup food; at the 33 lb end of the breed's range it is 852 kcal, or 2¼ cups. 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 33–49 lb
- 2At 49 lb 1146 kcal a day
- 3Cups 3 cups at 369 kcal/cup
Australian Cattle Dog feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Australian Cattle Dog 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 lb (15.0 kg) | 533 | 852 kcal | 2¼ | 959 kcal | 2½ | 746 kcal | 2 |
| 37 lb (16.8 kg) | 580 | 929 kcal | 2½ | 1045 kcal | 2¾ | 813 kcal | 2¼ |
| 41 lb (18.6 kg) | 627 | 1003 kcal | 2¾ | 1128 kcal | 3 | 878 kcal | 2½ |
| 45 lb (20.4 kg) | 672 | 1076 kcal | 3 | 1210 kcal | 3¼ | 941 kcal | 2½ |
| 49 lb (22.2 kg) | 717 | 1146 kcal | 3 | 1290 kcal | 3½ | 1003 kcal | 2¾ |
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 49 lb Australian Cattle Dog the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 144 kcal a day, roughly 0.4 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (1003 kcal at 49 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 49 lb and 1146 kcal, 3 cups is about 288 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 Australian Cattle Dog puppy feeding chart.
How the Australian Cattle Dog compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 49 lb Australian Cattle Dog needs 23 kcal per pound; a 45 lb Welsh Springer Spaniel needs 1076 kcal (24 per lb), a 55 lb Border Collie needs 1250 kcal (23 per lb), a 53 lb Finnish Lapphund needs 1216 kcal (23 per lb). The breed ranks 66 of 132 by weight on this site.
Adult weight from Wikipedia breed infobox/body, checked 2026-10-21. The AKC standard states the height but not the weight, so the weight here is from Wikipedia breed infobox/body. Figures are maintenance starting points for a healthy adult; they are not veterinary advice.