Feeding by breed and weight / Herding group
Feeding · Herding group
How much to feed a Collie
A neutered adult Collie at 75 lb needs about 1578 kcal a day, which is 4¼ cups of a 369 kcal/cup food; at the 60 lb end of the breed's range it is 1335 kcal, or 3½ 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 60–75 lb
- 2At 75 lb 1578 kcal a day
- 3Cups 4¼ cups at 369 kcal/cup
Collie feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Collie 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 |
| 64 lb (29.0 kg) | 875 | 1401 kcal | 3¾ | 1576 kcal | 4¼ | 1226 kcal | 3¼ |
| 68 lb (30.8 kg) | 916 | 1466 kcal | 4 | 1649 kcal | 4½ | 1283 kcal | 3½ |
| 71 lb (32.2 kg) | 946 | 1514 kcal | 4 | 1703 kcal | 4½ | 1325 kcal | 3½ |
| 75 lb (34.0 kg) | 986 | 1578 kcal | 4¼ | 1775 kcal | 4¾ | 1380 kcal | 3¾ |
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 75 lb Collie the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 197 kcal a day, roughly 0.5 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (1380 kcal at 75 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 75 lb and 1578 kcal, 4¼ cups is about 408 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; for a deep-chested breed of this size, two or three smaller meals rather than one large one is the usual advice to reduce bloat risk, and your vet can say whether it applies to your dog. Puppies eat more per pound and more often: see the Collie puppy feeding chart.
How the Collie compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 75 lb Collie needs 21 kcal per pound; a 85 lb Boxer needs 1733 kcal (20 per lb), a 80 lb Gordon Setter needs 1656 kcal (21 per lb), a 80 lb Bluetick Coonhound needs 1656 kcal (21 per lb). The breed ranks 96 of 132 by weight on this site. Females of the breed top out around 65 lb, which is 1417 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.