Feeding by breed and weight / Sporting group
Feeding · Sporting group
How much to feed a Flat-Coated Retriever
A neutered adult Flat-Coated Retriever at 80 lb needs about 1656 kcal a day, which is 4½ 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 60–80 lb
- 2At 80 lb 1656 kcal a day
- 3Cups 4½ cups at 369 kcal/cup
Flat-Coated Retriever feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Flat-Coated Retriever 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 |
| 65 lb (29.5 kg) | 886 | 1417 kcal | 3¾ | 1594 kcal | 4¼ | 1240 kcal | 3¼ |
| 70 lb (31.8 kg) | 936 | 1498 kcal | 4 | 1685 kcal | 4½ | 1311 kcal | 3½ |
| 75 lb (34.0 kg) | 986 | 1578 kcal | 4¼ | 1775 kcal | 4¾ | 1380 kcal | 3¾ |
| 80 lb (36.3 kg) | 1035 | 1656 kcal | 4½ | 1863 kcal | 5 | 1449 kcal | 4 |
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 80 lb Flat-Coated Retriever the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 207 kcal a day, roughly 0.6 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (1449 kcal at 80 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 80 lb and 1656 kcal, 4½ cups is about 432 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 Flat-Coated Retriever puppy feeding chart.
How the Flat-Coated Retriever compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 80 lb Flat-Coated Retriever needs 21 kcal per pound; a 75 lb Golden Retriever needs 1578 kcal (21 per lb), a 70 lb Irish Setter needs 1498 kcal (21 per lb), a 80 lb Labrador Retriever needs 1656 kcal (21 per lb). The breed ranks 102 of 132 by weight on this site. Females of the breed top out around 75 lb, which is 1578 kcal a day neutered.
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.