Feeding by breed and weight / Terrier group

Feeding · Terrier group

How much to feed a Miniature Bull Terrier

A neutered adult Miniature Bull Terrier at 35 lb needs about 891 kcal a day, which is 2½ cups of a 369 kcal/cup food; at the 20 lb end of the breed's range it is 585 kcal, or 1½ 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.

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  1. 1Adult weight 20–35 lb
  2. 2At 35 lb 891 kcal a day
  3. 3Cups 2½ cups at 369 kcal/cup
Adult weight
20–35 lb
Calories/day (neutered)
585–891
Cups/day at 369 kcal/cup
1½–2½
Per pound
25–29 kcal
Neutered891 kcalIntact1002 kcalAdult779 kcalPuppy under 4 months1670 kcalPuppy 4 months to adult size1113 kcal
Calories a day for a 35 lb Miniature Bull Terrier by life stage and activity: RER × the Merck factor.

Miniature Bull Terrier feeding table by weight and life stage

Each row is a Miniature Bull Terrier 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.

WeightRERNeutered adultCupsIntact adultCupsInactive / weight-proneCups
20 lb (9.1 kg)366585 kcal1½659 kcal1¾512 kcal1½
24 lb (10.9 kg)420671 kcal1¾755 kcal2587 kcal1½
28 lb (12.7 kg)471754 kcal2848 kcal2¼659 kcal1¾
31 lb (14.1 kg)508813 kcal2¼915 kcal2½712 kcal2
35 lb (15.9 kg)557891 kcal2½1002 kcal2¾779 kcal2

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 35 lb Miniature Bull Terrier the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 111 kcal a day, roughly 0.3 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (779 kcal at 35 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 35 lb and 891 kcal, 2½ cups is about 240 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 Miniature Bull Terrier puppy feeding chart.

How the Miniature Bull Terrier compares

Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 35 lb Miniature Bull Terrier needs 25 kcal per pound; a 31 lb Pembroke Welsh Corgi needs 813 kcal (26 per lb), a 30 lb Cocker Spaniel needs 794 kcal (26 per lb), a 27 lb Irish Terrier needs 733 kcal (27 per lb). The breed ranks 52 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.