Feeding by breed and weight / Sporting group
Feeding · Sporting group
How much to feed a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
A neutered adult Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever at 51 lb needs about 1181 kcal a day, which is 3¼ cups of a 369 kcal/cup food; at the 44 lb end of the breed's range it is 1058 kcal, or 2¾ 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 44–51 lb
- 2At 51 lb 1181 kcal a day
- 3Cups 3¼ cups at 369 kcal/cup
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 lb (20.0 kg) | 661 | 1058 kcal | 2¾ | 1190 kcal | 3¼ | 925 kcal | 2½ |
| 46 lb (20.9 kg) | 683 | 1093 kcal | 3 | 1230 kcal | 3¼ | 957 kcal | 2½ |
| 48 lb (21.8 kg) | 706 | 1129 kcal | 3 | 1270 kcal | 3½ | 988 kcal | 2¾ |
| 49 lb (22.2 kg) | 717 | 1146 kcal | 3 | 1290 kcal | 3½ | 1003 kcal | 2¾ |
| 51 lb (23.1 kg) | 738 | 1181 kcal | 3¼ | 1329 kcal | 3½ | 1034 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 51 lb Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 148 kcal a day, roughly 0.4 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (1034 kcal at 51 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 51 lb and 1181 kcal, 3¼ cups is about 312 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 Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppy feeding chart.
How the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 51 lb Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever needs 23 kcal per pound; a 50 lb Bulldog needs 1164 kcal (23 per lb), a 60 lb English Springer Spaniel needs 1335 kcal (22 per lb), a 60 lb Dalmatian needs 1335 kcal (22 per lb). The breed ranks 72 of 132 by weight on this site. Females of the breed top out around 44 lb, which is 1058 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.