Feeding by breed and weight / Toy group
How much to feed a Pug
A neutered adult Pug at 18 lb needs about 541 kcal a day, which is 1½ cups of a 369 kcal/cup food; at the 14 lb end of the breed's range it is 448 kcal, or 1¼ 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.
Pug feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Pug 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 lb (6.4 kg) | 280 | 448 kcal | 1¼ | 504 kcal | 1¼ | 392 kcal | 1 |
| 15 lb (6.8 kg) | 295 | 472 kcal | 1¼ | 531 kcal | 1½ | 413 kcal | 1 |
| 16 lb (7.3 kg) | 310 | 495 kcal | 1¼ | 557 kcal | 1½ | 433 kcal | 1¼ |
| 17 lb (7.7 kg) | 324 | 518 kcal | 1½ | 583 kcal | 1½ | 453 kcal | 1¼ |
| 18 lb (8.2 kg) | 338 | 541 kcal | 1½ | 609 kcal | 1¾ | 473 kcal | 1¼ |
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 18 lb Pug the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 68 kcal a day, roughly 0.2 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (473 kcal at 18 lb) and be weighed every two weeks. Treats and chews count: a single dental chew can be 70–100 kcal, a sizeable share of a small dog's day.
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 18 lb and 541 kcal, 1½ cups is about 144 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 Pug puppy feeding chart.
How the Pug compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 18 lb Pug needs 30 kcal per pound; a 18 lb Jack Russell Terrier needs 541 kcal (30 per lb), a 18 lb Cavalier King Charles Spaniel needs 541 kcal (30 per lb), a 25 lb Boston Terrier needs 692 kcal (28 per lb). The breed ranks 13 of 49 by weight on this site.
Adult weight from Wikipedia breed infobox/body, checked 2026-10-20. Figures are maintenance starting points for a healthy adult; they are not veterinary advice.