Guides

A cup is volume, not food: across our 173 dry foods one level cup runs 82 to 130 grams and 243 to 528 calories. Why the scoop misleads, what owners actually measure, and the ten-second fix.

A senior dog does not need a new formula, it needs one number changed: the multiplier drops from 1.4 to 1.2, about 14 percent fewer calories. Portions by weight, and why the scoop may not move at all.

Same dog, same calories: the median Blue Buffalo formula costs 43 percent more than the median Pro Plan formula, about $193 a year for a 50 lb dog. Every adult formula of both brands, priced per calorie and per gram of protein.

The 10 percent treat rule, finished: a 15 lb dog gets one 40 kcal biscuit a day, a 100 lb dog four. Budgets by weight, real label numbers, and why treats come out of dinner.

A Labrador runs $46 to $113 a month, a German Shepherd $51 to $125, a Great Dane $81 to $198. Six large breeds priced from database weights and per-calorie food costs.

Neutering drops an adult dog's calorie needs by roughly 12 percent: the maintenance factor goes from 1.6 to 1.4. What that means in cups, in dollars, and when the cut actually applies.

We priced 73 dry foods for the same 50 lb dog. The cheapest complete food costs $0.69 a day; the priciest $4.03. The top 10, and why bag price is the number that lies.

A 20 lb puppy needs more than double what a 20 lb adult dog eats. The age multipliers behind puppy portions, a chart by weight, and the math to check any bowl.

A 66 dollar bag can cost 29 percent more per day than a 74 dollar bag. Price per 1,000 kcal is the only comparison that survives bag sizes and densities. Formula inside.

The from-2-dollars-a-day price is real only for the smallest dogs. We priced The Farmer's Dog against kibble for the same calories: 4 to 8 times the bill, and the gap grows with the dog.