How Much to Feed a Dog Per Day: A Gurgaon Diary
Utkarsh overfed Pixie for weeks before figuring out the right daily amount. Here's what actually changed, with a feeding chart for Indian dog parents.
TL;DR: Figuring out how much to feed a dog per day in India took me embarrassingly long. Pixie gained weight, got picky, and I blamed the food brand three times before realising the problem was me.
The Problem, In a Gurgaon Elevator
Pixie is two years old, four kilograms, and lives on the 11th floor of a DLF tower with me.
Eight months ago, a neighbour's kid asked if she was "a little fat now."
I said no. Then I looked at her from behind while she waddled toward the elevator door. I said nothing.
At the vet in Sector 56, Dr. Sharma put Pixie on the scale. 4.6 kg. For a Maltese, that is about 15% over ideal. She looked at me. I looked at the wall.
"How much are you feeding her?"
I had no real answer.
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What I Was Doing Wrong
I was feeding Pixie by feel. About a handful of kibble in the morning, some leftover rice and dal at lunch because our house help Kavita felt bad watching her beg, another handful at dinner, and treats "whenever."
Sounds chaotic written out. It was.
The first thing I tried was switching brands. Bought a ₹1,400 bag of grain-free kibble, convinced the problem was ingredients. Pixie ate it fine. She did not lose weight.
Then I tried cutting her meals to one a day. She was miserable by 4pm and I caved by 4:15pm.
Neither approach worked because I was solving the wrong problem. I was not tracking total daily calories at all.
The Turning Point
Dr. Sharma gave me a simple starting framework. For adult dogs in India, the general starting point is roughly 2-3% of body weight in food per day, then adjusted based on activity, build, and how the dog actually responds over 4-6 weeks.
For Pixie at 4 kg, that math came out to about 80-120 grams of dry kibble per day, split across two meals. I had been feeding her closer to 200 grams plus extras.
A few things that shifted how I thought about this:
Weight and activity matter more than breed alone. A 15 kg Indie who runs in a park eats differently from a 15 kg Indie who barely leaves a 2BHK. Same breed, very different needs.
The bag guidelines are a starting point, not gospel. Every brand's feeding chart is calibrated for an "average" dog with "average" activity. Pixie is small, lives in an apartment, and walks twice a day for about 20 minutes total. She sits at the lower end of those ranges. If you have questions about how often your dog actually needs to go outside, that factors into this calculation too.
Treats count. This one stung. I was not counting the three small chicken treats after each walk or the bit of roti Kavita was slipping her. Those alone were adding maybe 50-80 calories a day.
What the Routine Looks Like Now
7am: 50 grams of kibble, weighed on a small kitchen scale I bought for ₹350 on Amazon.
7pm: 50 grams of kibble again.
Treats: maximum two small ones per day, deducted mentally from her total.
Kavita now knows the rules. It took two weeks of reminding.
After six weeks on this routine, Pixie was back to 4.1 kg. After ten weeks, 4 kg exactly. Her energy is the same. Her coat looks better. She finishes her bowl cleanly instead of grazing and leaving half.
If you are also trying to figure out whether homemade food fits into this math, there are a lot of misconceptions worth reading through before you start, especially around homemade dog food recipes in India.
What I Would Tell You
Buy a kitchen scale. It costs less than one bag of premium kibble and it removes all the guesswork.
Start at the lower end of your bag's recommendation if your dog is an apartment dog with limited outdoor time. Watch your dog's waist. You should feel ribs without pressing hard, but not see them.
Adjust every 4-6 weeks, not every 4-6 days. Dogs do not change that fast. Your anxiety does.
And count the treats. Every single one.
FAQ
How much to feed a dog per day in India?
A practical starting point for adult dogs is 2-3% of their body weight in food daily, split across two meals. A 10 kg dog needs roughly 200-300 grams of dry kibble per day, but this varies based on activity level, age, and whether you are supplementing with wet food or home-cooked food. Always cross-check with your vet and adjust over 4-6 weeks based on your dog's actual weight.
Should I feed my dog twice a day or once a day?
Most adult dogs do better with two meals a day rather than one. It keeps blood sugar steadier, reduces begging behaviour, and is gentler on digestion. Once-a-day feeding can work for some dogs but is generally harder to manage without your dog becoming anxious or overeating at that single meal.
Do treats count toward my dog's daily food amount?
Yes, and this is where most people underestimate. Treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog's total daily calories. If you are giving three or four small commercial treats per day plus table scraps, that can easily add 50-100 extra calories, which matters a lot for small dogs like Maltese or Pomeranians.
Pixie is currently asleep on the couch, looking like four kilograms of smug vindication. If you are sorting out the basics of apartment dog life alongside the feeding routine, SniffSociety's coir pad handles the indoor bathroom piece so that your twice-daily walks are walks, not panic runs.