Daily portions, the 80/10/10 split, and what raw feeding costs per month
| Life Stage / Activity | % of Body Weight / Day | Meals per Day |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy, 8-12 weeks | 8-10% | 3-4 |
| Puppy, 4-6 months | 6-8% | 3 |
| Puppy, 6-12 months | 4-5% | 2-3 |
| Adult, very active (working / sport) | 3-4% | 2 |
| Adult, normal activity | 2-3% | 2 |
| Adult, low activity | 1.5-2% | 2 |
| Senior (7+ years) | 1.5-2% | 2 |
| Weight loss program | 1.5% | 2 |
These are the guideline ranges used across the raw-feeding community; small dogs often need the higher end of their band and giant breeds the lower end. Watch ribs and waistline, not the calculator: you should feel ribs under a thin fat layer and see a waist from above.
| Bucket | Share | Typical Foods | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muscle meat | 80% | Chicken thigh, beef chuck, pork shoulder, heart | Heart counts as muscle meat, not organ |
| Edible bone | 10% | Chicken quarters & wings, turkey necks, ribs | Never cooked; too much causes white, crumbly stool |
| Secreting organs | 10% | Liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas | About half should be liver |
Aim for the ratio across a week or two rather than every single bowl. That's how whole-prey feeding works and it keeps meal prep realistic.
| Type | Typical Price per lb | 60-lb Dog, Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| DIY grocery (chicken quarters, bulk organ) | $3-$5 | $135-$225 |
| Pet-store frozen patties | $5-$7 | $225-$315 |
| Premium direct-to-consumer raw | $6-$9 | $270-$405 |
| Freeze-dried raw (per serving) | $25-$40 | $1,125-$1,800 |
Monthly figures assume 45 lb a month (60-lb dog at 2.5%). Prices are typical 2025-26 US street prices; direct-to-consumer brands often include shipping, which is most of what you're paying for at the top tier.
Raw feeding portions scale with body weight, not calories on a bag. The calculator applies a percentage of your dog's weight to get the daily total, then divides it into the prey-model raw ratio and projects the monthly and annual bill.
Daily food = body weight × percentage ÷ 100. With weight in pounds, multiply by 16 for ounces. The 80/10/10 split takes 80% muscle meat, 10% edible bone, and 10% organs, with liver at about half the organ portion. Monthly total = daily × 30; annual = daily × 365. Cost is simply pounds × price per pound.
Enter your dog's ideal adult weight, not their current weight if they're overweight. Pick a life stage to load the typical percentage, or choose Custom and dial in your own number. Add your price per pound to see the monthly damage; leave it at zero if you only want portions.
Take a 60-lb adult Lab at the standard 2.5%. Daily food = 60 × 0.025 = 1.5 lb, which is 24 oz. The 80/10/10 split gives 19.2 oz of muscle meat, 2.4 oz of edible bone, and 2.4 oz of organs, of which about 1.2 oz should be liver. Over a month that's 45 lb of food; over a year, 547.5 lb.
Now the cost. At $7/lb for a mid-tier commercial raw, this dog eats $315 a month and $3,832.50 a year. The same dog on DIY grocery proteins at $3/lb drops to $135 a month, and a premium delivery service at $9/lb climbs to $405. The spread is real money, which is why many raw feeders mix commercial convenience with grocery-store proteins.
A 20-lb, 14-week-old Golden Retriever puppy at 8% needs 20 × 0.08 = 1.6 lb a day (25.6 oz), split across four meals, tapering to 4% and two meals by 8 months. Re-run the numbers every couple of weeks while they grow.
Most adult dogs eat 2-3% of their ideal body weight per day, so a 60-lb dog gets 1.2-1.8 lb (about 19-29 oz). Active dogs and small breeds sit near the top of that range; seniors and large breeds near the bottom. Puppies need much more while growing: roughly 8-10% of body weight at 8-12 weeks, tapering to adult portions by 12 months.
It's the prey-model raw (PMR) ratio: 80% muscle meat, 10% edible bone, and 10% secreting organs, with liver making up about half the organ portion. For a dog eating 24 oz a day that means roughly 19 oz muscle meat, 2.4 oz bone, and 2.4 oz organs (1.2 oz of it liver). It mirrors the whole-prey proportions a canine would eat in the wild.
A 60-lb dog eating 2.5% of body weight goes through about 45 lb a month. At commercial raw prices of $5-$9 per lb that's $225-$405 monthly, or $2,738-$4,928 a year. Budget frozen patties and DIY shopping can cut that to $3-$5 per lb, while premium direct-to-consumer brands sit at the top end.
Puppies eat a far larger share of their weight because they're building bone and muscle: about 8-10% at 8-12 weeks, 6% from 4-6 months, and 4% from 6-12 months, split across 3-4 meals a day. A 20-lb puppy at 8% needs 1.6 lb (about 26 oz) daily. Large breeds should stay on the puppy curve until 12-18 months.
A true 80/10/10 diet over varied proteins covers most needs, but the common gaps are omega-3s (fish or fish oil a couple of times a week) and, for dogs eating mostly muscle meat without bone, calcium. Commercial complete-and-balanced raw diets meet AAFCO profiles without extra supplements. Run any long-term homemade plan past your vet, especially for puppies.
Raw meat carries bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria, which is why the AVMA and FDA advise caution and common-sense hygiene: keep meat frozen until use, thaw in the fridge, wash bowls and surfaces, and keep immunocompromised household members away from prep. Whole (never cooked) bones are edible but can splinter if cooked or crack teeth if weight-bearing beef bones are given often. Talk to your vet before switching, especially for puppies, seniors, or dogs with health issues.