The maths, with your numbers
No guesswork and no brand chart. This is the same calculation a vet does on paper, so you can check it.
What this means for the bowl
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Adult sits in the middle of the 140 dry dog foods we track, at 398 kcal per cup.
To show how much the food matters: a 40 lb spayed or neutered dog needs about 985 kcal a day. That is 2 ½ cups of this food, but 1 ⅞ cups of Purina Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Salmon & Rice and 3 ⅝ cups of Kirkland Signature Healthy Weight Chicken and Vegetable. Same dog, same day, very different scoops.
A level 8 oz measuring cup holds about 108 g of this kibble. If you have kitchen scales, weighing is more accurate than scooping, because a heaped cup holds noticeably more than a level one.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Adult feeding chart
Daily amounts for healthy adult dogs with no treats, from the label calories and the AAHA 2021 energy factors. Split the amount into meals.
| Weight | Couch dog | Spayed or neutered | Very active |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb 2.3 kg | ⅜ cup42 g | ½ cup56 g | ⅝ cup70 g |
| 10 lb 4.5 kg | ⅝ cup71 g | ⅞ cup95 g | 1 ⅛ cups118 g |
| 15 lb 6.8 kg | ⅞ cup96 g | 1 ⅛ cups128 g | 1 ½ cups160 g |
| 20 lb 9.1 kg | 1 ⅛ cups119 g | 1 ½ cups159 g | 1 ⅞ cups199 g |
| 30 lb 13.6 kg | 1 ½ cups162 g | 2 cups216 g | 2 ½ cups269 g |
| 40 lb 18.1 kg | 1 ⅞ cups201 g | 2 ½ cups267 g | 3 ⅛ cups334 g |
| 50 lb 22.7 kg | 2 ¼ cups237 g | 2 ⅞ cups316 g | 3 ⅝ cups395 g |
| 60 lb 27.2 kg | 2 ½ cups272 g | 3 ⅜ cups362 g | 4 ¼ cups453 g |
| 70 lb 31.8 kg | 2 ⅞ cups305 g | 3 ¾ cups407 g | 4 ¾ cups509 g |
| 80 lb 36.3 kg | 3 ⅛ cups337 g | 4 ⅛ cups450 g | 5 ¼ cups562 g |
| 90 lb 40.8 kg | 3 ⅜ cups368 g | 4 ½ cups491 g | 5 ⅝ cups614 g |
| 100 lb 45.4 kg | 3 ¾ cups399 g | 4 ⅞ cups532 g | 6 ⅛ cups665 g |
Label values: 398 kcal per cup, 3,682 kcal per kg. Source: petsmart.com, checked 18 Oct 2026.
Questions
How much Blue Buffalo Life Protection Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Adult should I feed a 50 lb dog?
About 2 ⅞ cups or 316 g a day for a spayed or neutered dog, before treats. That is 1,164 kcal a day divided by the food’s label value. Use the calculator above to adjust for your pet.
How many calories are in Blue Buffalo Life Protection Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Adult?
The label states 398 kcal per cup, 3,682 kcal per kg (checked 18 Oct 2026). Recipes change, so check your bag.
More from Blue Buffalo
- Life Protection Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
- Life Protection Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
- Life Protection Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
- Wilderness High Protein Chicken Recipe Adult Grain-Free
- Homestyle Recipe Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables & Brown Rice Adult
- Life Protection Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Adult
- Life Protection Small Breed Chicken & Oatmeal Puppy