There's a lot on this page, but to begin you only need two things: how much to feed, and, if you need a new food, one that isn't too high in fat or starch. Here's the short path. Protein, fibre and the meal builder can wait until you've found your feet.

1. Enter your dog's weight. In Daily calorie calculator just below, put in your dog's ideal weight, activity level and meals per day. It works out the calories per day, and how many that is per meal.
2. Already have a food? Type its name in the Food finder and it shows the grams to give per meal; that alone is enough to get started. You can also search it in the Meal builder if you'd like to combine two or three foods.
3. Choosing a food, or checking yours? In the Food finder, use the fat filter, ≤14% (a common working threshold) or ≤10% (a more conservative target if your dog's had pancreatitis), and the carbohydrate filter; Lower, Moderate or Higher estimated carb. Both are useful starting points, not hard rules; some dogs do fine outside them. You can also tap Sort by: Lowest fat. Each food shows the grams per meal for your dog.
4. Food not on the list? Use the DMB checker, enter the fat, moisture, protein and fibre from the label and it works out the true fat figure plus an estimated carbohydrate figure, so you can compare properly. Give it a name there and save it and it's remembered as one of your foods too. Or add it properly in the Meal builder's "not in list" box with the figures from the label; either way, from then on it shows up as your current food in the Food swap calculator and the Food finder too, so you can compare it against anything on the list. This is worth doing for a newly diagnosed dog especially, since the old food often isn't on the list at all.
5. Feeding more than one food? Use the Meal builder. Add your main food first, its amount fills the meal automatically, then add the other foods by the amount you actually give, and the main food adjusts to keep the meal on target.
6. Food run out, or your dog's gone off it? Use the Food swap calculator below, pick your current food and the new one, and it works out the grams that give the same calories, so the switch keeps the meal on target from day one.
7. Later, when you're ready. Protein and fibre matter too; but don't worry about them at the start. They're shown on every food for when you want them.
8. Two golden rules. Change foods slowly, over 7–10 days (see "Changing your dog's food" in Learn), and whatever the app suggests, your vet always comes first.

Any complete and balanced food, fed consistently, can work for a diabetic dog. What helps depends on your dog's weight: an overweight dog does better on a lower-fat, higher-fibre food that keeps them full on fewer calories, while an underweight dog needs enough calories to rebuild condition. Tap a button to see what to look for, then use the sort buttons in the food finder below.

Based on the 2026 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines and current veterinary nutrition evidence. AAHA gives no fat, protein or fibre percentages, so the figures shown are practical working ranges. Always confirm your dog's diet with your vet.

About this fat guidance: there is no single official guideline stating an exact fat ceiling for diabetic dogs in general. 14% dry matter fat is a widely used practical threshold, not a proven safety limit, and some dogs do fine well above it. Its main use is to help an overweight dog lose weight, because fat carries the most calories per gram. Below 10 to 12% is better supported specifically for dogs with a history of pancreatitis or very high triglycerides. If your dog is underweight, restoring weight and muscle matters more than restricting fat. Ask your vet what is right for your dog.