How much should I feed an adult Maltese?

A healthy adult Maltese (about 4–7 lb) typically needs only 180–270 calories a day — well under a cup of dry food, split into two small meals. The exact cups depend on your food's kcal per cup (check the bag); see the adult row matching your dog's weight.

How often should a Maltese eat?

Adult Maltese do well on two small meals a day. Puppies need feeding more often, and very young toy puppies (under about 4 months) should get small amounts frequently — or have food available — to help prevent low blood sugar.

When should a Maltese switch from puppy to adult food?

Small breeds like the Maltese can transition by around 12 months. Confirm timing with your vet based on your dog's growth and body condition.

Why is my Maltese such a picky eater?

It's the breed. VCA flags Maltese as 'notoriously picky eaters' — and the combination of picky eating and a tiny body means even short skipped meals can tip toward low blood sugar in puppies. A small-breed, calorie-dense puppy food and frequent small meals are the standard answer; if your adult Maltese is reliably picky, talk to your vet about food choices that hold appetite without padding calories.

Can a Maltese puppy get low blood sugar from skipping meals?

Yes — toy-breed puppies (including Maltese) are at real risk of hypoglycemia from skipped meals or a stressful day with reduced appetite. Symptoms include weakness, wobbliness, glazed eyes, or seizures. Don't free-fast a small puppy; if appetite drops for a meal or two and your puppy seems lethargic, call your vet.

How do I tell if my Maltese is overweight?

Under the long coat, you should be able to feel the ribs easily without pressing through fat, and feel a slight waist behind the ribcage. At this size, even a half-pound of excess weight is a big percentage — measure portions, count treats, and weigh-in regularly.

Maltese Feeding Chart: How Much to Feed by Age & Weight

A healthy adult Maltese (4–7 lb) needs only about 180–270 calories a day — well under a cup of dry food, split into two small meals. At that size, a single treat is a big share of the day's calories; measuring portions matters more for a Maltese than for almost any other breed.

Very young Maltese puppies are a special case: as a tiny toy breed they're famously picky eaters and prone to low blood sugar, so the priority under about 4 months is small amounts offered often — even keeping food available — rather than a strict twice-a-day portion. The chart below gives weight-based starting points; the calculator tailors them to your dog.

Healthy adult Maltese with long white silky coat sitting beside a small food bowl — feeding amount depends on age, weight, and activity

Last updated 2026-05-31 · Every number links to its source.

Daily Feeding Amounts by Weight & Age

Find your dog's current weight in the chart for an estimated daily amount. Calories come from the Merck Vet Manual energy formula; cups assume a typical ~350 kcal/cup dry food, so check your bag's label for its exact kcal/cup.

Maltese feeding chart — daily food by weight and age

⬇ Save chart as image

See the exact numbers as a table

Puppy (under 4 months) — 4 to 5 meals/day

RER × 3.0 (Merck, high-growth window)

Weight	Daily calories	~ Cups/day	~ Grams/day
2 lb	195 kcal	0.6	56 g
3 lb	265 kcal	0.8	76 g
4 lb	328 kcal	0.9	94 g

Puppy (4 months to 12 months) — 3 meals/day

RER × 2.0 (Merck)

Weight	Daily calories	~ Cups/day	~ Grams/day
2 lb	130 kcal	0.4	37 g
3 lb	176 kcal	0.5	50 g
4 lb	219 kcal	0.6	63 g

Adult — 2 meals/day

RER × 1.6 neutered (Merck; intact a little more, obesity-prone a little less)

Weight	Daily calories	~ Cups/day	~ Grams/day
4 lb	175 kcal	0.5	50 g
5 lb	207 kcal	0.6	59 g
6 lb	237 kcal	0.7	68 g
7 lb	266 kcal	0.8	76 g

These are healthy-dog starting points, not a strict rule — body condition and activity vary. Confirm your dog's target with your veterinarian. For your exact dog, use the calculator below.

Is my puppy a healthy weight for its age?

Rather than one “correct” weight, vets track puppies against evidence-based growth standards that run from 12 weeks to 2 years.

Those standards are grouped by a dog's adult body size (up to 40 kg), not by individual breed.

We don't publish a per-age “your puppy should weigh X” figure — that belongs on a vet's growth chart, weighed over time. What we give you instead is the daily caloriesfor your dog's actual weight today (the chart above and the calculator below), every number cited.

Adjust this plan for your own dog

The plan below is for a typical Maltese. Change the details to match yours.

Breed

Age

Young puppies are usually counted in weeks. We use your dog's exact age — feeding frequency and calories follow different age guidelines, so we apply each separately.

Weight (lb)

What are you trying to figure out today?

This plan is general guidance for a healthy dog. If your dog has a health condition — or is a senior whose needs are changing with age — your veterinarian should be the final word.

The plan for a typical Maltese

🐕 Here's the plan for your Maltese

Healthy puppy (4 months+) · 4 months old · 2.5 lb

154 cal/day · ~0.4 cups · 4 meals/day

🍽 HOW MUCH YOUR MALTESE PUPPY SHOULD EAT

Your little one is growing fast — and that takes fuel. About 154 calories a day will keep your maltese on a healthy track.

Here's what that looks like in your kitchen:

📏 ~ 44 grams on a kitchen scale

🥤 ~ 0.4 standard measuring cups (the 1-cup kind)

☕ ~ 0.2 large coffee mug worth

Split into 4 meals a day:

≈ 39 calories per meal (~11 g / ~0.1 cup)

Why 4 meals?

Puppies have small stomachs and growing bodies that want food often. As your dog grows, you'll feed less often:

• Under 4 months: 4 to 5 meals a day
• 4 to 7 months: 4 meals a day ← your puppy now
• 7 to 9 months: 3 meals a day
• 9 to 12 months: 3 meals a day
• 12+ months: 2 meals a day

Just look up your puppy's age in months and pick the row that matches.

📦 One quick thing:every brand has slightly different calories per cup. Your bag's label tells you exactly — look for “kcal per cup” and divide 154 by that number for your real cup count.

Specific to Maltese

•Maltese puppies are tiny and famously picky — and the combination can tip toward low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). VCA flags that Maltese pups may need a small-breed, calorie-dense puppy food and frequent small meals to stay safe.

💧 Water~3 oz/day▼

A good rule of thumb: a weaned puppy needs about ½ to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. The numbers below use the higher end as a safe target — most dogs settle in somewhere in this range.

For your 2.5-pound maltese, that's:

💧 ~ 3 oz / ~ 89 ml a day

🥤 ≈ 0.4 measuring cups

🍶 ≈ 0.2 standard 16-oz water bottles (Aquafina / Poland Spring size)

Keep the bowl filled with fresh water.

🍬 Treatsup to 15 cal/day▼

Treats are great for training and bonding — but they should be the bonus, not the main course.

The 90/10 rule keeps things balanced:

• 90% of daily calories from real dog food
• 10% from treats, chews, table scraps — anything extra

For your 2.5-pound maltese at 154 calories/day, that means up to 15 calories from treats.

💡 Don't forget the small stuff. That bite of cheese you sneak them, the piece of chicken from dinner, the dental chew before bed — it all counts toward the 10%. Adds up faster than most of us expect.

🛒 How to choose dog food▼

Walking into the pet store can be overwhelming. But you only need to check the back or side of the dog food bag for these things:

☐ The bag has an AAFCO Nutritional Adequacy Statement that mentions “growth”
Look for a full sentence on the back or side of the bag containing both “AAFCO” and “growth”. Typical wording is one of two formats:
- “[Brand] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth.”
- “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that [Brand] provides complete and balanced nutrition for growth.”
☐ “Calories per cup” is printed on the bag
Usually in the feeding guide section. You need this number to know exactly how much to scoop for your dog.

🚫 FOODS TO KEEP AWAY FROM YOUR MALTESE

Some everyday human foods are dangerous — even tiny amounts can cause serious harm. Keep these well out of reach:

Never feed: chocolate, xylitol (sugar-free gum / candy / some peanut butters), grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, macadamia nuts, alcohol, caffeine, avocado.

⚠️ Xylitolis a sweetener that's safe for humans but can be deadly to dogs. If your dog ingests anything containing xylitol, call your vet right away.

A few feeding habits to skip:

Free-feeding (leaving food out all day). It sounds convenient but makes portion control and weight monitoring much harder.
Switching food suddenly. Transition over 7-10 days — mix the new food with the old in growing proportions to avoid an upset stomach.
Switching to adult food too early. Puppy formulas are higher in protein than adult formulas — tuned for the demands of growth. When to actually switch? Small breeds (under 20 lb) at 8-12 months; medium breeds (20-50 lb) around 12 months; large breeds (50+ lb) at 12-15 months; giant breeds at 18-24 months.

📚 WHERE WE GOT ALL THIS

Every number and recommendation above comes from one of these sources. Tap any (▼) citation throughout the page to see the original wording. Full source documents are linked below.

MERCK — Merck Veterinary Manual ↗The Merck Veterinary Manual (published as MSD Veterinary Manual outside the U.S. and Canada) is a free, comprehensive veterinary reference used by veterinarians, students, and pet owners worldwide. Its nutrition chapters are authored by named board-certified veterinary nutritionists.
AAFCO — Association of American Feed Control Officials ↗AAFCO is a non-profit organization of U.S. state and federal feed-control officials that develops model regulations and nutrient profiles for pet food. Every dog food sold in the U.S. must meet AAFCO's standards to be marketed as 'complete and balanced'.
AKC — American Kennel Club ↗The AKC is the largest U.S. registry of purebred dogs and a widely-cited authority on general dog care, breed information, and owner education. Its Chief Veterinary Officer and expert advice column publish nutrition guidance for everyday dog owners.
FDA — U.S. Food and Drug Administration ↗The FDA is the U.S. federal agency that regulates food and drug safety, including pet food. Its Center for Veterinary Medicine publishes safety alerts about ingredients and household items toxic to pets.
PMC — PubMed Central (NIH) ↗PubMed Central is a free archive of peer-reviewed biomedical and life-sciences research curated by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NIH). Papers cited here are open-access primary sources.

Last verified: 2026-05-23

❤️ A friendly reminder: this is general guidance, not a custom plan for your dog.

The plan above reflects what the Merck Veterinary Manual, AAFCO, AKC, and the FDA publish for dogs matching your Maltese's breed, age, weight, and life stage. But every dog is different — habits, digestion, and individual quirks aren't in our data.

If something seems off, or you just want a second opinion, your vet is the right call. We've put together some talking points below to make that conversation easier ↓

🩺 QUESTIONS TO BRING TO YOUR VET

Save or print this list and bring it to your next visit.

❓ “What body condition score is my Maltese at now, and what's the ideal?”
Why ask: The 1-9 body condition score is the standard vets use to tell if your dog is at a healthy weight.
❓ “When should we transition from puppy to adult food?”
Why ask: Most small/medium breeds transition at 9-12 months — your vet can confirm based on your dog's growth.
❓ “Are there breed-specific screenings or watches for Malteses at this age?”
Why ask: Malteses have known breed traits worth monitoring — your vet may suggest preventive screening based on age and lineage.

Maltese feeding — common questions

How much should I feed an adult Maltese?: A healthy adult Maltese (about 4–7 lb) typically needs only 180–270 calories a day — well under a cup of dry food, split into two small meals. The exact cups depend on your food's kcal per cup (check the bag); see the adult row matching your dog's weight.
How often should a Maltese eat?: Adult Maltese do well on two small meals a day. Puppies need feeding more often, and very young toy puppies (under about 4 months) should get small amounts frequently — or have food available — to help prevent low blood sugar.
When should a Maltese switch from puppy to adult food?: Small breeds like the Maltese can transition by around 12 months. Confirm timing with your vet based on your dog's growth and body condition.
Why is my Maltese such a picky eater?: It's the breed. VCA flags Maltese as 'notoriously picky eaters' — and the combination of picky eating and a tiny body means even short skipped meals can tip toward low blood sugar in puppies. A small-breed, calorie-dense puppy food and frequent small meals are the standard answer; if your adult Maltese is reliably picky, talk to your vet about food choices that hold appetite without padding calories.
Can a Maltese puppy get low blood sugar from skipping meals?: Yes — toy-breed puppies (including Maltese) are at real risk of hypoglycemia from skipped meals or a stressful day with reduced appetite. Symptoms include weakness, wobbliness, glazed eyes, or seizures. Don't free-fast a small puppy; if appetite drops for a meal or two and your puppy seems lethargic, call your vet.
How do I tell if my Maltese is overweight?: Under the long coat, you should be able to feel the ribs easily without pressing through fat, and feel a slight waist behind the ribcage. At this size, even a half-pound of excess weight is a big percentage — measure portions, count treats, and weigh-in regularly.

Helpful guides

Other breeds

General dog food calculator (any dog) →