How much wet food to feed a dog per day? Cans by weight
A 10 kg (22 lb) neutered or not very active dog needs about 534 kcal a day. On wet food only that is 1.3 cans labelled 400 kcal (494 g); fed half wet, half dry it is 0.7 cans plus 74 g of a 3,600 kcal/kg kibble. A 20 kg dog on wet only needs 2.2 of those cans a day, a 30 kg dog 3.0, which is why most owners of larger dogs mix. The tables give cans and pouches by weight for three label values.
Wet food only, inactive or neutered adult
Calories from the NRC 2006 inactive equation (95 x kg^0.75); cans or pouches = calories / kcal per unit as printed on the label.
| Dog weight | kcal/day | 100 kcal pouch | 250 kcal can (5.5 oz) | 400 kcal can (13 oz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 318 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 534 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| 15 kg (33 lb) | 724 | 7.2 | 2.9 | 1.8 |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | 898 | 9.0 | 3.6 | 2.2 |
| 25 kg (55 lb) | 1,062 | 10.6 | 4.2 | 2.7 |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | 1,218 | 12.2 | 4.9 | 3.0 |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | 1,511 | 15.1 | 6.0 | 3.8 |
Mixed: 400 kcal cans plus kibble
Half the calories from wet, or a quarter as a topper, the rest from a 3,600 kcal/kg kibble.
| Dog weight | Half wet | Quarter wet |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 0.4 + 44 g | 0.2 + 66 g |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 0.7 + 74 g | 0.3 + 111 g |
| 15 kg (33 lb) | 0.9 + 101 g | 0.5 + 151 g |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | 1.1 + 125 g | 0.6 + 187 g |
| 25 kg (55 lb) | 1.3 + 148 g | 0.7 + 221 g |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | 1.5 + 169 g | 0.8 + 254 g |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | 1.9 + 210 g | 0.9 + 315 g |
Grams of wet food a day
On a typical 1 kcal per gram wet food (100 kcal per 100 g); halve for a dense 2 kcal/g loaf.
| Dog weight | At 1 kcal/g | At 2 kcal/g |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 318 g | 159 g |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 534 g | 267 g |
| 15 kg (33 lb) | 724 g | 362 g |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | 898 g | 449 g |
| 25 kg (55 lb) | 1,062 g | 531 g |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | 1,218 g | 609 g |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | 1,511 g | 756 g |
Reading the label
US cans print kcal per can and per kg; EU trays print kcal or kJ per 100 g, so multiply by the tray weight (divide kJ by 4.184 first). Put the exact figure and any wet share into the dog food calculator; dogs vary by up to 30%, so weigh every 2-4 weeks and adjust by body condition.
Frequently asked questions
- How many cans of wet food a day for a dog?
- Daily calories divided by the kcal printed on the can. For a 10 kg inactive dog: 5.3 pouches of 100 kcal, 2.1 cans of 250 kcal or 1.3 cans of 400 kcal. A 25 kg dog needs 2.7 cans of 400 kcal. The label figure matters more than the can size: 13 oz cans run from about 300 to 500 kcal.
- How much wet food to mix with dry?
- Decide the share of calories, then split. Half wet for a 20 kg dog: 1.1 cans of 400 kcal plus 125 g of kibble; a quarter wet, as a topper: 0.6 can plus 187 g. Adding a can on top of the full kibble amount is the usual way dogs gain weight.
- How many grams of wet food per kg of dog?
- There is no fixed grams-per-kilogram figure because calories per gram differ by brand, but on a typical 1 kcal/g wet food the inactive-adult numbers are about 64 g per kg for a 5 kg dog and 41 g per kg for a 30 kg dog: needs scale with weight to the power 0.75, so big dogs eat less per kilogram.
- Is wet food better than dry?
- Neither is better by default. Wet food adds water and palatability and is 75-80% water, so it costs several times more per calorie and spoils within a day once open; kibble is dense and cheap to feed. Many dogs do well on kibble with a wet topper. Either way the calories are the same target.
- What about active dogs and puppies?
- An active adult needs about 37% more (130 x kg^0.75): 1.8 cans of 400 kcal for a 10 kg dog on wet only. Puppies are fed by expected adult weight; the puppy chart and the dog food calculator handle both.
More guides
- How many cups of dog food per day?
Cups of kibble a day by dog weight from the calories on your bag: tables for 300 to 450 kcal per cup, inactive and active adults, and meals.
- How much should I feed my dog? Grams and cups by weight
Daily calories and grams of dry food for dogs from 2 to 50 kg, inactive and active, on foods from 3,400 to 4,000 kcal/kg, with the WSAVA chart range.
- How many calories does a dog need per day?
Calories a day by weight and life stage from the NRC 2006 equations behind the WSAVA charts: adults 2 to 60 kg, puppies by adult size, weight loss.
- Puppy feeding chart: calories and cups by adult weight
Calories and cups a day for puppies at a quarter, half and three quarters of adult weight, for adult sizes 5 to 40 kg, with meals per day by age.
Sources
- NRC 2006, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats — adult, puppy and kitten energy equations
- WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Dogs (July 2020) — chart range for dogs
- WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Cats (July 2020) — chart range for cats
- AAHA 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines — weight loss at the resting requirement of the target weight
Published 2026-09-17, last updated 2026-09-17. Figures are starting points from the published equations: individual animals vary by up to 30%, so adjust by body condition and ask your vet for puppies under 8 weeks, pregnancy, lactation or any illness.