Wet and dry dog food calculator
Enter your dog's details, choose how much of its diet should come from wet food, and add the calories per can and per cup from the two labels. You get how many cans and cups to feed per day and per meal.
Tim de JongCurrent weight
Life stage
Spayed or neutered?
A few short walks or play sessions
Body condition
Share of daily calories, not of bowl volume
On the can's label. 400 is only an example.
On the bag's label. 380 is only an example.
Feeds 90% of calories as the two foods
Meals per day
Per day
1⅛cans wet
1⅛cups dry
Per meal (2): ½ can of wet food plus ⅝ cup of kibble.
- Calories needed
- 952 kcal
- From the two foods
- 857 kcal
- Treat budget
- 95 kcal
- Wet food
- 429 kcal
- Dry food
- 429 kcal
- Cans per week
- 7.5
857 kcal × 50% = 429 kcal ÷ 400 per can = 1.07 cans. 857 kcal × 50% = 429 kcal ÷ 380 per cup = 1.13 cups.
A starting point based on your dog's estimated calorie needs. Check your dog's weight every few weeks and adjust both foods together.
How much wet and dry food should I feed my dog?
Decide what share of your dog's daily calories should come from each food, then turn each share into cans and cups with the calorie statements on the labels. AAFCO rules require that statement on every can and bag, in kcal per kilogram and per can or cup.
Cans = daily calories × wet share ÷ kcal per can · Cups = daily calories × dry share ÷ kcal per cup
Worked example: a 30 lb neutered adult that gets a few walks needs about 952 kcal a day. Set aside 10% for treats and 857 kcal is left for meals. Half of that, 429 kcal, comes from a wet food with 400 kcal per can, which is 1⅛ cans. The other half comes from a kibble with 380 kcal per cup, which is 1⅛ cups. Over two meals, each bowl gets ½ can and ⅝ cup.
The same maths works for a topper. A quarter of a 400 kcal can adds 100 kcal, so the kibble has to drop by 100 kcal too: about ¼ cup of a 380 kcal kibble. Leave the kibble as it was and those extra calories are added every single day.
Wet and dry dog food mixing chart
Daily amounts for spayed or neutered adults at a healthy weight, with 10% of calories kept for treats, using an example wet food with 400 kcal per can and an example kibble with 380 kcal per cup. Your foods will differ, so use the calculator for exact amounts.
| Dog weight | 25% wet | 50% wet | 75% wet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb (5 kg) | ¼ can + ¾ cup | ½ can + ½ cup | ¾ can + ¼ cup |
| 20 lb (9 kg) | ⅜ can + 1¼ cups | ¾ can + ⅞ cup | 1⅛ cans + ⅜ cup |
| 30 lb (14 kg) | ½ can + 1¾ cups | 1⅛ cans + 1⅛ cups | 1⅝ cans + ⅝ cup |
| 40 lb (18 kg) | ⅝ can + 2⅛ cups | 1⅜ cans + 1⅜ cups | 2 cans + ¾ cup |
| 50 lb (23 kg) | ¾ can + 2½ cups | 1⅝ cans + 1⅝ cups | 2⅜ cans + ⅞ cup |
| 60 lb (27 kg) | ⅞ can + 2⅞ cups | 1¾ cans + 1⅞ cups | 2¾ cans + 1 cup |
| 80 lb (36 kg) | 1⅛ cans + 3½ cups | 2¼ cans + 2⅜ cups | 3⅜ cans + 1⅛ cups |
Why mix by calories, not by scoops
Wet and dry foods are very different in how much energy they pack. The Merck Veterinary Manual describes dry food as about 90% dry matter and 10% water, while canned food is 68 to 78% water. Ounce for ounce, a can carries far fewer calories, so swapping "one scoop of kibble for one scoop of wet" does not keep the calories the same.
Even two dry foods can differ a lot. Tufts University's veterinary nutritionists point out that a cup of one food may hold much more or less energy than a cup of another. Splitting by calories avoids both problems: whatever ratio you pick, the total stays where your dog needs it. The dog feeding calculator covers dogs on a single food.
Storing opened cans
With a small dog or a low wet share, one can may last several days. The FDA's advice is to refrigerate or throw away unused canned or pouched food promptly, cover it tightly, and keep the fridge at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. Store the kibble in its original bag with the top folded down, somewhere below 80 °F (27 °C), and wash your hands before and after handling either food.
Starting a mixed diet
If either food is new to your dog, introduce it gradually. Tufts recommends mixing an increasing amount of a new food into the old one over at least a week, and notes that some dogs need several weeks. The food transition schedule builds a dated day-by-day plan, and you can switch the calculator to your final ratio once the new food is fully in. Because wet food adds water to the diet, your dog may drink a little less; the water intake calculator shows what is normal.
Frequently asked questions
How much wet food equals one cup of dry food?
Divide the calories in a cup of the dry food by the calories in a can of the wet food. With a 380 kcal cup of kibble and a 400 kcal can, one cup of dry equals about 0.95 of a can. With a smaller can the answer changes completely, so always use your own labels.
Is it OK to mix wet and dry dog food?
Yes, as long as the total calories fit your dog's needs and both foods are complete and balanced for its life stage (growth, maintenance or all life stages), which the label's nutritional adequacy statement tells you. Be careful with toppers labelled 'for intermittent or supplemental feeding only': AAFCO uses that wording for products that do not meet the nutrient requirements on their own.
Why is my dog gaining weight since I added wet food?
Check whether the wet food was added on top of the full amount of kibble. Every can brings its own calories, so the kibble has to shrink by the same number of calories. Set the ratio in the calculator and it reduces both foods to fit the daily total.
Does wet food help a dog get more water?
Yes. Canned food is roughly 68 to 78% water according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, against about 10% for dry food, so a dog on a wet-heavy mix takes in more water with its meals and may drink less from the bowl.
Sources
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