Can puppies eat only wet food?

Yes, provided the wet food is labelled as a complete diet rather than a complementary one, a puppy can be fed entirely on wet food. Follow the feeding guide on that specific product and adjust gradually based on your puppy's growth and body condition.

How many times a day should a puppy eat?

Young puppies are typically fed more frequently than adult dogs, often three to four times a day, tapering down to two meals as they mature. The specific schedule can vary by breed size, so the feeding guide on your puppy's food is a good starting point.

Should I follow the feeding chart on the tin exactly?

Use it as your starting point rather than a fixed rule, since it is based on average puppies of a given weight. Adjust gradually based on your own puppy's body condition and growth, and ask a vet if you are unsure whether your puppy is over or underweight.

When should I ask a vet about my puppy's weight?

If your puppy seems to be gaining weight too quickly, losing weight, or you cannot feel their ribs without pressing firmly, it is worth checking with a vet rather than adjusting the diet by guesswork. Regular weighing helps catch changes early.

How much wet food should I give a puppy?

How much wet food a puppy needs depends on their current weight, their expected adult size, and the specific food's own feeding guide, because wet foods vary a lot in calorie density between brands and formulas. The reliable approach is to start from the feeding chart printed on your puppy's actual food and adjust gradually against their body condition, rather than relying on a single number that is supposed to fit every puppy.

Why there's no one number

Wet foods differ significantly in calorie density and water content between brands, so a tin that looks like a generous portion from one manufacturer might contain noticeably fewer calories than a similarly sized tin from another. A single 'grams per day' figure that ignores the specific food cannot account for that difference.

Breed size and individual growth rate also vary enormously between puppies, so even two puppies of a similar current weight can have quite different calorie needs depending on how quickly they are growing and how large they are expected to become as adults.

The method that works

Start from the feeding guide printed on the actual food you are using, based on your puppy's current weight range, and split the daily total into the number of meals appropriate for their age — puppies are typically fed more frequently than adult dogs, tapering down as they mature.

Weigh your puppy regularly and check their body condition by feeling for ribs without a thick layer of fat covering them, and looking for a visible waist from above, rather than judging by eye alone or assuming the printed guide is exactly right for your individual puppy.

Mixing wet and dry, or wet alone

If you are feeding a mix of wet and dry food rather than one or the other, the portion of each should be reduced proportionally against the full feeding guide for either food on its own, so your puppy is not accidentally given a full day's ration of both.

A puppy fed wet food alone can be fed entirely from the wet food's own guide, adjusted as above, without needing to add dry food to make up any perceived shortfall, provided the wet food is a complete diet rather than a complementary one.

Feeding kit

Things we stock that owners commonly reach for here. Nothing on this page depends on you buying one.

Beaphar Lactol Milk Replacer for Puppies

A milk replacer for newborn and orphaned puppies, and for nursing or recovering dogs

From£20.23

Choose options

Nutriment Dog Weaning Paste

A 500g frozen weaning paste for puppies, single-ingredient British chicken

£2.99

Lily's Kitchen Dog Lean Machine — 10 x 150g Trays

Sold as a case: 10 x 150g trays. Lily's Kitchen's lowest-calorie wet recipe for adult dogs, in a 150G foil

£16.89

Pedigree Tasty Minis Puppy Treats Chewy Cubes with Chicken

Soft chewy puppy training treats with 13% chicken and added calcium, 125g

£2.25

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Common questions

Can puppies eat only wet food?: Yes, provided the wet food is labelled as a complete diet rather than a complementary one, a puppy can be fed entirely on wet food. Follow the feeding guide on that specific product and adjust gradually based on your puppy's growth and body condition.
How many times a day should a puppy eat?: Young puppies are typically fed more frequently than adult dogs, often three to four times a day, tapering down to two meals as they mature. The specific schedule can vary by breed size, so the feeding guide on your puppy's food is a good starting point.
Should I follow the feeding chart on the tin exactly?: Use it as your starting point rather than a fixed rule, since it is based on average puppies of a given weight. Adjust gradually based on your own puppy's body condition and growth, and ask a vet if you are unsure whether your puppy is over or underweight.
When should I ask a vet about my puppy's weight?: If your puppy seems to be gaining weight too quickly, losing weight, or you cannot feel their ribs without pressing firmly, it is worth checking with a vet rather than adjusting the diet by guesswork. Regular weighing helps catch changes early.

Sources

Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.

Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.