The complete guide
Buying Wet Dog Food by the Carton, a Practical Guide
The problem with buying dog food three tins at a time
Most people buy wet dog food the same way they buy milk. You notice the shelf is thin, you grab a few cans, and two weeks later you are doing it again. It works, but it is the most expensive and most annoying way to feed a dog.
Cans are heavy. Three of them is fine. Eight of them, carried from the car, is not. And single tins almost always cost more per kilo than a carton does, because you are paying for the convenience of buying small.
A twelve can carton solves both of those at once. Kangaroo & Vegetable Wet Dog Food 12 x 700 g Cans arrives as a single delivery, 8.4 kg of food, and then you stop thinking about it for a while. That is the whole pitch, and it is a reasonable one.
What this food actually is
It is a wet food, supplied in cans, for adult dogs. The maker says it suits all breed sizes. The protein and flavour is kangaroo and vegetables, and the maker labels the recipe grain free.
Here is the ingredient list exactly as the maker prints it: meat (chicken, kangaroo, beef, sheep and/or pork), vegetable, gelling agents, vegetable fibre, vegetable oil, vitamins and minerals, colouring agent, natural flavour (including garlic), amino acids, plant extracts (contain natural antioxidants).
We print that in full rather than trimming it down, because the full list is what you need if your dog reacts to something. Note the meat line names several animals, not just kangaroo. If your dog has to avoid a particular meat, that line matters more than the product name does.
The maker's pack statement reads NO BADDIES, no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. That is the maker's wording on the pack.
For feeding amounts, the maker's direction is simple. Follow the directions on the packaging. Those directions are written for this specific food, so they beat any general rule of thumb you might read elsewhere.
Working out whether the pack size suits you
The useful question is not "is 8.4 kg a lot" but "how long does 8.4 kg last my dog".
Start with the feeding guide on the pack and your dog's weight. A large dog getting a full 700 g can a day would go through the carton in about twelve days. A smaller dog taking a quarter of a can at each meal could stretch the same carton out for well over a month, with the opened can living in the fridge between meals.
That second scenario is worth thinking about before you buy. A 700 g can is big. If your dog is small, you will be storing leftovers most days, which is completely fine but needs a lid and a bit of fridge space. Some people decant the opened can straight into a sealed container, which is tidier than covering a tin.
Two dogs in the house changes the maths again. A can splits across two bowls easily, and the carton disappears faster. Work out each dog's portion separately from the feeding guide rather than just halving, since dogs of different sizes need different amounts.
The cost per kilo sum
This is the part most people skip, and it is the part that tells you whether a carton is actually good value.
Take the carton price and divide it by 8.4. That is your cost per kilo. Now do the same sum for whatever you currently buy: can price divided by can weight in kilos. Compare the two numbers.
That comparison is honest in a way that comparing shelf prices is not. A smaller can always looks cheaper on the shelf and almost never is per kilo. Anyone hunting for the best wet dog food for adult dogs should run this sum before deciding, because it reorders the options surprisingly often.
Factor in delivery too. Shipping is free on orders of $99 or more and a flat $12 under that, Australia only. If a second carton tips you over the free threshold, the maths might favour buying two.
Checking the label against your own dog
Before you commit to a carton of anything, read the ingredient list against what you already know about your dog.
This recipe contains several meats, vegetables, vegetable fibre, vegetable oil, gelling agents, vitamins and minerals, a colouring agent, natural flavour including garlic, amino acids, and plant extracts. If your dog has a known reaction to any of those, this is not the food for them, and buying twelve cans is a poor way to find that out.
If you are unsure, start with a smaller quantity of any new food before buying in bulk. And for anything to do with your dog's health, ask your vet. They know your dog's history and we do not.
Switching foods without drama
Dogs generally handle food changes better when the change is slow. The standard approach takes about a week.
Day one, mix a small spoon of the new food into the usual meal. Each day after, add a bit more new and take away a bit of old, until by the end of the week you are feeding the new food on its own. If your dog seems unsettled at any point, slow the pace down rather than pushing on.
Fresh water should be available the whole time, as it should be regardless of what your dog eats.
Storing twelve cans sensibly
Unopened cans want a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight. A pantry shelf, a laundry cupboard, the bottom of a linen press, any of these work. Heat and damp are the two things to avoid, so the garage in a hot summer is not ideal.
Stack them where you can see the best before dates, and use the oldest first. If you end up with two cartons at different times, keep them separate so you do not accidentally work backwards.
Once a can is opened, cover it or move the contents to a sealed container and refrigerate. Use it within the time the pack states. Wash the bowl after each meal, since wet food left sitting out is not pleasant for anyone, dog included.
If a can arrives dented badly, split or leaking, do not feed from it. Get in touch and we will put it right.
Delivery and returns in plain terms
Orders are dispatched within 2 working days. After that, allow up to 7 working days by tracked courier. Delivery is Australia only.
Change of mind returns run for 14 days from delivery, as long as the pack is unopened and still in its original sealed packaging. Return postage is paid by the customer. If something turns up faulty, damaged or not as described, that is covered under the Australian Consumer Law and we will sort it out. There is no separate warranty beyond that.
The short version
Twelve cans, 700 g each, 8.4 kg in total. Wet food for adult dogs across all breed sizes, kangaroo and vegetables, labelled grain free by the maker.
Read the printed ingredient list against your dog's known sensitivities. Follow the feeding guide on the pack rather than guessing. Divide the carton price by 8.4 to see what you are really paying per kilo. Switch over about a week if you are coming from another food, keep water available, and store the opened can in the fridge.
That is the lot. If it suits your dog and the per kilo number works, buying by the carton saves you both money and trips to the shop.