Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Is Canned Dog Food Good For Dogs

What You Should Do About Puppy Nutrition

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Puppies have different dietary needs than adult dogs, so you can feed them a diet that is specifically designed to meet those needs.

Different quantities of amino acids, as well as different total protein contents, are used in puppy-specific food.

Adult dogs need just 18% of their calories from protein sources, while puppies need 22% of their calories from protein sources.

Furthermore, puppies grow better when given a little more fat, so the AAFCO suggests that at least 8% of their calories come from fat sources, while adults only need 5% of their calories from fat sources.

Fortunately, you dont have to be concerned about these differences simply buy high-quality, AAFCO-compliant puppy food. Youll be able to rest easy knowing that your dog is getting the nutrition he needs.

This also ensures that if you choose a puppy kibble or a puppy wet food formula, your developing dog will get the nutrition he or she needs.

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Last Bit Of Advice When Choosing Wet Or Dry Dog Food

There isnt a straight answer to which food will be the best option for your dog, and ultimately, the answer to which type of dog food is the best will be up to you to decide. But, keep in mind that the food you choose should fulfill your dogs nutritional requirements. If your dog has health issues, hes an older dog, a fussy eater, or extremely active will all play a role in your final decision.

Also, remember that you can mix both dry and wet food together as an occasional treat.

There Are So Many Food Type Choices: Dry Canned And Semi

While feeding dogs does not need to be a mysterious process, it is easy to be overwhelmed with choices. It is logical to wonder which approach is best. Your veterinarian is the best source for a specific recommendation for a nutrient profile that best fits your dog’s needs. Beyond that, however, it is good to think about the advantages and disadvantages of the various formulations that are available.

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Should A Dog Eat Only Dry Food Or Wet Food

One of the most common questions I get asked is about the type of food to give a dog: only dry or only wet?

To answer, we need to understand how a dog approaches its food: by sight ? By taste? Or by smell?

If we put ourselves in our dogs shoes, we know we can put the foods visual appearance in last place: a dog certainly does not pay attention to whether the food offered is presented nicely.

So, taste and smell remain therefore a good recipe will be the first thing that attracts their attention. Lets take a look at the differences to see which sense prevails in the choice of food.

TASTE PERCEPTION

Square centimetres of olfactory mucosa

Human 3-4 cm² Dog 18-150 cm² Cat 20 cm²

A dog actually chooses its food first and foremost using its nose and then tastes it.

However, we should also explore the behavioural aspect that affects nutrition. The dog is a social animal used to living in a pack its meal plays a key role in its co-existence with other dogs and, in our case, humans. Food gratification is a method often used by humans to encourage appropriate behaviour and to strengthen the relationship between them and us. To serve our dog, a rewarding meal is not only a gesture of affection but also a behaviour that will lay a solid foundation in our relationship with our four-legged friend.

What to do?

One tip is to feed your pup both dry and wet food to take advantage of the positive features of each option.

Dr Benedetta Giannini, veterinarian and nutrition expert

Benefits Of Dry Dog Food Compared To Wet Dog Food

Can My Dog Eat This

Dry dog food, or kibble, often offers certain benefits that wet food doesnt provide, such as:

  • Dental health benefits: Dry food encourages dogs to chew their food, which aids in preventing tartar buildup and secondary periodontal disease.

  • Convenience: Compared to wet food, dry diets are much easier to pre-portion, and they wont spoil if left out all day. This can be beneficial for dogs that are grazers.

  • Financially feasible: Depending on the brand of food, dry diets may be less expensive to purchase and store long-term.

  • Food enrichment: Kibble is easier to integrate into food puzzles and slow feeders that may improve a dogs quality of life through cognitive stimulation.

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Nutritional Quality Of Canned Dog Food

Like all commercial dog foods, theres a wide range of quality. But generally, canned foods are better quality than kibble.

Compared to kibble, canned foods are

  • Less processed, so food nutrients are less damaged
  • Cooked at lower temperatures again, less nutrient depletion
  • Less likely to need synthetic vitamins and minerals, due to less processing/lower heat
  • Much lower in carb content usually up to 7.5% for canned vs 30% to 40% for kibble
  • More digestible 95-100% digestible vs about 75% for kibble
  • Higher in animal protein kibbles often rely on plant-based proteins like legumes. These are inferior protein types for dogs and they can contain harmful lectins.

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Nutro Cuts In Gravy Grain

Nutro Cuts Wet Dog Food is a grain-free diet that contains real meat as the main ingredient. The canned food that comes in 24 trays of different flavors also contains other quality ingredients that make every mealtime unique for your dog. The meat products in the gravy sauce mixture are real lamb, beef, turkey, or chicken.

The highly flavored and tasty meal does not contain any non-GMO ingredients or artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors. It is also free from wheat, soy, or corn. The meals do not have any chicken by-products or fillers.

The USA made recipes also contain other highly nutritious ingredients that include potatoes, tomatoes, carrots chicken and pork broth, minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins. You can choose to feed your dog, the wet food on its own, or mix it with any dry food for a better flavor and taste.

Pros

  • Some of the digs do not like the food

Verdict

If you have a fussy dog, you should think about changing the meal you are currently feeding the dog with to this one. Nutro Cuts is a tasty meal that contains delicious and high-quality ingredients that provide the dog with the nutrients it needs for proper growth.

Though a few of the dogs reacted to the ingredients, the majority of the others love the tasty pate wet food. With a star rating of 4.6 stars, it proves that Nutro adult grain-free wet food is a hit.

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Wet Food Provides Comfort During Dental Pain

We often think of dental problems as striking elderly dogs, but the truth is, periodontal disease strikes 85% of dogs by the time they turn 5 years old. During treatment and recovery, a switch to a softer canned diet helps afflicted dogs eat in comfort. Meanwhile, discover more about the prevention and treatment of canine dental problems.

What To Look For When Choosing The Best Canned Dog Food

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Just because its canned food doesnt necessarily mean its good for your dog. Pay close attention to:

  • Protein this should be the number one ingredient. Moreover, it should always name a specific animal .
  • Whole and unprocessed grains these should always be your choice unless your dog is sensitive to them. In that case, opt for grain-free foods.
  • Vegetables and fruits again, these should be present in the best wet dog foods. Nevertheless, they shouldnt be the first three ingredients on the list.
  • Additional ingredients like DHA these help puppies develop healthy eyes and brains, while glucosamine keeps senior dogs joints healthy. Choose the food that best suits your dogs age and needs.
  • Complete and balanced foods that have passed the AAFCO feeding trial Also, look for a guaranteed analysis of ingredients.

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Does Canned Food Use Preservatives

Canned food is usually preserved naturally through the canning process. Wet food is fresher because you finish the container in fewer days than dry food. This is one of the reasons why canned food does not use any preservatives.

You should always go for good quality food, be it canned or dry. Cheaper pet food use preservatives that are not derived naturally. These preservatives are the non-food items that would never be present in your dogs diet.

They do not have any nutritional benefits other than increasing the shelf life of the food. The manufacturer and the pet store owner benefit from those preservations and it is of no use to you. Therefore, it is better to avoid. Some preservatives may even hurt your pets health.

Always make sure you pick those foods that are preserved naturally. The best way to avoid preservatives is by using canned food. To make sure you avoid BPA food cans, choose the small cans. Small cans generally do not require any BPA lining. Choose only those food cans that are BPA-free.

Complete And Balanced Dog Foods

One of the first things you should look for on a dog food label is the statement is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. This isnt just an advertising slogan. The Association of American Feed Control Officials has strict requirements to make sure that a product is in fact complete and balanced for dogs . Complete and balanced diets must contain the minimum amount of all of the nutrients necessary for dogs, which is also indicated in the guaranteed analysis. This analysis gives the minimum amount of crude protein and fat, along with the maximum amounts of water and crude fiber. The analysis does not, however, give the exact amount of these components, which means there is room for considerable variation. The manufacturers average nutrient profile is often a better tool for evaluating a product.

You can always contact the dog food company directly to get more information about its product. A reputable company that has your dogs interests at heart should be happy to answer your questions and in many cases will give you more information than what is available on the website or product label. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association has a helpful sheet with questions you can ask a company representative.

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Should I Feed My Puppy Wet Or Dry Dog Food

The choices available for feeding your puppy can be overwhelming. But one of the first decisions is between two choices will it be wet or dry dog food for puppy? Each has its fans and its detractors. Is one better than the other? Many dog owners have strong feelings on that! Yet some feed their dog a mix or wet and dry foods to make sure they are covering all the bases.

No single food option is the best for every single dog out there. Even dogs of the same breed can have different nutritional needs. Each owner has to weigh up the pros and cons of wet or dry dog food for their puppy and then consider their choices for whichever they pick. Understanding the pros and cons of wet and dry dog food is the first step to making the best choice for your pet.

What’s Wrong With Preservatives In Dog Food

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But what’s the problem with preservatives? For one thing, many preservatives in cheaper pet foods are not naturally derived.

They’re non-foods that would never naturally occur in your pet’s diet. Most provide no other nutritional benefit to your pet’s food other than making it last a long time on the shelf.

Most of the time, a long shelf-life isn’t even a real convenience for you. Generally, you probably buy dog food and use it up within, at most, a few months. This benefit is for the pet food manufacturer and the pet store, instead.

They can have the same food stored in their warehouses, back rooms, and shelves for sometimes years before having to check for expiration dates and refresh their stock. Business-wise, the longer the shelf-life, the less money is lost through expired products that cannot be sold.

Other than providing no real benefit to you or your dog, preservatives may actually harm your pet. Some common preservatives, such as nitrates or nitrites, are known carcinogens.

There are other options out there. Choose foods with natural preservatives whenever possible, or go the no-preservative route with canned foods.

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Pedigree Wet Dog Food For Weight Control Chopped Ground Dinner Beef & Liver Flavor

Literally, this is a low fat and calories weight management canned dog food made by Pedigree. Typically, it is designed to help your dog keep a healthy weight just like the other weight Management Food. What is unique about this food however, is its hearty texture. Additionally, the highly absorb able ingredients provide a perfect nutrition for any dog. If your dog is always picky and selective when it comes to canned food worry no more. Definitely, it is time you should try the Pedigree Weight Management Adult Wet Dog Food. Actually, the taste of the beef in this food is quite irresistible and your dog will certainly love it.

The Pedigree brand incorporates dry and canned food as well as treats and bites. They also produce foods that are geared towards oral intake, well-being of the hips and joints, weight control and other well-being concerns. Like other brands, they separate their foods by age adults, small dogs and senior food and by the size of the dog small, medium, enormous race. At the market Pedigree is an old, established brand that is sold in supermarkets. It can happen that pet food is sold everywhere. It is rated to fit lower spending plans.

Is Canned Food Dangerous To Dogs

Bisphenol A is a synthetic compound used to make some plastics, and it gets a bad rap because itâs disruptive to our endocrine system. When BPA-containing plastic touches food, it can get into the food, causing exposure when you eat it. Or, when your dog eats it.

A recent study by scientists and vets at the University of Missouri found that even short-term consumption of canned dog food led to a three-fold increase in BPA in the dogsâ blood, which can carry some potential health consequences.

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The Health Of The Matter

Well, it turned out that fecal samples showed changes in the gut microbiome because of the increased BPA, too. While scientists donât know the implications of that, itâs safe to guess that there are some. The gut plays a huge role in the immune system of four- and two-legged animals alike, so when you start messing around with the major players in the gut, youâre asking for trouble.

The take-home message from the study is that if BPA is in the can that holds your dogâs food, itâs also in your dog. From there, weâre not sure what to say, but there might be some health implications. More studies are needed for sure. In the meantime, you might want to double think the canned food. Or at least feed it less often.

Canned Food May Contain Fewer Preservatives Than Dry Food

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If you are concerned about added preservatives in your dog food, canned food may be for you.

Due to their air-tight packaging, canned dog foods contain no synthetic preservatives, according to Dog Food Advisor. So, fats and oils sealed inside dont easily become rancid.

Always read labels to know for sure what is in your canned food. Its not impossible for there to be unwanted preservatives in a product and reading ingredient labels is the only way to know for sure.

Wherase canned food is preserved by the process of canning, most kibble is preserved artificially, according to Dogs Naturally Magazine.

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More Meat Protein Than Dry Food

Canned diets in general contain more meat than kibble diets, which is why they are typically more expensive. This is great news for dogs, who require few if any, grain-sourced carbohydrates.

However, dog food labels on dry foods are deceiving. They may make you assume that your food has more protein in it than it actually does.

Pros And Cons Of Wet Pet Food

Pros

Water content can change the palatability of pet food, making it more appetising or easier for some animals to consume.

“While it depends on the individual food and how it’s formulated, wet food does contain more water and can also be more palatable and make animals feel more satiated,” says Zito.

Wet pet food also offers additional moisture for animals reluctant to drink an adequate amount of water each day.

“The higher water content in wet food can help ensure adequate water intake, particularly for cats as their natural diet of meat has a high water content and so they are adapted to meet much of their water requirement from their food,” says Zito.

Crawford says wet pet food may also be a much safer option for animals with health concerns. “Some animals will need the extra water in wet foods to alleviate health problems,” she says.

Zito agrees, adding that wet pet food “may also be preferred for animals that have trouble chewing or a sore mouth.”

Cons

Wet pet food requires different handling and storage techniques to ensure it remains fresh. Once opened, it has a short lifespan and must be covered and kept in the fridge to avoid spoilage and waste.

The water content also makes wet pet food heavier, so it’s produced and bought in smaller quantities.

Dry pet food is also known as kibble.

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