Is Wet Or Dry Food Better For Dogs

American Journey Stews Grain

American Journey Poultry & Beef Stews provides a variety pack of 12 cans featuring two different flavors. Depending on which flavor you go with, the first ingredient is either beef or chicken.

To give the wet food the best texture, a savory broth made from chicken and beef broth is the second ingredient in both varieties. The food contains a crude protein of 8%, crude fat in 5%, and fiber at 1.5%. Some owners complain that there is too much gravy, but this makes it an excellent choice to mix with dry food.

American Journey formulates its food to support your pup in whatever adventure they find themselves. It helps them maintain lean muscles and provides them with a filling food. That means there are no grains, corn, soy, or poultry by-product meal included in this mix. BPA-free cans contain the food for ultimate pet safety.

• Too much gravy for solo meals

How Is Dry Dog Food Processed

Dry food contains very similar ingredients, but instead of adding gravy and canning the product, the meat mixture is pulverized in order to create a consistent dough that can be cooked.

Once cooked, the dough is extruded through specifically shaped holes to form kibble. The kibble undergoes a drying process, and then is sprayed with fats, oils, vitamins, and minerals and packaged before the fats and oils can spoil.

Some dry dog food diets also add live probiotics to aid in digestive and immune health.

Common Ingredients Found In Dry And Wet Food

It seems like veterinarians and dog experts are continually going back and forth on which type of food is better for your dog. However, regardless of which side of the food debate youre on, both wet and dry dog food have their advantages and disadvantages.

When it comes to ensuring that your dog has a nutritious, well-balanced diet its best to take a closer look at the ingredients in both types of food to determine which might be more beneficial to your dogs health.

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Making The Right Choice

There is no single right or wrong way to feed your dog. What matters most is that the food you choose is as healthy as possible and is a good match with your feeding philosophy.

If you feed your dog only canned dog food, give them opportunities to crunch on snacks that can help clean their teeth and satisfy their need for a good chew. Likewise, dogs that are fed dry food may occasionally enjoy a delectably meaty treat. Balancing out the crunchy with the yummy is just one more way you can provide the best possible care for your dog.

To help find the right foods for your dog, check out our Food-Finder Tool. With so many nutritious and delicious choices, your dog will have a hard time deciding which is their favorite.

Meat As A Source Of Animal Protein For Dogs:

In the first place of the ingredients should be meat as the main component of the feed. High-quality muscle meat and offal are the primary source of energy for dogs and cannot be replaced by other raw materials, emphasizes veterinarian Hanna Stephan:

The dogs metabolism mainly uses animal protein as an energy supplier, which is the only species-appropriate nutritional basis for the dog.

The meat content of dog food should be at least 50 to 60 percent to meet the dogs energy needs. Meat of 100% food quality, as with Terra Canis, is particularly healthy and appetizing. Only fresh meat and valuable offal are put into the bowl in order to spoil the dog with a delicious and species-appropriate meal.

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Lets Not Forget Smell And Taste

If your dog is a fussy eater choosing wet food could be the better option. Dogs are meat-eaters and if you put a bowl of dry Kibble and a bowl of wet meaty food in front of your dog, I can almost guarantee with certainty that your dog will head for the wet food.

Im not saying theres anything wrong with Kibble, after all, its packed full of flavor and its made from fresh ingredients. But, at the end of the day, it will never taste as good as real wet food because Kibble does not have the same aroma or the same smell of real meat, and lets not forget the luscious tasting wet meaty gravy.

However, the downside of canned dog food is the high-fat content, and if youre not careful with the amount of food your dog eats youll quickly notice that your once slim and trim dog is piling on the pounds. If your dog wont eat dry food, try giving him some wet canned food instead, Im sure hell scoff it down and will most likely lick his bowl clean too.

Kibble Offers Flexibility And Convenience

A kibble diet fits a variety of schedules and lifestyles, with less worry of spoilage. Its easy to pack on outings and road trips. And if your dog prefers snacking and grazing, kibble can stay in the bowl all day long, without worry about bacteria growth and spoilage! And theres no need to bother with refrigerating leftover portions. Scoop, measure, fill and youre done.

Keep an eye on the portion and make sure youre measuring the right amount of food for your dogs size. A serving of kibble appears smaller than that of canned, with more calories per ounce, which means overfeeding can happen all too easily.

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Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Puppy Dog Food Best For Puppies

The puppy stage of life is the most important in a dogs life regarding their growth and continued health. Feed your puppy the best with Blue Buffalos formula specifically made for puppies.

Puppy food typically needs more protein, and this one has a crude protein of 10% and 7.5% crude fat. Its first ingredients are quality, as are most of Blue Buffalos recipes. They feature chicken and chicken broth, then chicken liver, followed by carrots and peas.

The formula includes DHA, an essential ingredient to support the young dogs brain and eye development. It is a pâté-style food, easy to separate in the can and then mix with dry food. Even though the recipe is balanced, some puppies wont eat it.

• Some puppies turn their nose up at unmixed food

Summary: What Do We Ultimately Recommend

The optimum diet for most pets will be a combination of wet and dry foods. That said, so long as your dog drinks enough water, a solely dry food diet is fine. A solely wet food diet is only acceptable if you have great dental care on board, such as 6 monthly scale and polish procedures at your vet, or daily tooth brushing. Read more about gold standard Dental Care for dogs.

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Wet Vs Dry Dog Food: Advantages & Disadvantages

Picking out dog food can be a fairly complicated venture. With so many different benefits and flavors, it can be hard to decide which type of dog food is right for your pup. Then theres the whole conversation of dry dog food vs. wet dog food, and the balance between the two. Heres everything you need to know about wet and dry dog food next time youre shopping for a delicious meal for your pup.

Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Classic Canned Dog Food

Purina Pro Plan formulates its adult food by focusing on dogs with food sensitivities. The aim is to support those dogs with food allergies, which manifest in irritating skin breakouts or upset stomachs.

Purina Pro Plan was manufactured for adult dogs but does contain the DHA needed to support a puppys growth. Salmon is the second ingredient on the list, supporting positive coat and skin health. Unfortunately, water is used for processing the first ingredient, which means it is highest in quantity.

This food contains a lower protein percentage than most, listed at 7%, and the crude fat is at 5%. It is manufactured in the U.S. and doesnt contain any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

• Lower protein and fat content compared to similar products
• Water is the first ingredient

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Wet Dog Food: Pros And Cons

Puppies can be really difficult to feed as they are rather picky. The biggest advantage of wet dog food is that it is more palatable for dogs because of its consistency and smell. This is in addition to being less processed which makes it retain the proteins in their natural state. This can be a big plus point if you, as a buyer, prefer to opt for mostly organic products.

As the name suggests, this type of dog food contains a higher content of water which also makes it more hydrating to help meet the hydration needs of your puppy. So even if your puppy does not drink enough water or is getting dehydrated, opting for wet dog food could be very helpful. Now, we are not saying that only consuming wet dog food will be wholly efficient to meet your puppys water needs, so please do not consider wet dog food as an alternative for clean drinking water.

The other advantage of wet dog food is that they are more friendly for dogs that have food allergies and sensitivities. Vegetarian wet dog food formulas, for example, are the best for very sensitive puppies.

But, aside from all the good things wet dog food has to offer, there are also some bad.

Benefits Of Canned Food

• Canned dog food will usually contain more protein than dry dog food. This can be beneficial to your dog depending on his or her dietary needs
• Wet dog food contains more moisture which helps to keep your dog hydrated and supports a healthy urinary tract
• Your dog may find wet dog food more attractive and appealing than dry dog food
• Wet dog food, since it is canned, has a long shelf life

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How Much Should I Feed My Dog

Dog obesity is a growing concern in the veterinary community and has been linked to many health problems in dogs. Luckily for our pets, we are usually more disciplined about controlling their diets than we are about controlling our own. Knowing how much to feed your dog and what healthy dog weight looks like can be tricky. Many owners accidentally overfeed their pets, which is why it is important to take your dog in for regular checkups and to talk with your vet about appropriate portions. The guidelines on the back of the bag are just that guidelines. Some dogs may require more than the recommended amount, whereas others require much less. Activity level, time of year, nursing, illness, and more factors can all impact how much a dog needs to eat. Dog people will often advise that you should feed the dog thats in front of you instead of strictly adhering to dog food serving size guidelines that may or may not be exactly what your dog needs.

How Much Wet Food Should I Feed My Dog

Determining how much wet food to feed your dog is a processNOT a one-and-done decision.

Since the size and activity level of every dog is unique

And because every wet food contains a different number of calories per can

Its best to start with the recommended feeding amount printed on the label. Then, adjust that amount up or down to keep your dog at her ideal weight.

Heres an example:

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Canned Food Benefits Dogs With Diabetes Cancer And Other Diseases

Particularly if your dog is already dealing with health issues that tax vital organs such as the kidneys, including cancer and diabetes, you should be doing all you can to reduce the stress your pet’s organs are experiencing on a day-to-day basis.

Diabetic dogs, which deal with kidney stress, will be healthier eating a moisture-rich diet. Switch to canned from dry food for your diabetic dog, even some of the time, and you can successfully reduce organ stress.

Cons Of Mixing Wet And Dry Dog Food

Since wet food is more expensive than dry dog food, mixing the two adds an expense to mealtime in comparison with only feeding dry. It also requires refrigeration of the wet food after it is opened if not all of it is used in one meal. Plus, it can be smellier than dry food alone, creates more waste with the small cans and pouches that house the wet food, and may provide less dental benefits than a strictly dry food diet.

Finally, if a dog doesn’t finish the mixture of dry and wet food within a few hours, the dry kibble will get soggy and the wet food will get crusty and could spoil so it cannot be saved and, consequently, may create more waste.

There is no ‘best’ option when it comes to wet and dry food. Cost, storage, ease of feeding, medical issues, physical restrictions, accessibility of food types, pickiness of the individual dog and more may play into your decision as to whether you feed only wet or dry food or a mixture of both.

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Why Diet Matters For Dogs

Doggy diets matter the same way people diets matter: We are what we eat. According to The Forever Dog: Surprising New Science to Help Your Canine Companion Live Younger, Healthier, and Longer by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker, the most followed veterinarian on social media, and pet health leader Rodney Habib, the single most important factor when it comes to dog health is diet. A poor diet can lead to obesity, joint problems, gastrointestinal issues and much more. Rather than treating these ailments later in your dogs life, be deliberate about your dogs diet today to set them up for success tomorrow.

Dogs are carnivores with short gastrointestinal tracts. While theyve evolved from wolves to domesticated animals who can handle some carbs, they actually lack the enzyme that digests carbohydrates. This means their diet should consist primarily of protein and fat. There have been some studies indicating grain-free diets are bad for dogs, but the truth is grain fillers are bad for dogs, not necessarily real whole grains like rice and quinoa.

In any case, Dr. Becker believes carbs shouldnt take up more than 10 percent of your pups daily meals. She recommends a rough 50/50 ratio of protein to fat for a dogs diet. Ideally, we should achieve this ratio exclusively through fresh, unprocessed foods.

What’s Wrong With Preservatives In Dog Food

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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They Are What They Eat

Good health and longevity begin with good nutrition. The educated dog owner strives to feed the best and most beneficial food that their budget allows. Even the choice of canned food versus dry is a big one, thanks to a wide variety of formulations, price points and health claims with strong proponents on either side. As always, your veterinarian should be the last word on your dogs nutritional needs.

But for how canned and dry foods compare, heres the scoop:

Is It Ok To Mix Wet And Dry Dog Foods

In a word yes.

One way to enhance your dogs appetite is to add a tasty wet food topper to her dry food.

Mixing a few tablespoons of one of the flavorful wet foods on this page with your dogs kibble can make a big difference.

Just be sure both foods meet your dogs nutritional needs and are suitable for the same stage of life.

In other words you dont want to mix a puppy food with an adult formula as this can upset the delicate nutrient balance of the complete meal.

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The Pros And Cons Of Wet Food

While it may leave your wallet a little lighter, wet food can be largely beneficial for your pooch.

Dogs often don’t drink enough water. Supplementing wet food into their diet can provide them with some much needed hydration to not only prevent dehydration but also the development of many urinary conditions such as struvite crystals or kidney stones.

Urinary crystals often form when magnesium bonds with ammonium waste in highly concentrated urine. If your pooch stays hydrated, this will lower the concentration of the urine and helps to ‘flush out’ their system, reducing the likelihood of crystal formation.

Breeds susceptible to urinary related conditions include:

• Miniature Schnauzers
• Irish, Scottish and Yorkshire Terriers
• Cocker Spaniels
• Newfoundlands
• Irish Setters

Older dogs tend to have trouble when it comes to meal times. As they age, dogs can often have a decreased appetite due to loss of taste and smell sensory receptors. However the stronger aroma of wet food compared to dry may increase their desire to eat.

Dental disease and jaw misalignment or deformities can cause difficulties in chewing kibble. Canned food is easier for older dogs to digest, their bodies are able to absorb essential nutrients and it provides comfortable bowel movements.

Wet food is definitely an asset to your dog’s diet but be wary of excess weight gain if feeding solely tinned food. Using a light alternative like Hill’s Perfect Weight wet food can help with calorie reduction.