Both dry and wet food are legit dog food sources. Vets say wet is better for ease of eating, better hydration, and better satiety and palatability with fewer carbs. Meanwhile, dry food is better for convenience and oral health benefits at a much lower price point.
Benefits of Dry Dog Food Compared to Wet Dog Food
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 won't spoil if left out all day.
Many dogs prefer wet food as it tends to be more flavorful and more closely resembles meat and meat by-products. Wet dog foods contain a significantly higher moisture content than dry kibbles, which can be important for dogs with urinary tract conditions or dogs who don't tend to drink enough water on their own.
The reality is that it's completely your choice whether you want to feed your dog wet or dry dog food. The most important thing is to choose a food that's complete and balanced and appropriate for his age, size, and activity level.
Generally speaking, wet food is better for dogs than dry food. Wet food has fewer carbohydrates, which are difficult for dogs to digest, and more water, which keeps dogs hydrated.
Give your dog one 3 oz can per 3 - 3½ pounds of body weight daily, divided into two or more meals. Adjust this amount as needed to help maintain your dog's ideal body condition. If mixing with dry food, remember that one 3 oz can replaces about ¼ cup of dry dog food.
Some pet parents think of wet food as a treat, akin to enjoying a special entrée at a restaurant. The truth is, dogs can eat wet food every day.
Mixing/Topping Wet Dog Food with Your Dry Dog Food
Kibble takes longer to breakdown and digest, making it harder to absorb the nutrients. Adding moisture-rich protein of wet food not only makes meals tastier but helps the body digest all the vital nutrients your pup needs from their meal.
Dry Food: Pros – easy storage and feeding, more energy dense, lower cost, dental benefits. Cons – lower palatability, more grains, more likely to contain preservatives. Dry food is by far more convenient and affordable.
Do you ever wonder whether your furry friend gets bored of eating the same food? Dogs have fewer taste buds than humans. So, while they will more than appreciate a mouthwatering meal when it's served up to them, they won't necessarily grow tired of eating the same food every day. For a limited time at least anyway.
If your dog is used to eating wet food, the switch over to dry food may be difficult. Dogs seem to love wet food, but it is messy and more expensive than dry food. Switching to dry food makes sense for a lot of pet owners, plus some dogs need to be on dry food for health reasons.
Dogs should eat at least two meals each day, about 12 hours apart. But a breakfast, lunch, and dinner schedule is an equally great option. If more than 12 hours elapses between meals, the stomach can become hyperacidic causing nausea.
Adult dogs – particularly the large and giant breeds – can be maintained on one meal a day, while small breeds, which have a higher metabolic rate may require two feeds per day to meet their energy requirements.
Fact: Most kibble swells slightly on contact with water, and when pets are fed soaked kibbles, these are denser and can take longer to digest, thus increasing the risk of GDV.
Feeding guidelines differ between dry and wet diets, and these should be considered individually when combining the diets. For example, when feeding a ratio of 50:50, we recommend feeding 50% of the recommended amount of wet food, with 50% of the recommended amount of dry.
You can always add extra water to wet food to help slow your pet down even more! Mealtime should not be over in five seconds. Slowing down mealtime makes it more satisfying and helps your pet feel more satiated.
It is recommended that puppy food is soaked from the age of 3-4 weeks up to 12 weeks. However there is no set rule for this, some puppies or even older dogs will always prefer to eat dry food when soaked and it is providing your puppy or dog with more water intake, so certainly nothing wrong with that!
But can dogs eat tuna? The answer is no. You shouldn't feed your canine companion the saltwater fish because it could lead to a number of different health problems.
Because commercially produced dog food contains carbohydrates, be careful not to overload your pup with additional high-carb foods like rice. As long as your dog is maintaining a healthy weight, adding some rice to your dog's meals is perfectly fine.
Candy, gum, toothpaste, baked goods, and some diet foods are sweetened with xylitol. It can cause your dog's blood sugar to drop and can also cause liver failure. Early symptoms include vomiting, lethargy, and coordination problems.
Look at your dog if their waist is extremely exaggerated instead of a gradual slope your dog might be underfed. If you can see or feel the ribs and they don't seem to have any fat on them your dog is probably underfed. If your dog is losing patches of hair there may be an issue with the nutrition.