Nutrition: Wet vs Dry Foods

It's challenging enough to sort through the countless brands and nutritional trends in order to make a diet selection for your dog.  Never mind deciding if you should buy wet or dry foods.  Is one better than another?  Should you alternate?

In this issue, we will break it down to help you better understand the differences between wet food and dry food.

Wet Food:

What is wet food?  Wet food is also known as canned food.  To the human eye, it is not always the most pleasing to look at or smell, however, most dogs absolutely love it!  Canned food comes in countless varieties and flavors; which is a great way to feed picky eaters, older dogs that may be losing interest in food, and as a reward option for dogs on kibble-only diets.  Canned food also contains the highest water content compared to other forms of dog food.  This helps dogs maintain healthy levels of hydration, and particularly helps dogs with dry skin and coat issues.  Lastly, canned food tends to be higher in calories compared to other foods.  This is great for active dogs and aging dogs needing more caloric intake than the average daily recommendations.

When feeding canned food, be sure not to allow the food to sit in the bowl for too long.  If left out for too long, bacteria can develop and harm your dog.  It is also necessary to clean the bowl after feeding so that food particles don't begin to grow harmful bacteria.

My boys had this for breakfast this morning.  Wellness has numerous flavors that your dog will love!

Dry Food:

Dry food, kibble, bagged food...this is your most common and basic format of dog food.  The vast majority of dogs in America live strictly on a dry food diet (with the exception of the occasional table scrap or potato chip handout...we don't recommend).  Dry food diets are not only great because of their convenience, but they are also less messy and smelly than canned food, and are intended to be "complete and balanced" diets.  Never feed your dog a dry kibble that does not display the "complete and balanced" verbiage on the label.  This wording is stating that the kibble is formulated according to AAFCO standards and nutritional profiles and is intended to be adequate for your dog's sole nutrition source.  While this may meet the published requirements, even the best food can be deficient.  

When feeding kibble, be mindful of the ingredients.  Dogs benefit and absorb nutrients more effectively from protein than from starchy, high grain feeds.  It is also important to store your food in sealed containers.  The fats in the kibble can be become rancid and spoil towards the end of the bag, causing diarrhea and upset stomachs. 

Dry kibble is also great for dental health!  Crunching on the kibble can help reduce tartar build-up

  

So, as you can see, there are multiple forms of food that you can feed your pooch.  We don't recommend one food over another; we recommend incorporating  a variety of these forms into your dog's diet.  After all, isn't variety the spice of life?  Dogs, just like humans, can become bored with their food and genuinely enjoy variety.  

Additionally, even though your dog's food may say "complete and balanced" no food is perfect and can still be deficient from certain nutrients and minerals crucial to your dog's overall health.

We hope you enjoy this post!  Happy eating and be sure to check out our Facebook page for the brands we feed our beloved pooches!

Love,

A & A  

Disclaimer:  As with any nutritional advice The Upper Paw provides; we strongly advise you to consult  with your veterinarian before altering or changing your dog's diet.  Discuss your dog's specific health needs with your veterinarian.