If you’re thinking about buying dog food from a store, one question that likely arises is whether the dry or wet formula is healthier for your pet. Both options are available for sale in a vast assortment. Manufacturers offer mixtures for healthy dogs and those with certain diseases, for puppies and adults, with one flavor or another. You need to pay attention to other parameters, such as storage conditions and whether your pet has problems with teeth or gastrointestinal tract problems. Let’s look at the differences between dry and wet dog food, their pros and cons, and the nuances of combining them.
Wet food
Wet or canned food through a complex multi-stage production process. First, according to the recipe, ingredients are selected (meat, fish, grains, etc.), which are carefully processed (washed, crushed), mixed, and boiled. There are various methods for cooking, but the most widespread is vacuum: the components are heated and cooled in special containers. When the mixture is ready, it is packaged and sent for storage.
A critical production stage is quality control before sending the feed to the warehouse. It depends on whether the mixture goes on sale or off. The resulting composition must meet the formulation requirements and safety for the animal’s health.
Benefits of Wet Dog Food
- It has more pronounced taste and olfactory characteristics than the dry product. It allows you to diversify your pet’s menu.
- It is suitable for dogs with pathologies of teeth and jaws, as it does not stress the chewing apparatus.
- It serves as a source of water if the dog drinks little.
- Suitable for pets with poor appetite, kidney disease, and digestive tract problems.
- In most cases, it contains a more considerable amount of protein component than the dry version.
- Portion packaging lets you give your dog fresh, wet food every time.
Disadvantages of wet food
Once opened, the packaging has a short shelf life. Liquid is a favorable environment for the development of bacteria. Store the mixture if your pet does not eat the entire portion. It will quickly spoil.
- Feeding the product from an open package (from the refrigerator) requires heating.
- Wet food can get into the nostrils of a flat-faced dog.
Wet food does not stress the jaw, so constant consumption in dogs with healthy teeth can lead to loosening and early tooth loss. It is necessary to simultaneously prevent pathology, for example, by giving the pet unique hard toys.
Dry food
Dry food mixtures for dogs are also made based on natural ingredients, depending on the recipe. The mix of prepared components to obtain a powdery mass to pressing, dehydration, heat treatment, and other manipulations, resulting in dry granules of the desired size and shape. They, after quality control, were sent to the warehouse.
Dry dog food retains all the nutrients and elements, but the water content is approximately 7-8%. Thanks to the thermal effect, there are no pathogenic microorganisms in the granules, and the molding apparatus makes it possible to obtain a product of different shapes and structures: sausages, balls, and triangles.
Benefits of dry food
- Opened packaging will not become airy.
- It does not require warming up before feeding the dog.
- It protects against tartar and strengthens the ligaments of the pet’s teeth and jaw.
- Compared to wet, it is less “dirty”.
- There is little chance that dry bits will get into your dog’s nose or tangled in his fur.
- It is convenient to feed your four-legged friend in any condition – in the forest, in a car, at an exhibition.
- The cost is lower than that of the wet product.
- Disadvantages of dry mixes
- Dehydrated food is more likely to contain flavorings and preservatives than wet food, explaining its sharper odor and storage stability.
- Despite the abundance of flavoring, after opening the package, the smell gradually disappears.
- The dry mixture cannot be mixed with water. The result will be a porridge-like mass that any dog will refuse.
- You must monitor the water regime if your pet eats only dry food. Insufficient water consumption against the background of dry eating can lead to diseases of the kidneys, liver, and gastrointestinal tract and dehydration of the body.
- Dry food often contains more carbohydrates and less protein than canned food.
Semi-moist food
This type of dog food differs from previous ones in its water content: about 20%. It is in granules, but unlike dry formulations, the pieces do not break with a crunch. It is an intermediate option, which is no different in composition.
Among the advantages of semi-moist food, dog breeders note the ability to give it to pets who have dental problems but do not want to eat wet food or regular food. Semi-moist granules do not put a lot of stress on the teeth and do not injure the gums like dry ones. Compared to wet food, such pieces help cleanse plaque enamel and strengthen the gums.
The disadvantages of semi-moist dog food include its high cost. In addition, moisture quickly evaporates from an open package, and the pieces become very hard, so it is better to buy food in small portions, which makes feeding even more expensive.
Is it possible to combine feeds?
If your dog happily eats wet and dry food, you can feed them simultaneously or separately. What points should you pay attention to?
The total daily volume of the product and its nutrient content must correspond to the dog’s characteristics.
- It is advisable to choose products belonging to the same manufacturer.
- If your dog requires special nutrition, such as kidney disease, both types of food must meet this requirement.
The proportions of the compositions when using products simultaneously are selected individually. Your dog may prefer crunchy kibble, so the volume should be. If your pet loves soft pieces and sauce, add more wet ingredients to the bowl.
You can also alternate food in different ways. For example, feed wet food first and dry food at the end of the meal, and vice versa. Another option is to provide your pet with one type of product in the morning and another in the evening and mix both formulations at lunch. With this approach, the animal will have a varied menu every time.
What type of food is best for a puppy?
Once a puppy starts to eat independently, separate from its mother, it should only eat wet food. Babies can’t digest dry formula. You can give them to your puppy as soon as it starts teething and rub the swollen gums with solid granules to alleviate your pet’s condition. But dry food isn’t a good choice for nourishment just now. Once a baby’s teeth start to show, the time comes to start weaning them off solid foods.
