Dry or Wet Food: Which is The Best Option For Your Dog?

Being a pet owner, one of your major concerns is to ensure that your dog is fed with the nutritious diet. Your dog needs to get the proper diet so as to ensure that it remains active, healthy, and happy. For many first time dog owners, picking the right dog food can be a quite difficult task. Dog owners are very concerned with the diet of their dog because it directly affects their dog’s health. One of the major issues of pet owners is determining what kind of food to get. Will it be wet or dry food? In order to help you with your decision, we have written this article. This article explains you pros and cons of dry and wet food, and some myths related to these dog foods.

• Pros and Cons

First let us know the pros and cons of wet and dry dog food:

• Dispelling the myths

Before suggesting you the best food for your dog, it is essential to understand some myths about dry and wet dog food.

Myth 1 Dry food cleans your dogs teeth– It is common myth that dry food for dog is much better for his dental health. Dogs have very pointed teeth; even their molars are sharp edged, not flat. These teeth are designed to tear, bite, and chew raw meat. Therefore, when your canine companion eats kibble, he either swallows it whole or shatters it. Kibble does not scrape down onto the lower parts of the teeth or near the gums, which is where dental problems start. In fact, kibble can contribute to dental problems when the shattered bits lodge between the teeth, which will promote bacterial growth.

Myth 2 Wet food leads plaque formation– Another common myth is wet food for dog contributes to building up of plaque. The truth is dry food for dog also contributes to the plaque build-up as much as the wet food items do. This is exactly why certain food companies have come up with “dental diet foods”.

Myth 3 Changing brands of pet food is hard on your dog’s digestion- Healthy dogs can eat different foods at each meal without issue as long as they are optimum quality foods. Variety in dog food is important for several reasons, the most important being to avoid the development of sensitivities to any particular protein or food type. When same food is fed for many months at a time, dogs can develop sensitivities or allergies to specific ingredients of that food. Further, many vet believe that feeding the same dog food for many months is a contributing factor to the inflammatory bowel disease.

• Comparison between dry and wet dog food

Due to the price comparison between wet dog food and premium dry dog food: Most dog owners are quick to buy the dry version to save a few bucks. Other people buy wet food thinking they are giving their dog the very best food they can.

Some wet food for dogs will be slightly more concentrated and is great for smaller dogs which do not have the stomach volume to handle the dry food (dry food expands in the stomach more than the wet mixture). Similarly, a larger dog breed may not be satisfied with a wet food unless you feed him more than the recommended amount of food, making him beg for more food or treats.

• Conclusion:

No matter what you feed to your canine companion, nutrition is the most important issue here. Whatever food you choose for your dog, whether dry or wet, it should contain more fats and proteins than grains. Just keep in mind that the first 2 or 3 ingredients on the label should not be grains of any type. If the first name on the ingredient list is something like “corn meal” then you should skip buying that food of dog immediately.

It is best to give your canine companion a mixture of both wet and dry food. Just like humans, dogs like to have a mixture of dry solids as well as wet food which is a little easier to chew and palatable also. You can really opt to feed your dog either, but it is best to mix them together. Give your canine dry treats in addition to the wet food, or vice verse; wet treats in addition to wet dog food.