DISCOVER WHAT YOUR CANINE ATHLETE CAN DO
When trying to decide what to choose for your dog, you should first find a pet food that gives them excellent nutrition to fulfill their health needs. Their food should also be something they find appetizing. Wet food is a great way to give your dog a hydration boost, while dry food can support dental health. As wet and dry dog foods have many differing benefits, another option to consider is to feed a mixture of both to give your dog a well-rounded diet that targets all kinds of needs.
Pet owners generally prefer dry dog food because of its ease of administration but there are also many health benefits to dry food. One benefit of feeding your dog a dry diet is that it can support their dental health. The texture of dry kibble encourages your dog to chew before they swallow, which improves their digestion and also helps to clean their teeth. All Eukanuba™ adult and senior diets use an S-shaped kibble that can help provide a brushing effect. Our adult and senior dry diets are also coated in sodium hexametaphosphate, which helps bind calcium in your dogs saliva to help slow the formation of tartar between meals.
Although dry food might be a more popular choice, some owners will choose to feed their dog a wet diet to improve palatability and give their dog an added hydration boost. As wet food has a rich, meaty aroma, picky dogs can be more enticed to eat (and hopefully finish) their meals. In the case of those pets that may not be getting enough water throughout the day, wet food can provide them with additional hydration because of its high moisture content.
While many of the benefits of dry food come from its ability to be bought in bulk, some of its drawbacks come from the same aspect. If you cannot, or do not want to, buy a large bag of kibble, then the price of the food per gram is more expensive. There are a lot of good reasons someone may be unable to purchase a huge bag of dry food. They may not have space for it, may not have the money for it, may not be able to physically carry it, may not have a car to bring it home, or may be worried their pet won’t eat the entire bag before growing tired of the food.
The other important advantage to kibble is its effects on pets’ teeth. Several studies have found positive relationships between dry food and dental health. Specially formulated dental kibbles are effective at reducing plaque accumulation and gingivitis in dogs and cats. However, regular non-dental kibble is also effective at reducing dental deposits and gingivitis in both cats and dogs.
As convenient as dry food is, it does have a few drawbacks. I’ll once again point out the double-edged sword of palatability. Dry food is generally less appetizing to pets, which could be good if your animal needs to shed some excess weight but could be detrimental to animals looking to gain weight. In a similar sense, as kibble is usually left out for animals to eat at will, in a multi-pet home it’s harder to guarantee that all animals are eating and getting an equal serving size.
It wasn’t until the 1950s, however, that advances in the extrusion process led to the invention of extruded dry pet food. Purina was first to both the dog and cat kibble game, manufacturing Purina Puppy Chow in 1957 and Purina Friskies in 1962.
The good news is that either type of pet food can provide your animal with the complete nutrition they need to grow, run, play, and be merry. You can be sure of this by checking the “statement of nutritional adequacy” that will be found on any (commercial) pet food. In North America, these statements are regulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), and there are equivalent authorities in Europe and elsewhere. The statement of nutritional adequacy will read something along the lines of: “[complete and balanced nutrition] for all _____” where the blank is filled in with the type of pet this food is for (adult dogs, cats of all sizes, nursing mothers, etc.), and the bracketed part may be omitted.
Pros of wet food
Dry dog food (aka kibble) is made by grinding and mixing up ingredients like meats, grains, and nutritional additives, veterinarian Jamie Whittenburg explains. They’re then shaped into little kernels and cooked at high temps to remove the water content.
Dry food is often recommended by vets due to its:
Lots of owners start by feeding their pooch dry food since it’s considered easier, Simon says. This is because it can be stored for longer once opened and makes less mess around the house (or on your furry friend’s face).
Kibble tends to be helpful when you need to let your pal munch on their food over time. For instance, if you go to work and Luna needs free reign over her food bowl.
Heads up, though: Even though Whittenburg says kibble can be left out for long periods, she doesn’t recommend it in most sitches. Aka, head home to your pets, pals! They miss you.
All that chomping on dry food just might help your canine preserve their canines.
“I recommend dry food for dental diets,” Whittenburg says. She likes to use dry kibble as an add-on to a wet food diet, because “it can be thought of as brushing the dog’s teeth daily.”
In fact, a small 2022 study found that dogs fed dry food had lower breath odor and tooth plaque buildup and a healthier oral microbiota than dogs fed wet foods. Some older studies have contested this claim, saying the evidence isn’t totally there yet — so more research is needed to confirm these findings for sure.
Another thing to consider: The higher added sugar content in low quality wet foods could be the culprit for doggo cavities everywhere, Whittenburg suggests.
Still, as of now, most vets agree: Dry food = improved dental hygiene. “The kibble doesn’t cake on teeth like wet food can, meaning there is less plaque buildup and gingivitis,” Simon says. She points out that this is especially important for breeds prone to dental disease like greyhounds, poodles, and chihuahuas.
If your pooch has dental probs, there are also dental prescription foods that use special fibers that essentially “act as a toothbrush,” Whittenburg says.
Nutrition 101: Wet or Dry Food — Which is Better For My Dog?
Ever wondered what’s better? A canned dog food — or a kibble? For me, it took a trip away from home and a call from the kennel attendant that finally helped me solve that riddle.
“Bailey hasn’t eaten a bite in two whole days,” she advised. “What would you like us to do?
We had gone away for the holidays and had no choice but to leave our little guy with the vet.
Bailey’s recent favorite — a chicken and rice kibble — had been brought along with him to the kennel. But now he didn’t want any part of it.
“Why don’t you let me try something. It almost always works, especially with our finicky dogs who refuse to eat.”
When I called back a few hours later I was relieved to find out Bailey had “gobbled up every bit of it… and even licked the bowl”.
Canned dog food. That was it. Bailey wouldn’t eat the kibble. But he sure did love that wet food.
So, I decided to learn more about canned dog food. I knew Bailey liked it. And he liked it a lot more than he liked kibble.
But I had to be sure if it was OK for him to eat. After all, I’d always heard that canned dog food wasn’t as good for dogs as kibble.