Snapshot: The purchasing of food for the dogs might be quite challenging. If you too are confused between the wet or dry food for the dog, then, stay active and read the article below.
These days the selection of food for the dog is very confusing with the new brands coming up. Due to the variety of choices offered, you might become very confused as to which one to exactly gets for your dog. Which exactly would be the best choice for the dog the questions like these would come up in your mind and occupy it but do not worry we have the answer to your question.
The article below contains all the answers to your unasked and unanswered questions. Read the article below especially if you want to know the answer to wet vs. dry food for dogs, which is better?
What are the differences between wet and dry food?
The major difference that is present between the dry and the wet food of dogs is mainly the content of the water that is available in both these kinds of food.
The dry food does have some moisture content of around 3% to 12%, but it is way too less for the food. On the other side, wet food has a moisture content of around 60% to 80% in the food. So, as you could see there is a great difference in the moisture content on both these varieties of food.
This difference affects the life of food on the shelf because the dry food that is available for dogs could be kept significantly longer than the wet food. The wet food in comparison to the dry food goes off very soon as the quality degrades much faster. Hence, you could not keep the wet food for longer. There are certain important fluctuations as well between the dry food and the wet food of dogs, especially in regards to the calorie content.
With the dry food, the dogs would be able to consume a lot of calorie content in the smaller qualities, whereas in contrast to the above, the dogs will have to eat a huge amount of wet food for getting an equal amount of calories. The calorie content in the dry food is quite more than that of the wet food and hence only a small amount of dry food will do the fruitful as compared to the wet food.
Now, the question might arise in your mind, which food is the best for your loving dog? The answer to this question is very debatable and also which food will be good for the teeth of the dog too remains debatable.
One section of people argues that hard consistency in dry food might help cleaning the teeth of the dog. While on the other side, it is believed that the dry food gets stuck to the teeth of the dog and this might result in dental problems as well.
After knowing all the differences between dry food and wet food, let us now move on to the advantages of dry food and why exactly they are preferred and prove to be beneficial to the owner of the dog.
What are the advantages of dry food?
Dry food has a lot many advantages over wet food. The simple and the most crucial point of difference between dry food and wet food is that dry food offers more calorie content in smaller quantities. A few more have been mentioned below:
- Apart from this, dog owners will have to only use a small quantity of dry food to feed the dog because of the high content of energy. The dry food can fill the stomach of the dog with a smaller quantity.
- The dry food not just has high-calorie content and high energy content but, also becomes cheaper for dog owners to purchase. Because only a small content is required to fill the stomach of a dog, so it becomes the best option to go for.
- Another most important benefit of using dry food for the dog is that it is environmentally friendly. As the quantity of food required is small, so it requires less packaging.
- Another best part of dry food is that it is easy for the owner to feed the dog. The dry food is comparatively very clean and also convenient to feed. It does not, however, have mushy spills. And even if a small amount of it falls outside the bowl, it is still very easy to vacuum it or sweep it up from the floor
- Last and not least the dry food is odourless and hence is the best option to take especially, during the holidays. It is also very easy to stock up in advance as the dog only requires a smaller quantity of it.
Now, since we have already gone through all the advantages of dry food, let us now move on to know what the advantages of wet food are and why exactly wet food might be a better choice as per many people above the dry food.
What are the advantages of wet food?
Just like dry food, wet food too has its advantages. Wet food has its benefits. A few of the notable benefits of wet food are mentioned below:
- While dry food does bring a lot of benefits for the owner of the dog in regards to cleanliness, convenience, and price, but the advantages of wet food in contrast benefit the very dog yours.
- Most of the dogs would most probably go for the wet food, in case; they are given the choice to choose between these two foods because the wet food is more intense both in the taste and smell. The taste of wet food is usually liked by the dog.
- Wet food has a high content of water in particular. The wet food provides the dog with a large quantity of water or liquid content. And it is this easy to fill the fluid requirements of the dog with wet food.
- Since the dog does not much drink water throughout the day, it is thus highly recommended to feed them with wet food instead of dry food.
- Another best part of wet food is that it helps the dog to lose weight as well. If your dog has gained overweight due to too much food, then feeding them with wet food will prove to be beneficial.
- The dogs with a substantial appetite often maintain lower weight when eats wet food in particular. It is because, with every portion of food the dog eats, a low level of energy is consumed. So, this allows them to eat a huge amount without actually worrying about the calorie intake.
But then, after knowing the benefits of both the wet and the dry food, you might now wonder if there could be a combination of both this food that you could feed your dog with. The next section answers your question. So, keep reading.
Is a combination of wet and dry food possible?
Now, since both the dry food as well as the wet food proffers different kinds of advantages. The most obvious conclusion thus would be to combine both of these dry as well as the wet food and then feed the dog with this combination of both the food.
With this, the dog will get the benefit of both the wet as well as dry food. But then one thing to always keep in mind is to never mix both types of food in one and then feed your dog. It is highly recommended to feed both this food separately at different periods.
There is no hard and fast rule as such, but the better way is to not risk and feed your dog both kinds of food separately. But one thing that has to be kept in mind is to make sure that your dog does not eat much of the wet food as it contains high content of energy. You should always ensure that the daily intake or consumption of your dog does not exceed despite him switching the food between dry and wet.
The dogs might develop several digestive problems when it comes to the type of food that they have. The owner must take care of their food with full attention. The owners of the dog should always ideally choose only one category of food as the switching of food between the dry and wet constantly might lead to the problems like constipation or diarrhea especially for the sensitive stomach.
But, in general, the combination of the dry and the wet food provides no added advantage for the health of the dog. Since both these varieties of food allow consuming all the vital substances. So, in case, you have found out which category of food your dog likes and could tolerate it, then do not think much, stick with that particular type of food.
Now, let us move on to the section of the best food for the dog and exactly what type of food should be given to the dogs.
The best food for the dogs
The type of food you give to your dog is a very important point that you should be paying attention to. The food that your dog consumes might have several effects on the health of your loving dog. So, be very particular in deciding the food you would be feeding your dog. Below is a list of the food that you could feed your dog with.
- White rice
The plain or the cooked white rice could also be one of the best options for the dog, especially, in case of an upset stomach. The rice is comparatively very easy to digest and also helps in the binding stool.
- Fish
Shrimp, tuna, and Salmon fish are a quite safe and rich source of protein for the dog. They not just provide protein, but also are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids that could help improve the immune system of the dog as well as keep the skin healthy. It also helps to promote blood circulation in the dog.
- Dairy products
Though, if the dog eats too many dairy products, it could lead to digestive problems. But the dairy products like cheese, plain yogurt, or milk are quite safe for dogs in small quantities.
- Peanut butter
Peanut butter has many advantages elements including Vitamin B, Vitamin E, Protein, healthful fats, and niacin. It also is quite safe for dogs to eat in moderation.
- Bananas
The bananas are quite healthy for the dogs to eat in moderation. The bananas are the best source of magnesium that is very important for maintaining the good health of the bone of your dog.
- Cucumber
Apart from the above, the cucumbers have also proven to be a very good option, especially, for dogs who have gained overweight. It has plenty of minerals, vitamins, such as Vitamin K which helps the dog to maintain good health. The cucumbers also have low calories and are thus quite safe for the dogs.
There are more to the list to add on. But we have tried to put all the top categories of food that are the best for all categories of dogs.
Well, we hope the article was of great help to you and that we were able to solve all your unanswered questions in a comprehendible manner. But always keep in mind to not mix both the dry and the wet food at the same time and feed your dog. Check which food your dog likes the most and accordingly stick with that type of food.
