There are quite a few differences and benefits to dry dog food and wet dog food. Firstly, dry dog food, sometimes known as kibble, provides probiotics which many canned foods do not. Probiotics are considered friendly bacteria which helps keep the pet’s intestinal system in good working order, which is vital as 90% of the immune system is located there. Obviously, a strong immune system helps the pet fend off disease and illness.
If you have ever closely examined the recommended feeding instructions on a can of dog food or cat food, you see that it takes quite a few cans to provide the daily nutritional needs of your pet. The reason is all canned foods contain high amounts of moisture. Of course, water can fill you up quite quickly so your pet might not eat enough canned food. On the other hand, the added moisture to the diet of dogs is very beneficial.
Another good benefit of a canned dog food is a variety of meat choices. Many canned foods offer your pet some nice unusual meat protein sources; which in turn provides your pet nutritional variation. Just imagine if you had to eat chicken every day, every year, all of your life. Think how tasty a new meat would be! Plus, each type of meat provides your pet with a different source of nutrition. If you’ve found a quality dry food but want to provide a little more variety of nutrition in your pet’s diet, offering a canned food could be just the answer. Variety as they say is the spice of life. What you don’t want to do is mix two different brands of dog food or cat food together at the same meal.
Canned dog food will keep for two or three days covered in the refrigerator. You do not want to give your pet the food cold right out of the fridge. Cold, moist cat food or dog food doesn’t digest as well. Take the portion you intend to feed out and allow it to warm to room temperature. Any moist food at room temperature that is not consumed within an hour should be discarded.
So, both canned pet foods and dry pet foods have their benefits and what one lacks the other can provide. Regardless of whether you feed all dry foods, all canned foods, or a combination of both — the most important issue is to feed a high quality pet food. High quality means no by-products, no chemical preservatives or dyes, a human grade or quality of meat, no imports from risky countries, and health promoting ingredients such as chelated or proteinated minerals, probiotics, antioxidants, and Omega Fatty Acids. Providing your pet with quality nutrition is worth the effort it might take to find it.
