Wet food over dry food?
In a cat forum I go to I found a thread in regards to people switching their cats to wet food only, or at least giving more wet food on a daily basis. Apparently this is highly recommended now by vets, experts, and breeders alike, and the reasoning behind it makes so much sense, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. In the wild, neither cats nor dogs would pack in so many carbohydrates, their diet would be fresh meat and occasional greens. Which is why so many have switched over to raw feeding. I do not like the thought of raw feeding, for bacteria reasons, but feeding wet food gives them more meat and fatty acids and moisture, without all the corn and stuff they would never eat if given the choice. Wet food also puts far less strain on their kidneys and digestive systems. I am thinking of switching my cats over to a partly wet food diet, and still keeping a small amount of kibble out for them to snack on. This also gives me a greater chance of helping my big fat cat Winston to lose a few pounds. Also, it will help me ensure that the other cats are getting enough to eat without el-piggo eating it all on them. I am going to do some further looking into it to see if the same theory would work for dogs, and was wondering if any of you feed wet dog food, or strictly kibble, or a mix of both? And does anyone have further info on feeding dogs wet food instead or in addition to kibble? |
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| Hmmmmm...
I've always read/heard that a good quality dry food is juuuuuust fine. The vet told me that it is better for their teeth, keeps the plaque down, too. Not because the dry food scrapes it off, but because the dog drinks water after eating, and that tends to flush out the mouth. I think a lot of the good dry foods now are really high in protein and fats and lower in the carbs, but I can't cite and numbers or statistics on it. Just my penny-and-a-half's worth. (Not quite worth 2 cents). Re: what they would eat in the wild -- can you see a pack of hungry sheepies hunting down prey? I think it's more likely they'd be stalking the cowboys around the campfile for scraps!  |
| Yes, well, what they would eat in the wild really applies more to cats than dogs, our dogs are domesticated, the same rules don't apply.
Another problems for dogs that doesn't really apply to cats is that a dog would have a hard time getting enough caloric intake or nutrition needed without eating A LOT of canned food... but I wonder if a diet that is at least part wet food might be better for them? As far as the teeth cleaning goes, they get treats and stuff like denta bones or whatever, and they will still drink water. I haven't been able to find much info on it... so the more input the better... I'm very curious to why they can make cat food more condensed and nutrient rich but they don't seem to be able to do that with dog food? |
I remember reading on the forum that dogs shouldn't have a lot of protein in their diets. I would think that wet dog food wouldn't taste as good with little meat in it. But, to be honest with you, I don't know. I know that my cats get both wet and dry food. They love the wet food! I feed them about a can a day, and leave the dry food out all the time. I also feed them human food, like I would cook chicken and mix that in with their dry food, or pour some chicken broth with it. I dont leave the mixed stuff out all day ofcourse. Also, I am wondering if the dog's stools would be more lose and, khmmm, smelly.  |
| We feed our cat dry food which is out all the time (where Truman can't get to it) and also wet food in the evening. The canned food is more like a treat than a meal as a small can usually lasts 3 days. Our cat likes the canned food and dry food as well and seems to do fine. We feed our dog, Truman, dry food mixed with about 1/4 can of canned food mixed in. He usually scarfs it up at once. The only problem with Truman is that he isn't interested in eating but once daily in the evening. I've tried leaving a little dry kibble out during the day but he doesn't even look at it. I worry a little that eating one big meal a day may not be good for him but he just won't eat during the day..... |
| My parents husky cross does that too... he's a very smart dog. His bowl is filled with kibble and milkbones piled on top in the morning, but he won't touch it all day, until after supper. After supper he usually gets some leftovers, and when he knows everyone is done and he isn't getting anymore, then he will eat his own food. LOL |
| I used to have a Jack Russell Terrier that would wait until after our supper to see what she could get before eating her own supper. She was, without a doubt, one of the smartest dogs I have ever known. She lived to be 17 1/2 years old and was a great friend to the very end. |
| Wow, 17.5! That is a nice old age! Our cat lived till he was 20! Unfortunatly, it is never enouph. I still miss him very much. |
My Jack Russell, mean ol' Molly, told me she is NEVER going to die, and I believe her! (Remember, only the good die young  )I feed our two kitties one small can of wet food a day, and always leave out kibbles for them. Leo, seems to prefer the kibbles,and only licks the liquid from the wet...never actually eating the food, while Khobi prefers the wet, but will wander back to the dry for a snack during the day. Pirate gets a mix of 1/4 part wet Iams puppy to 3/4 dry Iams puppy. He loves it, but will NOT eat just dry. Molly prefers delivery from La Titi du Paris, but settles for wet Iams "older girl" food. Geez....no wonder I never get out of the kitchen!!!!! |
When we first got Pud, I was trying to put some weight on him and the only thing he would really eat was the canned food. He seemed to enjoy it, but when the accidents happened in the house it was not pretty at all. It tended to give him an upset stomach, really runny bm and ewww what a smell.  Not that any of it ever smells like roses. We had to have him treated for heartworms two weeks after we got him, that meant all of the time in the house unless on a leash. Once he realized that I was only going to feed dry food he seemed to like it just as well.
As far as nutritional value, I have no clue. All three of my critters seem to be thriving with dry food and the occasional oops when Dad thinks they need a bite of what he is eating. |
| debcram... your system that you you have worked sound sounds like what I think I'm going to do. The Iams canned food was the only thing Dancer would eat when she weas little. I think I'll add Iams canned to their Iams/wellness mix kibble for the dogs, and I think I'll start feeding the cats mainly canned food and leave a little kibble out. It doesn't seem to have a lot of benefits for dogs to switch to canned supplementation, except they will enjoy it and the extra meat is good for them, and the fat in it is good for their coats and skin.
For cats though, the benefits seem huge. Reduced load on their kidneys and other organs, it will balance out their weight , if they are overweight you have greater control over their intake, same with if a cat is thin, you can feed a higher caloric intake food to help it gain and you can control portions for individuals in a multi cat household. Now I need to choose a wet brand food for my kitties.... I feed Iams weight control to Winston, and Iams kitten to everyone else. Usually they get Iams regular, but I switched to kitten because of the momma cat. And, as with the dog food, Iams is what I've fed my cats for years, and have always been pleased with it. But with it's changed formula, I would like to find both a cat food and a dog food brand, that is going to keep stools small and firm (easy to clean up), keep them in great shape, and that they will like. Dancer is a very picky eater... so if it doesn't smell good to her she won't even try it. LOL Maybe that will change when Sky is here... Sky wolfs down everything, so Dancer will have to learn to eat when she has food. LOL |
| Leo, who's a ripe age of 9 gets the One Urinary tract blend. Many years ago, he had a bladder infection, and I switched the food then. He likes it just as well, and I believe its gentler on his kidneys and bladder. As for their wet food, they just get Purina 9 lives. I know a lot of you are cringing, but they like it and are in great physical shape for kitties aged 10 (Khobi-siamese) and 9 (Leo- domestic long hair). Dear mama, this forum is suppose to me about ME, not those little kitties that won't let me play with them!!!! love...pirate |
| I am reading a book called " The art of raising a puppy" by the monks of new skete, and this is what it says about the different foods:
"Canned food is highly digestible and palatable, however it is expensive. It contains 75% water meaning your pup will have to eat much more of it to get the same amount of nutrients that she would get with kibble. It also lacks the dental benefits of kibble. Instead, we suggest using a small amount to mix in with kibble to enhance palatability. There is also semimoist foods that come in premeasured packages. They are highly digestible and palatable. Like canned meat they are expensive and lack dental benefits. Also, they contain high amounts of sugar salt and preservatives. " iI guess its what others have said, to mix in the wet food with the dry. I have noticed that Mopsey's poop is much smaller and less smelly now that I have started feeding her Iams. If i find anything else in this book, I will post it. |
| Our Lhasa loved wet food and would occasionally eat dry food if he was starving. We had two issues which we had to deal with. 1 - our cat LOVES dry dog food and our vet warned us it was very bad for him to eat the dog food on a regular basis. And 2 - (selfishly) - getting the wet food out of Griswold's chin hair was horrible. He was predominantly white and his chin would be nasty all the time.
When Ben came along we just fed him the dry food. The good thing is that Big Ben inhales his dry food the minute it is put down on the floor; no chance for Fletch the cat to move in for a snack. (Griswold would push around the bowl giving the cat a chance to get a few bites in.) Big Ben hates his face to be brushed and his groomer also lets his hair on his head stay longer (like Walter's new 'do.) I figure if he likes the dry and he's healthy and happy (no wet food hair snarls) - it all works for us! |
| I used to feed my two cats Iams and they both came down with urinary problems after Iams reformulated their products and began selling through grocery stores, etc. My cat's vet (who treats only cats) said she had several clients who had problems with the new formula. One cat owner even called Iams who denied changing anything even though on the bags they touted their "new and improved" formula! She advised me to change to another high quality cat food and - viola! no more urinary problems! You may not have any problems with Iams but I just wanted to tell you about my experience... |
marley wrote: I am reading a book called " The art of raising a puppy" by the monks of new skete [...] I moved the discussion about the "Monks of New Skete" to the behavior section:
http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=1285 |
| I have a cat(Widdles, 5 yrs old, 16lbs ) and a dog (T_Chene 13 yrs old 22lbs) I feed both of them what I call wet packs one in the morning and one in the evening, and I leave kibble out for snacking all day. If it is good wet food, not the mushy one, I get the slice bits, or you know more realistic meat looking like Pedigree Little Champions and Wiskers wet packs. I don't like the can food unless it is slices of meat. They will love you for it.  D  |
| For me, I just can't get past the smell of wet food. We'll be sticking to dry kibble. peg |
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