Are you cutting some budget? Or are you willing to pay extra pennies for your pet’s food? Whatever your reason is, there is no doubt that you only want the best for your pet’s nutrition. In order to give the best nourishment for your pets, let’s settle the score about which is better: wet or dry food.
Before we answer the ultimate question, let’s first identify these two pet food differences. Wet food production starts with grinding protein, then adding a gravy containing vitamins, minerals, and grains. These are then mixed, cooked, and put into a can.
Similarly, dry food has these ingredients too, but instead of adding gravy and putting the food into a can, the protein source is pulverized to create a consistent dough. This is then cooked and shaped to form kibbles.
Nutrient Contents
Nutrient | Dry Food | Wet Food |
Protein | 18-32% | 28-50% |
Fat | 8-22% | 20-32% |
Carbohydrates | 46-74% | 28-57% |
Let’s look at the table above. You can clearly compare the nutrients gained from eating wet food are much higher than eating kibbles. Plus, dry food has much more carbohydrate content compared to wet food.
Although carbohydrates can be good for your pets, you should opt for a much healthier choice for your dogs or cats. For this one, the score goes to wet food!
Affordability and convenience
Nothing beats dry food when it comes to convenience and affordability! Dry food is easier to prepare for your dog because you can just put them in your pet’s bowl, and it can be eaten just the way it is.
Also, its shelf life is much longer than the other one. Wet food can actually be contaminated after one or more hours of leaving it in your dog’s bowl. Here, kibble wins!
Easier to eat
In terms of ease, wet food rocks! With wet food’s moisture, it is much easier for your dogs or cats to eat. This is a good choice for pets who have dental problems and stomach issues. Your pets can easily chew the canned food from their bowl, unlike eating dry food that can be challenging to swallow.
Playtime treats
During playtime, you can easily put kibbles anywhere you want, even in your pet’s toys. With its dryness, it is not messy to put anywhere, including in your pet’s toys. It can also reward when you ask them to do things or keep your pet engaged and entertained. So, here is another score for dry food!
Weight loss support
A dry food diet can be an excellent option if your pet needs to lose weight. Dry food generally contains less fat than canned ones. Ensure that the dry food has no added sugar, fillers, or other ingredients that may add excessive weight to your dog.
Taste
Our pets also love tasty meals, and wet food can give them that. Wet food has a better taste, flavor, and texture compared to dry food; this is a known fact for dogs.
Why not consider combining?
As mentioned above, wet and dry food have positive and negative sides. Hence, why not choose to combine these two? Some pets do well eating dry food, and some do not.
Mixing wet and dry food in one bowl can be a good choice for your pets who crave both. This method is called topping, where you put the wet food on top of the dry food; however, you can also do the opposite or serve them in two separate bowls during meal time.