# dry food vs canned food



## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Do you feed dry dog food or canned dog food or a mixture of both? How is it working for you? I've nenever really used canned food myself. Just every once in a while as a treat.


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## MarieLovesChis (Mar 25, 2014)

I feed dry food mixed with wet food every day. My dog eats three times a day. Morning and evening meals are mixed with canned food.

I feed canned food for a number of reasons. My main reason is so my dog will have more moisture intake willingly. She's not a big water drinker. Moisture in take is extremely important to me as my dog is getting older and I believe dry protein is probably harder on the kidneys than anything. I also like to add it for added meat content. On top of it all, she loves it and she's that much more excited to eat because of it.

Also since I'm in the process of getting Onyx to lose weight, the wet food has been a huge help. She can eat so much more wet food for the same amount of calories in a small bit of dry food. So it's really helped her feel full and put an end to throwing up bile due to hunger.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Like the other Marie, I always add canned to Gingers kibble. Gemma eats only canned. If you google dr Karen Becker and canned vs dry food, you should be able to see her video on why she thinks dry is the least favorable food.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Oh wow. See I have been thinking about starting to feed Baxter and Sidney some canned food as well. I have just never really used it for anything more than a treat.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I've fed can as the main meal, topper and treat. I know teeth will get "grubbier" faster on can than kibble. Some dogs will gain weight easier. Some can foods can cause softer poops, those generally have an almost greasy look to them (think pepperoni pizza greasy).


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Celt said:


> I've fed can as the main meal, topper and treat. I know teeth will get "grubbier" faster on can than kibble. Some dogs will gain weight easier. Some can foods can cause softer poops, those generally have an almost greasy look to them (think pepperoni pizza greasy).


Yeah I've always heard that dogs gain too much weight on canned food alone. The teeth thing wouldn't be an issue for me since Baxter gets his daily Greenies.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i feed kibble but it's always topped with something; can food, fresh meat, fowl,
organic yogurt, fish, canned fish in water no salt added, sweet potato, apple slice,
pear slice, human grade salmon oil.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I feed about 1/4 can mixed with kibble for each meal. It slows down my gulper (she will inhale dry food but goes a little slower if it is soaked in water or mixed with plenty of canned.) I also like the additional moisture content.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

It's ¼ to ⅓ of their meals twice a day, every day. It works great for mixing supplements/meds in (Darby), and it's tasty, I feel like it's giving them a treat each meal, although they would be happy with dry food, I"m sure. 
To prevent gunky teeth, brush them! I use Petzlife gel and it's working great, everyone has nice, clean teeth.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Oh wow. Seems like pretty much everyone feeds canned or something with it. At least on here. Haha. I may have to start getting it more often for the pooches.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Baxter and Sidney are both enjoying their new canned food added to their foods. They seem to really love it. I think I'm going to start with just a couple a week then slowly get to feeding some with every meal.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

why feed can food a couple of times a week and slowly increasing?



NutroGeoff said:


> Baxter and Sidney are both enjoying their new canned food added to their foods. They seem to really love it. I think I'm going to start with just a couple a week then slowly get to feeding some with every meal.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

doggiedad said:


> why feed can food a couple of times a week and slowly increasing?


Yeah, seems unnecessary. Canned food is much easier to transition into because it has a higher digestibility rate due to the way it is processed.

I feed canned. I try to every day but sometimes its every other day. I also stuff her Kong with canned food. Freezes a lot better than Peanut Butter.


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## MarieLovesChis (Mar 25, 2014)

Hmm I know a lot of dogs who get some pretty disgusting poop after a meal of wet food if it isn't something they are used to eating on a regular. Slowly adding it makes sense to me.

Luckily my dog can have just about any new food without problems but I know not every dog is like that.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Yeah, even though my dogs are pretty easy to transition, I prefer to slowly make changes in their food just in case to avoid any possible issues.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

leaveittoweaver said:


> Yeah, seems unnecessary. Canned food is much easier to transition into because it has a higher digestibility rate due to the way it is processed.
> 
> I feed canned. I try to every day but sometimes its every other day. I also stuff her Kong with canned food. Freezes a lot better than Peanut Butter.


Yeah....that. I once made the mistake of using too much pb....all that lovely oil and it all came back out, LOL


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## LProf (Nov 12, 2013)

I use canned as a topper. Usually about one teaspoon of canned, just to add to my dogs enjoyment of their food. I will also, a few times a week, use yogurt as the topper.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Ooh I'm sure my dogs would love the yogurt too!


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## stbernardlover (Jun 24, 2013)

I use canned with my pyr's kibble because she only has pre-molars and molars, therefore the canned helps kibble "stick together." Also, of course, she seems to love it :smile: Once or twice a week I will give her a raw meaty bone to help with the teeth cleaning.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

NutroGeoff said:


> Ooh I'm sure my dogs would love the yogurt too!


I'd use Greek, plain yogurt. The flavored ones have too much sugar in them, and dogs seems to like the plain just the same (tastes like sour cream).


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Georgiapeach said:


> I'd use Greek, plain yogurt. The flavored ones have too much sugar in them, and dogs seems to like the plain just the same (tastes like sour cream).


I've never heard of using Greek yogurt. I will definitely keep that in mind.


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## LProf (Nov 12, 2013)

NutroGeoff said:


> I've never heard of using Greek yogurt. I will definitely keep that in mind.


Agree. I don't use Greek Yogurt, but I do use only plain yogurt.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

LProf said:


> Agree. I don't use Greek Yogurt, but I do use only plain yogurt.


Yeah, just plain yogurt is what I've heard of most.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Oct 29, 2008)

My 4 get canned food toppers with every meal. I tend to change the can variety, brand, etc. when the can is empty. I feed twice a day. I like it for the moisture added and the extra meat and variety. They also love it and lick their bowls clean every time. I use the same kibble for about 3-6 months at a time. Currently, it's Annamaet Option. I mostly use Wellness, all varieties, for cans. I do sometimes add other things, like yogurt, sardines, fresh meat, veggies if I have them on hand. It does make it easy to add in any supplements needed.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

StellaLucyDesi said:


> My 4 get canned food toppers with every meal. I tend to change the can variety, brand, etc. when the can is empty. I feed twice a day. I like it for the moisture added and the extra meat and variety. They also love it and lick their bowls clean every time. I use the same kibble for about 3-6 months at a time. Currently, it's Annamaet Option. I mostly use Wellness, all varieties, for cans. I do sometimes add other things, like yogurt, sardines, fresh meat, veggies if I have them on hand. It does make it easy to add in any supplements needed.


Oh wow. Well that's a lot of options for them!


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## mayayoung (May 24, 2015)

hi everyone!
I feed canned food along with my dog's meals when she's had a tiring day. I do it so she'll eat a little extra on those days, because she usually eats the same amount everyday no matter what she's spent the day doing. Adding canned food encourages her to eat a little more. I might add though that she sometimes also gets other things added on her kibble ~ human grade salmon oil, mashed banana, pure canned pumpkin (without the added sugars!!!!) and plain, unsweetened greek yogurt. I only add a little bit of these extras, like a teaspoon and maybe a bit more. I almost never have problems with her not eating.


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