My pups are all on a dry kibble. It’s not as messy and theoretically better for their teeth, right?
Do any of you feed wet food? If so, just as a treat or on a regular basis? Any particular reasons why?
First of all my grand-dog is a Boston and I’m sending your link to my daughter!
I feed everybody at my house (7 chihuahuas, a greyhound and two mutts) dry kibble. I worked for a small animal vet last year and saw peridontal disease in many dogs fed only wet food. Even with dry food, two of my chis had to have dental cleanings. The dry food actually helps “brush” their teeth and keeps their gums healthy too.
it’s a myth that dry food cleans the teeth- most dogs barely chew kibble at all and just sort of swallow it whole; and in fact, the high carbohydrate content of most kibble is a big reason why the teeth get dirty in the first place (kind of like you eating crunchy cookies doesn’t clean your teeth, quite the contrary). Of course eating canned food won’t clean the teeth either.
Feeding bowls of dry kibble can dramatically increase your dog’s risk of bloat. Bloat is a major killer of dogs, and for that reason I never feed a bowl of nothing but dry kibble; I always mix something wet in there, canned food or chopped up stewing meat or table scraps or canned pumpkin. Plus most doggy nutritionists strongly recommend supplementing commercial dog diets with fresh foods. Plus very few dogs find dry kibble to be very appetizing or enjoyable to eat.
Most canned foods have a much better nutritional profile than most kibbles (more meat, fewer carbs).
If you want clean teeth without going to raw try feeding a raw meaty bone two or three times a week.
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My GSD is on a primarily dry kibble diet, but I modify quite a bit from there. I put a little water in her kibble to make it cereal-ish then top it with Safflower oil (helps skin and coat) and yogurt (keeps the gas away). Sometimes I substitue the yogurt for a third of a Beneful container (special treat every few days). If I’m cutting up meat for some reason and can spare a bit I’ll add raw chicken or beef to her meal. In short, the bulk of her meal is a good dry kibble supplemented with yummy stuff.
Huh? My dogs do great on dry kibble, although I agree kibble does not exactly brush teeth, but gives them something to chew on. Some goes down whole, but they do chew, too. My toothless greyhound managed just fine on kibble. Their coats are fantastic. I’m guessing canned dog food is more yummy, judging by their behaviour, but they are on diets and do get some table scraps (yes, some people have fits at that, but the scraps are otherwise wasted.) I’m pretty strict - no feeding by hand and only food in their bowls at meal times, nothing in between. They don’t beg and I like it that way.
[QUOTE=SkipHiLad4me;5742963]
Do any of you feed wet food? If so, just as a treat or on a regular basis? Any particular reasons why?[/QUOTE]
I feed kibble and canned food each meal. I do it because they like the canned so much.
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Awww neat! 
Send away! We partner with other Boston rescues around the region so if she decides she needs to add another one to her collection, we’d be glad to help!! 
Unfortunately there is a steady supply of dogs in need.
Ok back to the topic - my pups get our dinner leftovers too, like greenbeans, peas, etc and also some fruit as treats sometimes (bananas, apple slices, watermelon). I have one Lab who is definitely more of the vacuum cleaner variety when it comes to eating. The other Lab is more of a “chewer”. They both have clean teeth - so I guess the chewing factor doesn’t really make much of a difference, huh?
They both have clean teeth - so I guess the chewing factor doesn’t really make much of a difference, huh?
yeah, a lot of “teeth” problems are genetic- little dogs of certain breeds are notorious for having terrible teeth. Since little dogs tend to be more likely to be all-canned-fed than big dogs I think that is the source of the myth that kibble “cleans” teeth.
But if your dog does have dirty teeth, many people have observed that switching to an all-raw diet, or a lower-carb diet, or just giving raw meaty bones to gnaw on, does wonders to clean the teeth.
My 3 dogs eat primarily kibble, but they split 1 can of canned food between the 3 of them each night. Just because they really like it. But they get so little, that I’m not really doing it for any reason other than they enjoy it.
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I’m constantly imazed that people are so brain-washed by the dog food companies. Read the ingredients people. Eating dried lumps isnt’t normal or healthy.
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Really? Tell my dogs that because they drool at each and every feeding time.
I’ve had dogs my entire life (probably 12-15) in total who have all eaten dry and never had a dog get bloat.
Some people don’t have time/space to feed raw and it is a huge PIA if you leave often and have someone else feeding your dogs. There are good kibbles out there.
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Dry food is crap. I would not feed my dog dry food if I had a dog. I have cats and they don’t get dry food. Yes there are better dry foods out there like Evo and Origin. But even they have starch in them and when starch gets wet it makes the food sticky (think of what happens when you eat crackers) and it makes it stick to the teeth more than a canned food would.
If you can’t do raw, fine. Feed a canned diet. It doesn’t take that much time at all. I can’t feed my cats raw because they won’t eat it so they get Evo 95% canned.
Although raw really doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive, depending on how you do it. I think with dogs you’re a lot better off because they tend to be not quite as picky as cats in general and seem to love gnawing on bones etc. Cats who have grown up eating only processed food often won’t eat whole cuts of meat and have to have it ground etc.
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We have four dogs the majority of their diet is crunchy kibble we used to feed canned dog food until we had a bad batch which made them all ill. Now in addition to their dry kibbles we make their very own dog food which was okayed by their vet.
[QUOTE=wendy;5743868]
I’m constantly imazed that people are so brain-washed by the dog food companies. Read the ingredients people. Eating dried lumps isnt’t normal or healthy.[/QUOTE]
I completely agree with the brain-washing. I can’t believe what I here sometimes from dog owners and vets! Someone I work with was talking to me about dog food. She said she feeds a “good brand,” and it was pedigree! :lol: Then she said her dog was overweight so she’s going to get those preportioned bags (hills? or science diet?). I saw then at Petsmart the other day, and I think they were around $50 for probably 10 lbs of food :eek: How about just not feeding so much and buying a better food?!?!
Even the vets I worked for a few years recommended any grocery store brand puppy chow to clients with new puppies.
I feed dry, grain-free kibble but supplement it with fruits and vegetables as treats. Their favorites are carrots, apples (no seeds), and blueberries.
I’m a proponent of the raw diet but can’t quite get myself to do it yet as I am germaphobic and vegetarian :lol:
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Some people don’t have time/space to feed raw and it is a huge PIA if you leave often and have someone else feeding your dogs. There are good kibbles out there.
time? space? I buy nature’s variety raw burgers at the pet store that is in between my house and my work, toss the pack into the fridge. Dump burger into bowl. Dog gobbles up (dog who won’t eat plain kibble of any brand). How hard is that? anyone can do it.
Even the best kibbles aren’t as good as canned/raw/real food diets.
Have you ever had to take a dying, bloating dog to the ER? you’ll never feed dry kibble again after such an experience. Bloat is number three cause of death of dogs.
And the number of people willing to have their dogs undergo an expensive “dental” under dangerous total anesthesia, year after year, solely because they feed cheap carb-laden dry kibble, totally astounds me. The people who are willing to pay out $$$ for dentals but won’t pay more than $15 for a bag of grocery-store kibble are the ones that really make you go ???
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[QUOTE=Philibuster;5744600]
I’m a proponent of the raw diet but can’t quite get myself to do it yet as I am germaphobic and vegetarian :lol:[/QUOTE]
:yes::yes:Not a vegetarian but still not a fan of slinging raw meat around :winkgrin:
Each to their own regarding food as long as the dog is doing well on it.
Anaesthetic is not particularly dangerous. I had neglected having the teeth of my 15 year old dashie done because of the myth that he would die under the anaesthetic. Vet talked me into it. He had a few teeth extracted, came out with a beautiful smile and lived several more healthy years. Best thing I could have done for him so he was not swallowing that putrid bacteria.
Some dogs have awful mouths, some manage to have healthy mouths. I had two greyhounds, same age, same diet, different mouths.
Sorry, but some of y’all are being ridiculous! There is no way to compare “wet” vs. “dry” food. It’s all about the quality of whichever food you choose, whether it is kibble or canned.
Trying to figure out whether wet or dry food is “better” is like comparing the taste of “restaurant food” to “home made food.” Who’s cooking? What restaurant? What are you ordering? You could be comparing Emeril Lagasse’s home cooking to eating out at Mc Donald’s, or Aunt Sally’s meatloaf and macaroni salad to dinner at the Four Seasons.
IMO, the main 2 benefits of canned food are 1) increased water consumption (if your dog doesn’t drink much plain water, it can help to have food with a higher water content) and 2) more appetizing for picky eaters. The 2 main benefits of kibble are 1) convenience, 2) price.
My dog eats kibble primarily (Acana, Innova, etc. - the good stuff) and gets wet food (Wellness, Canidae, etc. - also the good stuff) for treats.
There is no difference in teeth cleaning abilities of wet vs. dry food. If you are concerned about your dog’s teeth, the best thing you can do is to brush them regularly with a dog toothpaste.
Wet or dry, feed whichever you feel happiest feeding - just make sure you’re getting the best possible quality of either
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as long as the dog is doing well on it.
but you can’t tell. You can tell if the dog is doing horribly on it; but you have no idea if the diet you are feeding your 2 year old dog is going to cut five years off his life span (die at 10 instead of 15). All you can do is feed the best diet you can manage to feed and hope for the best. Most commercial dog foods (dry or wet) are clearly not even remotely close to the “best” diet. Even the AAFCO admits dogs have no dietary requirement for any carbohydrates, yet even the best kibbles are laden with carbohydrates. Diabetes, kidney disease, filthy teeth, allergies, cancer…caused by what you wonder? isn’t it obvious?
Kibble was invented to help the dog owner, not the dog.
IMO, the main 2 benefits of canned food are 1) increased water consumption (if your dog doesn’t drink much plain water, it can help to have food with a higher water content) and 2) more appetizing for picky eaters.
no, the main benefits of canned food are its macronutrient profile- dogs being carnivores they need a diet high in protein and fat; most canned foods, even of the “low end” type, have more protein and fat than kibble.
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I also don’t understand, but have heard often, the argument of “I don’t want to handle raw meat because I have children around or because of germs etc”.
I had this discussion with a vet tech once. When I asked her if she ate meat and cooked it for herself she said yes. When I pointed out that she was handling raw meat when she prepared her own food she didn’t have an answer but just repeated she didn’t want to handle raw meat because of germs. huh?
If you cook meat for yourself you have to handle it raw first. So what’s the difference? The raw meat I used to buy for my cats was much higher quality than the meat I was buying for myself at the grocery store and probably handled much more cleanly as it was intended to be fed raw vs. the grocery store crap which they assume you will cook.
But whatever. People like their kibble so the only thing you can say is at least feed a quality one that has the fewest amount of carbs.
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