Dry vs Canned Pet Food
A Big Hello to you and your pets this still dark Friday morning.
The Dry vs Canned Debate.
Do you feed your dog or cat canned food?
Should you?
Yes
Especially for your cats, but ALSO for dogs.
WHY?
Here are the TOP 3 reasons why canned is often a BETTER food than dry.
1. Moisture Content – The first ingredient is water, and it more closely resembles what our pets would eat in the wild.
Cats and some dogs are notorious for NOT drinking enough fluid, living in a state of chronic dehydration.
This has health implications, especially with diseases such as Urinary Tract Crystals.
2. Animal Protein – in most cases this is the NEXT ingredient next to water – above any carbohydrate.
You can’t really make a canned food with high levels of carbohydrates.
Is this better? In my opinion YES.
A lower likelihood of diseases such as Diabetes. Less chance of obesity, and diseases linked to it such as Pancreatitis.
3. Digestion – It’s easier to breakdown in the stomach and intestinal tract. Canned food is already partly broken down.
This can mean less vomiting/intestinal gas, and potentially less incidence of diseases such as Bloat.
Think of the work it takes to digest these puffy, dry, fat sprayed on kibbles – vs moist, protein rich, canned food.
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P.S. The convenience thing…
Yes it’s hard to make the switch, for dry kibble is SOO much more convenient.
No smelly open cans of food, no tins to clean out and recycle.
BUT it really is MUCH healthier – especially for your cat.
And if your cat gets a disease such as Diabetes, you’ll sure be ‘inconvenienced’ with twice daily insulin injections… never mind how your cat feels.
So keep your pets health in mind and make the switch.
P.P.S. If you are also wanting to naturally treat your dog or cats for joint discomfort from arthritis, then you should be using these 3 ingredients: Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM.
They are in my Dog and Cat supplement, and make the canned food tastier. My mom’s cat (who is now my cat), called Gussie, MEOWS and waits for me to add in the supplement – which she eats first.
Plus she is moving so much better, and now has lost weight.
Get you natural arthritis solutions here for a 50% OFF trial:
http://www.thecatsupplement.com
http://www.thedogsupplement.com
Heal Your Pet At Home!
Best Wishes,
Dr Andrew Jones, DVM
I read the post about can vs. dry food, and although I agree with it, I worry about dental tartar and how to keep the teeth in good shape if they are not crunching hard kibble. What is your suggestion?
Dr. J, Fantastic, I can’t wait for the show. I have your books and DVD. My two special needs pups use your supplement. Thanks for having it available.
To help a dog drink enough for their well being, I use a drinking fountain. The running water is filtered and they enjoy it. So does the cat, who sometimes claims ownership of it. LOL
One thing to check with wet food is the quality of the ingredients and the sodium level. For dogs who can develop heart disease, controlling high levels of sodium is paramount.
Dr. Lisa Pierson has a great site, catinfo.org, that can help cat owners decide what food to switch to (she doesn’t sell or specifically endorse any one brand), tips on transitioning cats to their new diet, what you can give your cats to eat to help keep their teeth clean, etc.
She also documents non prescription weight loss in two foster cats & provides links to helpful groups & sites about feline kidney disease & diabetes which also have info about new studies.
“The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats”, Dr. Zoran’s veterinary journal article, is posted on Catinfo.org, which gives references to documentation supporting that cats should eat a moist, meat diet to be healthy. The fact that cats eating a kibble diet are chronically dehydrated, and intake only half as much moisture than they would from a canned diet, is from the veterinary textbook “Small Animal Clinical Nutrition”. Appendix 1 shows an interesting comparison of nutrients in a rat carcass to two canned diets and the AAFCO feed standards.
My three cats get wet food twice a day and the kibble is out for them to nibble on in between. My dog, a female Newfoundland gets a good brand of kibble with no fillers or by products and I cook chicken,beef and pork and add carrots,green beans,sweet potatoes, and chicken broth which I mix with her kibble as most of the canned dog foods have way too much of the wrong things in them. I supplement her with vitamins as well. Thank you Dr. Jones for all your good advise.