Wet or Dry Puppy Food: Which Is A Healthier Diet For Puppies?

Four puppies looking at two dog treatsOur selection and consideration of food for our furry best friends have been greater than before in this era. While a wide variety of products offer something that would make our puppies happy and full, the buyer is still burdened with a healthier option: A healthier option, wet or dry puppy food?

Both wet and dry foods provide enough nutrients to facilitate healthy development for your puppy and have their advantages and disadvantages.

To give owners a better light in deciding the best option, we have gathered some information about its meaning, variants, and detailed outlines of wet and dry puppy foods.

 

Difference Between Dry and Wet Puppy Foods

The essential difference between dry and wet food products is water content. While most dry puppy foods bear a moisture content of less than 12 percent, this is a small value to an 84 percent moisture content of wet food variants. This contrast will affect the shelf life of the food, as dry puppy food usually lasts longer in storage than wet food.

There are also different claims between wet and dry foods, especially on calorie content. Dry foods would often have higher calorie content per recommended service. This means that puppies might have to consume higher volumes of wet puppy food to get the same level of calories as dry puppy foods.

As for the dental aspect, while wet foods pose no dental harm to our pets, dry foods may pose some challenges if not taken care of. The stiff consistency of dry foods claims to clean the puppy’s teeth and help in filing them down; other claims dictate the puppy food particles may stay stuck to the teeth and start a dental issue.

These issues may not be that big if owners routinely clean and maintain their puppy’s dental health.

Dry Puppy Food Advantages

With several contracts, it is easy to determine every pros and con of wet and dry foods. Starting with dry foods, its advantages are crystal clear. They are easy to measure out in proportions to maintain a consistent diet routine. Some variants are even formulated to be the best dry puppy food.

As mentioned earlier, storage is easier for puppy foods and their long expiration period and can be easily stored in secure containers. This means that owners can buy in bulk batches with little waste and good savings. Additionally, dry foods cost less than wet foods, and they match well with lifestyles involving traveling to various places.

Another advantage of dry food is that it is designed to help clean the puppy’s teeth. As most puppy breeds have tooth and gum issues, a portion of dry food may help minimize these conditions. Although this is not always the case, especially if your pet has pre-existing dental issues that could cause pain when chewing.

 Dry puppy Food Disadvantages

Most puppy foods have smaller fat content and increased carbohydrate concentration to keep their consistent shape and size. If your puppy is energetic and active, they may need to take in higher amounts of fat than dry food can provide.

And although it is stated that dry foods help in maintaining clean teeth for puppies. Some breeds may not benefit from it due to some dental and facial structures from the breed itself.

Wet Puppy Food Advantages

While dry puppy food offers savings, cleanliness, and convenience to the owner, wet foods may bring more advantages to the puppy itself. Most puppies prefer consuming wet food as its taste and smell are more improved and intense than dry puppy foods. In short, wet foods taste better for puppies.

Higher water content brings another advantage for the puppy’s health. Food with more extensive water content can cover a puppy’s fluid needs than dry food. Hence, wet food is incredibly best for pets that don’t drink much during the day. Additionally, for more extensive and slightly overweight pets, wet food is recommended to keep their weight gain to a minimum.

If your puppy loves eating, wet foods can fill them up without exceeding their recommended serving due to their lower energy content per portion. This leads to puppies eating in larger amounts without taking too many calories.

Is it Possible to Combine Wet and Dry Foods?

Since both wet and dry foods have contrasting advantages, most owners would often end up merely feeding their pets with wet and dry foods at the same time to maximize their benefits. While this does not mainly make the meal terrible, you should not mix two types of food and serve them at different mealtimes, as this might end up letting the puppy consume nutrients beyond its recommended serving.

Additionally, owners should be wary of mixing both food types. Those with pre-existing digestive problems or an overall sensitive stomach, which most puppy breeds have, might be affected negatively and cause constipation or diarrhea.

In general, mixing both types in one bowl or having them in alternate sessions does not bring actual benefits to your puppy. If your puppy likes a specific flavor and tolerates it well, you may as well stick with it!

For further assistance, getting a veterinarian for advice is always a good option. The right combination of food types may keep your puppy healthy while sporting a consistent diet and keeping your pet interested in mealtime.

Content Matters

What’s important to take note of is the ingredients of both food types. After all, nutrition is essential for puppies. In principle, a food that consists of 70 percent meat and 30 percent of vegetables is enough to cover critical nutritional needs in most cases.

Takeaway

No food type is better than the other as both food types benefit the owner and their pet. What’s important is how your food affects puppies eating habits and nutritional intake. Overall, picking the best puppy food depends on whether your puppy loves it, good for their overall health, and fits your lifestyle.

Author’s Bio

Courtney John is a freelance writer for animal and pet care for over a decade now. She is also a volunteer dedicated to animal rescue and welfare, working for different organizations all over town. She lives with her two adopted cats and rescue dog.

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