The truth about dry food versus others?

Question

I have a 1 year old chihuahua...my sweetheart...but I am getting so frustrated! My best friend is a vet tech and she told me that I should have my pooch eat dry food regularly. According to her theory, the dry food acts as a toothbrush, pushing plaque from the teeth which in turn delays decay and can give my pooch a longer life span It made sense to me so I have been trying it...but my pup will NOT eat dry food. I started him out on moistened/microwaved kibble as a pup and then moved on to specialty meals...the foil pouch meals/meaty dog foods with sauces, etc. After having that for a few months he laughs at the dry food...And I have left it in his bowl for 2 days recently (only replacing it every few hours to give him a fresh bowl.) He refuses to eat it. I'm more concerned about his not eating NOTHING now. Is it really this important that he eats dry food? Oh, and I tried the new "savory sauces" for dogs, too. He licked the sauce and left the rest...picky boy...

True...he will definitely eat it eventually...but it is that important that he has dry food? Can't a simple store bought doggie bone do the same thing?

Oh, and I replace his food because he gets a little sloppy with the water (it's a food/water dish) and the food gets wet, then dries again...nasty...I probably should have explained that. LOL!

Wow, Cagney...are you giving advice and answering questions or just trying to be arguementative. I don't think I have ever seen such a "how dare you ask attitude." Lighten up!

Answer 1

Keep it dry or...start feeding raw. Those are your best bets. Also the kibble you are feeding sounds horrid (savory sauces adds plaque onto the teeth). Try Innova, Chicken Soup for the Dog lover's soul, or California Natural. Good stuff.

Purina, Hills, Mars, and most other companies make horrid food. The only good food that can be purchased in stores is Iams which is still only OK. Best food comes from the feed store.

Answer 2

Hi there. I am sure your question haunts a lot of other people too. Although I would like to say dry food also called kibble is not your best choice. And it does NOT clean your cats teeth. When cats eat they swallow 95% of their food and yes the other 5% is chewed up, but when cats chew they only use the tips of their teeth. Yet, gum disease forms in the gum and upper teeth area where the food makes no contact with whats so ever. Dry food isn't healthy and is more like a junk food. If someone went up to you and said "cookies and chips clean your teeth!" you wouldn't believe it, would you? Dry food is just as nutritious as those tasty treats. (Depending on what dry food you pick, although dry food still isn't your best bet.) Kibble can also cause kidney failure if fed as the only diet. So make sure your cats get tons of water or they will get dehydrated, fast. Wet food is 100% waayyy better than dry food. And is isn't true that it can rot their teeth. Really anything can rot their teeth, just as the same with us. Treats, cat milk, kibble and wet food can ALL rot a cats teeth. The only way to prevent the teeth from rotting is if you brush their teeth at least once a week. You can buy a special tooth brush and tooth paste made for cats at a small independent store or any pet store, really. Don't listen to anyone who say not to feed wet food. They are wrong and their kitties will pay the price sooner or later. Dry food is ok as a treat once in a while or if you are going away for the weekend but I don't reccomend it as an everyday meal. Wet food is really the way to go! Here are some cat food brands that I reccomend you to feed; - AvoDerm - By Nature - California Natural - Canine Caviar for Cats - Eagle Pack - Evo ( the high end of Innova ) - Felidae ( from the Canidae company ) - Innova - Merrick - Natural Balance - Nature's Logic - Nature's Variety Prairie - Newman's Own - PetGuard - Solid Gold - Timberwolf Organics - Wellness - Wellness CORE - Wysong These foods are crap, and I DO NOT reccomend them; - Whiskas - 9-Lives - Happy Tails - Friskies - Trader Joe's - Pro Plan - Cat Chow - Iams - Science - Fancy Feast - Meow Mix - Noname Brands - (any Walmart/supermarket/grocery store brands are bad) - Ally Cat -Grneric brand All of those healthy brands I named make both wet and dry cat food. They are all very healthy and everyone should feed them too their cats!! Like I said before don't listen to anyone who say not to feed wet food! Good luck, and I think you will make the best and right decision.

Answer 3

there's really no need to replace the dry kibble every 2 hours if i read that right. your friend went to school to become a vet tech for a reason. she didn't sit through 2 years of schooling at least just to throw something at you just for the fun of it. you should be asking her this question. but alas you are here, and the reason why i bang my head on the wall with my friends. did you get small bites dry food? have you tried mixing the dry up extremly well with the moist he loves so much. i do not know enough about the nutrition of the foil pouch variety since i would not feed this to my dog. take the dry, and mix in mostly the moist with a few small bites kibbles of the dry. stick it in the microwave if you must and put it down for the prince. as the days move on, slowly add more hard small bites kibble to the moist. if you do this right it should take just over 2 weeks to complete the change. you never want to just switch foods with your dog, increases gastric upset as well as a better chance of refusal. he is a small dog and going 2 days without eating can be dangerous as his blood sugar levels can suddenly drop. pitch the savory sauces and just stick to what he will eat and add in the dry kibble in small amounts slowly. it will be harder to notice the change. your friend is right, the hard kibble will help keep harmful bacteria off his teeth, not completely but will help. so will getting him used to having his teeth brushed daily. good luck to your friend and your dog.

ok so get two seperate dishes.

all anyone can tell you is that a dog who is fed a high quality food will tend to live a longer healthier life.

awww you know what go buy your store bone, you've made up your mind and hopefully your friend will not offer any advice and don't go crying to her when you need vet assistance. now if you'll pardon me i'm going to go find a wall to bang my head against.

Answer 4

Try Merrick Pet Food Products, your dog will love them. Good Luck.

PS-don't forget to switch your pets food gradually over a 2 or 3 week period.

Answer 5

Try kibbles and bits. It has hard dry food in it along with moist food. Your dog is spoiled to gourmets foods. He will learn to eat the other foods ;)

Answer 6

It is dry food, it does not have to be replaced.

Leave it, he will get hungry enough and will eat it. Trust me.

Answer 7

What a load of rubbish.

Raw diet with bones is just fine...cleans the teeth...no artifical colours or preservatives....longer life span.