Dog food:Wet or dry??

Question

Which is healthier?
Which do dogs perfer?

Answer 1

What you want to avoid in dog food is ethoxyquin BHA and BHT and of course Pedigree Kibble as it has to many filers and leaves very large stools. Here is some info on the ingredients:

Ethoxyquin
Promoted kidney carcinogenesis.
Significantly increased incidence of stomach tumors.
Enhanced bladder carcinogenesis.

BHA
Enhanced stomach and urinary bladder carcinogenesis.
Causes squamous-cell carcinomas in stomachs.
(Cancers of this type are among the most lethal and fastest acting, the swiftest effects being seen among animals with light colored fur.)

BHT
Promoted urinary bladder carcinogenesis.
Could be a promoter of thyroid carcinogenesis.
Studies have noted that BHA and other antioxidants, particularly Propyl Gallate and ethoxyquin, showed additional effects in inducing stomach hyperplasia and cytotoxicity.

According to Dr. Wendell Belfield, DVM, practicing veterinarian for some 26 years, both BHA and BHT are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and are banned in some European countries. He adds that ethoxyquin is suspected of causing cancer and that propylene glycol (a pet food ingredient closely related to anti-freeze) causes destruction of red blood cells.




Ethoxyquin is listed and identified as a hazardous chemical by OSHA. It has a rating of 3 on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being super toxic requiring less than 7 drops to cause death. When manufactured by Monsanto, the containers are marked with the word POISON. Monsanto makes no representations and will not be responsible for damages of any nature whatsoever. The Department of Agriculture lists and controls Ethoxyquin as a pesticide.

Answer 2

There is absolutely no difference between the two nutrition wise, the wet just contains water where the dry does not. Neither is healthier. This of course is comparing wet and dry of the same brand... different brands do vary. Some dogs seem to prefer wet, maybe because it doesn't require as much chewing. Dry food however acts to brush teeth as we know it by preventing tartar from sticking to teeth, wet on the other hand gets caught between teeth, and without proper brushing can cause dental issues.

Answer 3

Wet contains more meat protein then dry, it also contains less carbohydrates and fats then dry.
Contrary to popular belief dry does NOT clean teeth, nor does wet cause tooth problems. Dogs do NOT chew food the way humans do..dry food is simply cracked to make it a size to swallow without choking..food doesn't stay in a dogs mouth long enough to cause clean teeth ot tooth issues.

Many dogs do prefer wet food..a good compromise is a mixture of the two..dry 7 wet.

Answer 4

Dogs prefer wet food generally (although my cat prefers her dry, go figure!). The healthiness of the food is dependent highly on the brand but from reading lables I generally like the ingredients for canned foods better. You generally get more real meat ingredients in canned foods as opposed to meat meals that are used in dry. From quality of protien standpoint, the whole meat ingredient is superior to the meal. I would compare ingredients on www.petfooddirect.com to compare canned and dry especially between the good quality foods such as nature's variety prairie brand, merrick, natural balance, newman's organic, etc.

When I was researching dog food choices I went through a lot of food and often mixed foods wet and dry. The biggest problem with canned food is that (1) if your dog doesn't eat a whole can it must be refrigerated and (2) it's very costly to ship so if you order it online (as I did from petfooddirect) it's as much for the shipping as it was for the food!

Keep in mind that no matter whether you feed wet or dry, if you're feeding commercial dog food you'll have to brush your dog's teeth to keep them healthy. There is no answer for commercial dog food to keep the teeth healthy.

I went to raw foods two years ago after doing much research and I really prefer it to even the very high quality dog foods on the market. You can find out more about feeding raw foods here: www.rawfed.com
My dogs teeth are clean and healthy, no tartar build up.

Answer 5

most dogs do prefer the wet food but it is not as healthy for them as they dry. Although it really depends on what they grew up with, most puppies eat a mixture of wet and dry and then are weaned off the wet so their digestive systems grow stronger. Wet food will also make their stool a lot softer than hard food which is not healthy. If a dog is weaned off the wet..and eventually refuses to eat the dry try using small peices of grilled or baked chicken that has no skin or marinade or cooked hamburger meat or a little bit of sprinkled cheese in their food and they will eat it.

Answer 6

It depends on your dog. Most like wet food more. Wet food is very expensive so I would go with dry. If you start your dog on wet food, it may be hard to get them to eat dry. I think dry food is healthier.

Answer 7

their both the same except ones dry and comes in a bag the other is wet and comes in a can. Every dog is different. so we really can't say what they prefer.

Answer 8

Most dogs would prefer wet food, I think. I don't think either one is healthier as long as you follow the feeding guidelines and choose one of good quality. Many people use both.

Answer 9

If you want to give them wet food be sure to mix it with dry or they will get an infection in the mouth. Many dogs like a mixture

Answer 10

I use both... But my dog eats dry food most of the time... I use wet food as a treat...