Choosing Canine Food - Dry or Wet Dog Food?

What type of food is better for your dog? Wet (canned) food or dry (kibble)? Several perspectives exist in answer to this question, taste, kilocalories provided by the food, and the size of the dog consuming it. The choice of either kind of food is usually based on personal preference of the person doing the feeding; however, arguments exist for both.

Taste (Palatability)
Many dog owners believe that canned dog food tastes better to their dogs than kibble does. In part, their belief comes from the labelling and the appearance of the food. A canned food labeled "stew" and that contains vegetable bits is more appealing to the owner than a plain, dry kibble. To a certain extent, this belief has roots in fact. Canned dog food contains a higher percentage of fat and moisture than does dry food, which gives it greater palatability. Regardless, the flavor of the two varieties of food should be comparable, since natural flavors are used in both.

Kilocalories
Canned dog food typically provides between 375 and 950 kilocalories per pound of food. Given the sheer number of kilocalories that some working and sporting require per day, canned food is sometime impractical for these dogs. Canned diets typically provide the dog between 8% and 15% protein. Converted to dry weight, these diets provide between 32% and 60% protein.

Dry dog food typically provides between 1400 and 2000 kilocalories per pound of food. This concentration of energy per pound of food makes it ideal for large breeds and active breeds. Dry dog foods contain between 18% and 27% protein, although weight management varieties may contain less protein and performance dog food may contain 50% protein or more.

Size of Dog
The size of the dog sometimes matters when choosing a food to serve. Small dogs can eat all kinds of food with relative ease, although dry food portion sizes may seem small due to its caloric density. Large dogs, however, may have difficulty eating a diet that consists solely of canned food. Given the low caloric density large and giant breeds of dog would need to eat too large a portion to take in the volume of canned food needed for total calories required to maintain health.

No matter your preference, it should be kept in mind that canned food is more expensive to feed your dog. Canned food, however, is often more appealing to dogs that have an illness or are recovering from injury or surgery. It is also easier to store and those cans with pull-tab tops are also easy and convenient to serve. This convenience makes the expense worthwhile to some dog owners.

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