# Wet or dry?



## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I was just wondering if like cats along with a dental routine wet food is better to feed. 

My plan was if it was 1 can of dog food daily and free feed Evo or Blue Buffalo ( most likely evo)


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Whole Dog Journal says yes. Same reasons as for cats, too. . .higher moisture content, higher meat content, etc.

But free-feeding isn't recommended for most dogs. It can cause behavioral problems and definitely makes potty-training harder. What breed and how old is your dog?


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

Dont have a dog just researching. I know my dog will be between 10-30 lbs. LOL Wrong feeding schedule thats for my cat >.> 

Also I will be adopting an adult dog so it will prob have a feeding schedule. 

And I can do that  Not a problem


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## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

If I had to choose between dry and wet, I would definitely go for wet. More meat content, more moisture, less processed... Biggest downside is that it's a bit more pricier than dry.


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## jessicass (Nov 10, 2011)

i think wet seems better if the dog is too young,after he grows up ,wet and dry can both be good to him


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Willowy is right about the WDJ saying that. Go to YouTube and look for Dr Karen Becker's video about this very subject. Interesting video!


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I plan to adopt an adult dog and feed both wet and dry


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## CavallierFan21 (Nov 22, 2011)

I also feed both wet and dry but do prefer to use wet. I was lucky to get a few wet great brands here but I'm lucky my boyfriend's parents are extremely supportive!


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

Maybe a little off topic. Remmy is supposed to be on a low protein diet. Trying to find a good kibble low in protein is just about impossible unelss I go to Science Diet. However, I can feed him a really good quality canned food that is only 10.4 protein. Would it be better to feed him the canned food?


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Kyllobernese said:


> Maybe a little off topic. Remmy is supposed to be on a low protein diet. Trying to find a good kibble low in protein is just about impossible unelss I go to Science Diet. However, I can feed him a really good quality canned food that is only 10.4 protein. Would it be better to feed him the canned food?


Change that protein to a dry matter basis and it will be much higher.

But canned food is still much better than the dry.

Depending on what your dog needs the low protein for do some research its generally not a believed in concept anymore except by the more old school vets.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Hallie prefers wet. I prefer a combination. I mix wet with dry. Right now I'm doing dry Blue Wilderness with wet Innova and other brands. When feeding a high protein food like Blue Wilderness, I like to mix wet in because Hallie doesn't drink a lot of water and when high protein is involved water consumption is important. With both cats and dogs the benefits with can food is primarily concerned with the kidneys. Cats don't drink enough water for the amount of protein they consume, therefore canned is better. That's the main benefit that I'm aware of.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

I heard raw meaty bones will do wonders for cleaning your cat's teeth and freshening her breath, and it's delicious


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

chubby said:


> I heard raw meaty bones will do wonders for cleaning your cat's teeth and freshening her breath, and it's delicious


Yup! Bones are great! Some cats aren't really gnawers though, it might take some practice for them. Make sure you don't give bones that are too hard. Cats can break their teeth even on turkey drumsticks. For dogs, I avoid any bone harder than a rib bone (no weight-bearing bones of large animals like cows). Ribs seem to do a great job of cleaning teeth. I feed raw to my dogs and just the regular meals with bone in them (turkey necks, chickens) do a great job of keeping their teeth clean.

If your cat won't gnaw a bone maybe try a frozen mouse or chick from a pet store? Like you get for reptiles. I haven't done that before, just a thought..


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## Pepy311 (Jul 19, 2011)

I now always mix in wet food with dry. Then I add water so it makes a kind of gravy my dogs go crazy for it. I use less of the canned and my dogs are still happy. 

Dry is better for dogs it has more of what they need read the cans and then read the bag. Only time my dogs will get canned only is if they have no teeth or a mouth problem.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

jerrydog said:


> Dry is definitely best for their teeth. Wet is for cats.


Kibble doesn't do anything to help their teeth. Dogs don't chew, they may bite into one sometimes but they don't chew, and kibble does nothing to scrape the tartar off their teeth anyway because it's not hard enough and they can't sink their teeth into it.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Sibe said:


> Kibble doesn't do anything to help their teeth. Dogs don't chew, they may bite into one sometimes but they don't chew, and kibble does nothing to scrape the tartar off their teeth anyway because it's not hard enough and they can't sink their teeth into it.


Yep, you are correct. The best thing for teeth is brushing and raw bones


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Sibe said:


> Kibble doesn't do anything to help their teeth. Dogs don't chew, they may bite into one sometimes but they don't chew, and kibble does nothing to scrape the tartar off their teeth anyway because it's not hard enough and they can't sink their teeth into it.


If you get larger kibble the dog is forced to chew and it does scrape the tarter off a bit, but it has to be much larger. But, yes, regular kibble doesn't do much.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Hallie said:


> If you get larger kibble the dog is forced to chew and it does scrape the tarter off a bit, but it has to be much larger. But, yes, regular kibble doesn't do much.


I still don't believe this is true. I've read a number of studies that say dry food makes teeth worse because of all the carbs.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Pepy311 said:


> Dry is better for dogs it has more of what they need read the cans and then read the bag.


 What do you mean by "more of what they need"? Canned usually has a lot more meat.


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## zoogrl (Dec 2, 2011)

chubby said:


> I heard raw meaty bones will do wonders for cleaning your cat's teeth and freshening her breath, and it's delicious


Raw chicken gizzards are really good for cats' teeth too, they are chewier than other meat products and take some good ol' gnawing to get through them!!!


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

The larger the kibble the more scraping it will do. The scraping ability of kibble has nothing to do with carbs. A regular sized kibble will not do much, but a large kibble will be almost like a large dog treat. Clinical studies have been done that support that large kibble reduces plaque. In fact, it is the secret behind many diets designed for dogs with atrocious plaque buildup.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I will of course do bones and dental treats and all but I am thinking both wet and dry works best  I am getting a little dog though and blue Buffalo has tiny pieces anyway


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Hallie said:


> The larger the kibble the more scraping it will do. The scraping ability of kibble has nothing to do with carbs. A regular sized kibble will not do much, but a large kibble will be almost like a large dog treat. Clinical studies have been done that support that large kibble reduces plaque. In fact, it is the secret behind many diets designed for dogs with atrocious plaque buildup.


 Sorry still don't buy it. I'll pull up some studies when I'm home and at the computer.


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