Being a new pup parent is as exciting as it is challenging. With tons of fun and affection comes loads of questions on whether or not you’re pup-parenting the right way.
Some questions are often rooted in pup food selection, such as whether to feed the new addition dry or wet food.
According to mysweetpuppy.net, each has advantages and disadvantages independent of the other.
Thus, it can be difficult for first-time canine parents to decide which is best.
Today, we’ll go over the two different puppy food options to help you decide which of them is the more suitable option for your new pup.
Wet and Dry Puppy Food Options
Essentially, all types of puppy food comprise the same fundamental ingredients: proteins, carbohydrates, water, fat, and filler ingredients that don’t really make much of a difference.
Amounts of each ingredient vary depending on the type of dog food, though water content is where they differ.
It’s obvious wet dog food has more H2O compared with the dry version.
There’s also a semi-moist category that falls somewhere between these two in terms of water content.
In a nutshell, wet food generally comes in a can, though it can also come in tins and packages sealed individually.
It’s pretty much synonymous with “canned food” in the supermarket’s pet aisle.
On the other hand, dry food is typically packaged in large waxed paper bags, but some can come in cardboard boxes. A popular term for this food type is “kibble.”
If you’re not in the market for both these options, you’re probably considering semi-moist dog food.
This one usually resembles ground meat but can also come in the form of spaghetti-shaped strands.
In general, wet and dry food are at opposite ends of a seemingly consistent gradient, with semi-moist food falling right in the middle.
That said, semi-moist dog food is considerably less popular than the two extremes and not often considered by many owners.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wet Food
Let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of wet dog food to help you identify if this is the right choice.
Benefits
Let’s first talk about why most pet parents love wet food.
- More Appetizing: It’s known that wet food items are better at getting a dog’s appetite going than dry food, so it’s something to go for if you have a picky eater.
- Free of Preservatives: Need we say more about why this is a good thing?
- Higher Water Content; Keep Dogs Fuller for Longer: Wet food with the same amount of calories as kibble will keep your pooches fuller and in check for a longer period.
- Has More “Natural” Meat: Simply put, real meat has more benefits.
- Richer in Protein and Fat: These nutrients help dogs grow and develop faster during their pup stage.
- Longer Expiry Date: When unopened, wet food will last longer than dry food.
Drawbacks
Now, on to the problematic parts of wet food.
- More Expensive: You especially start to feel its pocket-breaking quality a year into your pup’s life.
- Difficult To Prepare: With kibble, you just pour an amount into the bowl. With the canned version, there’s a chance you end up splashing some of the contents outside of the bowl. And if you don’t, your pup certainly might.
- Content Has To Be Used All at Once: Left in your pup’s dish for more than an hour, and wet food will spoil. Thus, you should be certain your pup’s hungry enough to finish the entirety of the tin’s contents. You should only feed your dog the portion they can finish and refrigerate the rest.
Dry Food Advantages and Disadvantages
What’s to love and not to love about the kibble? Here are some of its benefits and drawbacks.
Benefits
Let’s start with the good things about dry dog food.
- Affordable: Dry food is considerably cheaper than canned food per calorie.
- Helps With Oral Health: Dry food doubles as a tartar and plaque cleaner for your pups.
- High Omega-3 Fatty Acids: This aids in muscle growth and function.
- No Heavy Clean-Up: One of the best things about dry dog food is a hungry pup can eat it all up and polish its dish at the same time.
Drawbacks
What are the downsides to feeding your pup dry food? Some of them are:
- Dog’s Can Get Bored With the Taste: If the lack of excitement for mealtime isn’t already apparent initially, it could be in a few weeks.
- Hard for Some Pups To Chew: Some puppies might not have strong enough teeth to chew through hard kibble.
So, What’s It Going To Be?
The dry food vs. wet food debate leaves no clear answer as to which of these options is best for your dogs.
For most owners, it comes down to their dog’s individuality and their capacity to afford the food over the course of the puppy stage.
Convenience-wise, you can’t argue against kibble.
But to help ensure the pinnacle of health for your little canine, none can match canned food.