Hi, I'm sorry if this has been answered many times already but I haven't had a whole lot of luck searching. I always thought that feeding dry food was best and that canned food makes your dog fat. I'm hopefully getting a puppy or two within a few months so I am doing all of my research beforehand. Is it better to feed canned or dry food? If it's canned, then is that for life or just when they are babies? I'm also learning that there are a lot of different brands of food out there and some are way better than others. How do you decide? Some of these brands are very expensive and I don't want to waste a lot of money "trying " different brands to see which my dog likes best. Plus, if you keep switching their food, doesn't it upset their tummies? Wow, this ended up being a lot more than just the one question, but I have so many, lol! Thanks in advance for any advice!
Canned or dry food?
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I think dry food is the answer for MOST people. A good qualilty food like Fromm, Now, or Go to mention a few are fine. These are for all stages of the dogs life. Many on this board feed raw or premade raw like Stella and Chewies, or ZiwiPeak. Those are fine too. I just feed alternate foods to my chi's. Today they got a little kibble (Fromm) and a little canned food mixed in. Yesterday they got Stella and Chewies chicken. I like to switch their food around so they don't get the same thing every day. Most people do not do that. A puppy gets just kibble until I can add a little bit of other food and make sure there are no tummy issues! Good luck. Sue
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Dry :albino:
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Some might tell you wet, because of the high moisture content. It shouldn't make your dog fat if it's a quality food and you don't overfeed. It's totally up to you though, and your lifestyle. Personally, we feed watered kibble with wet food added, and we alternate the kind of wet food for variety. We also feed the odd raw meal as a treat a few times a week. If you feed just kibble, I would suggest adding some water to it.
I suggest dry and not adding water as long as your dog can eat the dry kibble and drinks plenty of water. This is a topic that everyone feels differently about, and you have to decide what is best for you. Before I had Chloe I had what we think was a jack russell chihuahua mix. We also had a very old cockapo. The older dog had to eat canned food due to not being able to chew up kibble. When we got the new puppy she held out for the canned food since she liked it better. We gave in and feed her canned her whole life. She ended up having HORRIBLE teeth issues because she wasn't chewing on kibble. And she also wasn't big on chewing bones or anything. After that I vowed to myself I would never feed another dog canned food again. A lot of people who introduce canned then have lots of issues switching to kibble. My feelings are that if a dog is able to eat dry kibble you should let them.
Maybe some dogs are different, but we brought Chloe home at 9 weeks old. She had no trouble chewing kibble, so there was no reason to start canned with her. She drinks TONS of water, so the water content is also not an issue. We feed Fromm. Chloe loves it an it is good for her. We use Ziwipeak for treats since we are still working on training things like sit, stay, etc. So, a few times a week we do training and feed Ziwipeak and that ends up being her dinner.
Maybe some dogs are different, but we brought Chloe home at 9 weeks old. She had no trouble chewing kibble, so there was no reason to start canned with her. She drinks TONS of water, so the water content is also not an issue. We feed Fromm. Chloe loves it an it is good for her. We use Ziwipeak for treats since we are still working on training things like sit, stay, etc. So, a few times a week we do training and feed Ziwipeak and that ends up being her dinner.
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Feed whichever you prefer. Both have benefits.
Kibble, however, will not clean teeth. Meaty bones will help but teeth need to be brushed to really be cleaned.
Dry Dog Food and the Myth of Cleaner Teeth
Kibble, however, will not clean teeth. Meaty bones will help but teeth need to be brushed to really be cleaned.
Dry Dog Food and the Myth of Cleaner Teeth
I agree with Chloe's mum Lindsay, if the pup can eat dry food then feed dry. Both mine have been on just dry food from day one and hav no problems. I have always heard that dry food is better, I also think its easier in a lot of ways. But obviously go for whichever u prefer ur self, as long as its good quality food and the dogs like it 
I think canned food is better because it is usually less processed and has a higher moisture content. However, canned food is more expensive and less convenient. Whether you feed canned or dry, teeth brushing is a must because both foods will contribute to tartar build up. I feed both of my dogs Stella and Chewy's frozen patties in the morning and Fromm kibble at night right now. I always add water to the kibble to aid with digestion. They also get canned ZP as a treat frozen in their Kong toys.
They like the variety and we don't have any tummy issues, but any food changes are made gradually. I also brush their teeth daily, so they have sparkling white teeth!
For kibble, I recommend Acana or Fromm(grain-free). Both brands have different flavors that you can rotate between to give some variety.
They like the variety and we don't have any tummy issues, but any food changes are made gradually. I also brush their teeth daily, so they have sparkling white teeth!
For kibble, I recommend Acana or Fromm(grain-free). Both brands have different flavors that you can rotate between to give some variety.
Kibble doesn't clean teeth, but it is much better for teeth than canned is what I was told by her vet at the time. We brushed her teeth on a daily basis. She wasn't interested in chewing bones or bully sticks or anything. Which was a large reason for her bad teeth, but the canned food didn't help.
Oh, somehow I missed reading the link the first time. That is interesting. Obviously just eating kibble alone doesn't fix teeth issues. That's not what I meant. I didn't fully explain. But from my experience whether it was a coincidence or not it made me want to try kibble only with Chloe. Luckily she loves chewing on bones and bully sticks, so hopefully we won't have the same issues.
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IMO neither. The only food to pass my packs' lips is raw and Ziwipeak because every mouthful has to count with these guys, there's no room for crap fillers of any kind. If needing convenience, then ZiwiPeak or K9 Natural as a backup all the way.
I'm a little confused about the "expensive" questions - Chi's eat so very, very little I really can't see how that can be an issue.
Not being critical at all, I just can't get my head around it i.e. a couple of ounces of raw meat and bones a day is nothing in the overall scheme of things. With the super expensive foods (ie Ziwipeak which is dehydrated pure meat) you're getting a supreme meal for just a few pennies when it's all said and done.
Being on disability, I started out looking at price but quickly came to learn to look past that and look to the benefits and their condition, from the inside out, which is absolutely spectacular.
I'm a little confused about the "expensive" questions - Chi's eat so very, very little I really can't see how that can be an issue.
Not being critical at all, I just can't get my head around it i.e. a couple of ounces of raw meat and bones a day is nothing in the overall scheme of things. With the super expensive foods (ie Ziwipeak which is dehydrated pure meat) you're getting a supreme meal for just a few pennies when it's all said and done.
Being on disability, I started out looking at price but quickly came to learn to look past that and look to the benefits and their condition, from the inside out, which is absolutely spectacular.
Dee, what I mean by expensive is the price of premade raw compared to the price of good quality kibble. I was wondering if it is a lot more expensive. Also, is a full time diet of premade raw good to have them on, or do you really need to mix that in with either full raw or kibble?
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I think with one small dog, premade isnt that expensive. I think kibble is good as far dental care but I think can typically has more meat and much more moisture. Perhaps dry and canned would be a good idea if you cannot do Ziwipeak or some other premade.
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Hi Jennin, depending on which pre-made raw you fed, that would be enough - I started out that way for a while but felt I could do it better myself so bought a dehydrator, mincing machine (forgot what you call minced meat over there).
Regardless of bought or home-made raw, I add in small quantities of garlic powder, Omega oil (the complex one), kelp liquid, vits/mins, spirulina, egg yolk occasionally, scrambled eggs occasionally, sardines, tuna etc. - probiotics & enzymes (if they get through Customs from USA).
In addition to their minced meat they also get bones to eat/digest daily (chicken wings, necks, carcasses), small ribs from veal or lamb etc. as well as recreational bones.
I dehyrdrate my own beef, chicken fillets, liver and kidneys which they absolutely adore. If you search BrodysMom's posts you find that a raw diet really is easy and cheap and consists of nothing more than raw meat, bones and secreting organs in 85%, 5% and 5% proportions respectively.
I only feed ZiwiPeak because it's 100% nutritional and convenient in that if I have to go away, an accident was to happen, I fell off my perch etc. my babies won't starve whilst someone gets the hang of feeding raw.
Apart from that, I simply couldn't entertain the thought of my Chi's eating "cooked" kibble or wet food, no matter how many stars it had - mine poop & pee a lot inside the home, sleep with me etc. and on a raw diet they are completely odorless (both poops & coats), tiny black, hard, inoffensive nuggets - my Mastiffs, who are outside dogs, on the other hand, unfortunately have to cope with cheap'ish' kibble (well, $55 for 18kgs or 40lbs) and weekly bones - they stink to high heaven, their poos are beyond massive, wretched & stinky and their teeth are not brilliant.
Remember, cooked kibble, no matter how good it is, sticks to dogs teeth like poop to a blanket, even if it has 5 stars & 10,000 glowing reviews!!!!
Regardless of bought or home-made raw, I add in small quantities of garlic powder, Omega oil (the complex one), kelp liquid, vits/mins, spirulina, egg yolk occasionally, scrambled eggs occasionally, sardines, tuna etc. - probiotics & enzymes (if they get through Customs from USA).
In addition to their minced meat they also get bones to eat/digest daily (chicken wings, necks, carcasses), small ribs from veal or lamb etc. as well as recreational bones.
I dehyrdrate my own beef, chicken fillets, liver and kidneys which they absolutely adore. If you search BrodysMom's posts you find that a raw diet really is easy and cheap and consists of nothing more than raw meat, bones and secreting organs in 85%, 5% and 5% proportions respectively.
I only feed ZiwiPeak because it's 100% nutritional and convenient in that if I have to go away, an accident was to happen, I fell off my perch etc. my babies won't starve whilst someone gets the hang of feeding raw.
Apart from that, I simply couldn't entertain the thought of my Chi's eating "cooked" kibble or wet food, no matter how many stars it had - mine poop & pee a lot inside the home, sleep with me etc. and on a raw diet they are completely odorless (both poops & coats), tiny black, hard, inoffensive nuggets - my Mastiffs, who are outside dogs, on the other hand, unfortunately have to cope with cheap'ish' kibble (well, $55 for 18kgs or 40lbs) and weekly bones - they stink to high heaven, their poos are beyond massive, wretched & stinky and their teeth are not brilliant.
Remember, cooked kibble, no matter how good it is, sticks to dogs teeth like poop to a blanket, even if it has 5 stars & 10,000 glowing reviews!!!!
Thanks everyone, I really appreciate everyone's input. Dee, the idea of handling raw meat, especially organs and bones and such kind of grosses me out a little, but I really like what you have said about it. My pups will probably be going inside the house a bit too and probably will sleep with me and I love that a raw diet keeps the smell down. Not to mention that it is healthier for them and keeps their teeth cleaner. I am going to look into that option a bit more and do some research on it. I may not prepare the raw myself, I may just go with the premade if raw is the route I decide to go. I didn't even know people did this until recently. Thanks again!
Ooh, I just found a store close by that sells the ZiwiPeak. All she sells is raw food, treats and chews. She is very friendly and more than willing to chat and answer any questions. This really looks like a very doable option and I may just go this route. Thanks again everyone!
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