Dry food or wet food for the dog - which is the better option?
A balanced and high-quality diet is not only important for humans. It also influences the health of your dogs.
Barf nutrition is not suitable for every dog owner because of the time required and knowledge about the optimal nutrient composition.
Meanwhile, most manufacturers of wet and dry dog food claim that their products are among the best and the healthiest. But to what extent do such advertising claims correspond to reality?
As a dog owner, you have the opportunity to read the declarations on the food packaging. But what do the stated ingredients mean?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of dry dog food?
The range of industrially produced dry food is almost endless. With dry food alone, however, your dog can be fed neither species-appropriate nor healthy.
The advantages of dry food:
- long shelf life
- inexpensive
- easy to dose
- low annoyance by smell
The disadvantages of dry food:
- During production, the dry food is first heated to an extreme temperature before it is ground, shaped and additionally pressed. Important nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins and enzymes do not survive this process. Therefore, artificial vitamins are added to the feed afterwards.
- In order for the feed to be preserved for as long as possible, it needs preservatives. These have a damaging effect on your dog's intestinal flora. Even the addition "free from preservatives" can be deceptive. This is because ingredients that have already been preserved, such as fats, can be used after purchase without having to label them again as additives.
- To ensure that the food still smells and tastes good for your dogs, further sensory additives are required.
- The dry food has a very low water content. This not only makes it difficult to digest, it can also cause kidney disease and the formation of urinary stones.
- Often the food contains grain, which your dogs can hardly digest.
- Often triggers allergies.
- The risk of gastritis is increased.
In the years 1998 to 2002 a study was accomplished in Belgium, at which 500 house dogs were examined. The result shows that the nutrition has influence on the life expectancy of the dogs. The dogs fed with dry food have a life expectancy reduced by 32 months.
What do I need to know about wet food for dogs?
A high-quality wet food can feed your dog both species-appropriate and healthy.
Advantages of this variant:
- Valuable nutrients are preserved during the manufacturing process.
- The water content is much higher and more species-appropriate.
- Some manufacturers have specialised in dog food without artificial additives. Their open declaration also shows what was really used in the product: "70 percent beef from muscle, lungs and throat" does read differently than "meat and other by-products".
Disadvantages of the variant:
- shorter shelf life
- poorer dosage
- a can disposal is necessary
Is grain-free dry or wet food also available?
Even the manufacturers have recognized that more and more dog owners want healthier food alternatives for their darling. That's why some manufacturers are now concentrating on producing high-quality dog food. Look out for declarations such as "grain and gluten free" or "no additives or preservatives" the next time you go shopping.
