Dog food types

Ali Fish4Dogs · 05-10-2010, 07:25 AM

Hi,

I have recently been asked about my thoughts on an affordable canned food that could be mixed with dry kibble.

Let’s firstly look at the different types of feeding;

Commercially prepared dry food is generally a complete food delivering all the nutritional requirements required for the daily maintenance of the dog. Moisture levels, as the title suggests, are minimal and thus fresh drinking water should always be available.

Advantage: the knowledge that the dog is receiving a nutritionally complete diet
Disadvantage: no control over ingredients

Commercially prepared semi moist food has between 15-30% water content and is designed for it’s stability once opened. However, this choice is compromised by the addition of preservatives to enable this method of feeding.

Advantage: convenience of feeding a product with a prolonged shelf life
Disadvantage: addition of preservatives to ensure ‘freshness’

Commercially prepared wet food is mostly a complete food that is presented in can, foil tray or pouch. The food has a good strong aroma to it ensuring good palatability. It’s soft presentation may be considered useful for senior dogs who may have dental issues.

Advantage: a good food for tempting fussy eaters or those with sensitive dentition
Disadvantage: does not stay fresh for long once opened

Fresh food is time consuming and challenging. The BARF diet is fed by many owners and very successfully however attaining a nutritional balance is a challenge.

Advantage: food is precisely monitored by owner
Disadvantage: nutritional balance may be compromised

Whatever food presentation is decided upon, drinking water should always be available. Care should be taken if offering bottled water and careful analysis of it’s contents should be noted.

When looking for any food closely examine the ingredients list. There is no doubt about it, many dogs do have reactions to artificial additives, preservatives, colorants - so steer clear of these types of product.

High cereal content is not necessary for adult maintenance, it is there for bulk and to give a feeling of satiety.

The best protein sources are fish and chicken, whilst lamb, duck and beef are useful for exclusion diets.

Fat needs to be present in the food to ensure a nutritional balance. There are different fat presentations some mostly unsaturated and thus being utilised to the greatest degree by the body during metabolism.

Canned foods have a naturally high level of moisture – this is perfectly normal and not a manufacturers way of cheapening the food. The water needs to be present during the cooking process. It also forms part of the all important nutritional balance.

As canned foods are generally nutritionally complete care should be taken when combining with a complete dry food. In theory, one could upset the nutritional balance by combining two different complete foods. In reality as long as you are aware of the nutrient levels it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

With this in mind, you are in the best position to assess what is the best feeding combination for your dog and how much to give. Each dog is an individual and as such feeding guides should be viewed just as that – a guide to how much a dog may require based on life stage, life style and general body metabolism.

Don’t be tempted to buy a cheap canned or dry food as you simply will not be getting quality ingredients. Poor quality ingredients will not offer the nutrition or the energy that your dog requires and you will end up feeding more in order to attain satiety – you will also be picking up more faeces as poor quality ingredients will not be metabolised and thus simply pass straight through.

Tempting a fussy eater can be a challenge. Sometimes a dog may prefer a dry food that has been softened slightly with cooled boiled water. This increases the aroma of the food and can enhance palatability.

Often feeding in small amounts can be useful until acceptance and satiety of a product is achieved.

I hope these comments help – sorry it seems to have turned more into a blog than a thread.

Ali