Is dry dog food better than canned dog food?

Dry food versus canned food – which is better? It's the age-old debate among pet owners who are anxious to do the right thing by their loyal canine companions, and there's such a variety of opinions on the matter that it really does seem that there's no “right” answer.

Canned food is often championed by those who wish to provide their dogs with the most appealing diet possible. The texture, flavor, and smell of canned dog food is much closer to that of real meat, and it is generally agreed that dogs do prefer it because of this reason. Plus the variety is huge, compared with dried foods – a dog could easily dine on a different flavored food with different textures every day of the year, thanks to the choice! Dried food, on the other hand, may have differening flavors, but the appearance and texture is pretty much the same whichever one you choose to feed your pet.

 

In addition to the dog's enjoyment of the food, canned food obviously also contains much more moisture than dried food, helping to keep dogs hydrated and benefitting the urinary tract. And because the canning process acts as a preservative, the food has a much longer shelf life than dried food – and it follows from this that it also contains fewer artificial preservatives, too.

Another factor, of course, is the dog itself – older dogs, and dogs with some missing teeth, for example, will often find it difficult and/or uncomfortable to consume food that is hard to chew, or very crunchy. In cases like these, canned food is a better option. The same applies to old dogs who have been fed canned food all of their lives – switching them to dried, hard food is not likely to go down well, as they will not be accustomed to the effort required to eat it.

However, there is another side to the coin, of course. One reason to choose dried food over canned is that it generally has a higher calorific density. Put simply, this means that the dog needs to eat a smaller quantity of the food than it would need in order to receive the same number of calories from canned food. For smaller dogs, this generally isn't a hugely significant point, but it can make a difference if you're weighing up the options in choosing a diet for a large dog. Because canned food contains a lot of water, big dogs may have some difficulty in eating a large enough amount of the food to meet their bodies' calorific needs. Not only that, but the owner may find it painful to pay for the food, too! Dogs need much less of the dried foods (providing, of course, that those foods are high quality ones) than they do of the canned ones, meaning that for a larger dog it will usually work out much cheaper to opt for the dry food.

The best advice, however, is to choose a good, high quality food, as in terms of nutritional value, there are just as many canned varieties superior to dried varieties as vice versa. Experts, and even many manufacturers, say that the best option for your dog is a mixed diet – using the high meat content of a recommended canned food, balanced by a good high-quality dried food. Most advise a mix of 75% dried to 25% canned to give your pet the best of both options.

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