Hello Sandra W:
For most kibble meals I use canned as a topper. I feed pate’s, stews, shredded meats, grain inclusive, and grain free.
Avoid over feeding when mixing canned with kibble. Be sure to reduce the amount of kibble calorie wise with the amount of canned you feed.
First, I look at who makes the food. I don’t feed anything made by Evanger’s due to manufacturing issues and various alleged legal matters. You can Google the company for further info. They have their own label along with co-packing for several other companies. The expiration date stamp on their cans is curved rather than straight. Wysong, Weruva (Kobe & Kurobuta recipes only), Dave’s, Wild Calling!, Party Animal, Against the Grain, and Tripette are a few companies that have some or all of their recipes co-packed by them.
Next, I look at the fat to protein ratio. I like the fat % to be about half of the protein %. For example 8% protein and 4% fat. Most of what I feed is about a 50% fat to protein ratio, but I do go as high as 70% I just don’t feed them as often. A quick way to figure it out is to divide the fat % by the protein % then multiply by 100. A food with 9% protein and 6% fat would be about a 67% fat to protein ratio. I find the 95% canned foods are high in fat which leads me to believe they are using fatty cuts of meat.
Calories are important. Need to add weight, look for higher calories, need to lose look for lower calories. My dog tends to gain weight easily, but the only thing I keep track of is the calories in the amount of canned fed for each meal.
Most important they have to like it. I also stick to common proteins such as some fish varieties, beef, chicken, or turkey. This is in case I ever have to feed a special diet that must consist of an exotic protein he has never had before. Good luck with your meal choices!!
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