[Christie B]

Are there advantages, other than price, in feeding dry kibble over wet food? I’m not trying to debate commercial feeding vs. raw. More like Brand A kibble formula vs Brand A wet food.

If I understand correctly, on average, wet/canned food has more protein, more fat and less carbs than its kibble counterpart. /choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/

I know a lot of people, myself included, mix a small amount of wet food in with kibble to make it palatable for picky eaters. And I’m going over my current pet food shopping list: adult kibble for 1 dog, senior or large breed adult for my other dog, canned food as a topper for both, wet food for adult cat w/ history of urinary blockage, and dry food for cat 2 who flat out refuses to eat wet food. I also use shredded chicken thighs, canned salmon and sardines as toppers.

The worst is the days when I mix in a topper (could be the same can that I used the meal before that the dogs loved) and the dogs are now not interested and I’m left with half eaten mixed kibble that has to be tossed. Or even better, when my smaller dog licks the topper off of the kibble, eats a few pieces of kibble once the bowl is cleaned of the topper and then abandons the bowl.

The average kibble feeding guideline for my 120 lb. dog is 5-6 cups of kibble a day. And I know those values are high and my vet even told me to aim for about half of that if I add some wet food as a topper. My dog seems happy with 1.5 cups twice daily.

But looking at the same brand’s wet food product, it says” Feed ½ to 1 can for every 10 lbs. of body weight per day. That’s 6-12 cans of food! And since wet food is higher in fat, isn’t that even more unhealthy?

The price alone is crazy. How do people with 100+ lb. dogs feed wet without going broke? Or do you just feed kibble?

• This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Christie B.

[Sanne]

Regardless of dry or tinned, you should go by calories. However many calories your dog maintains on with a dry food is going to be around what they need from a tinned food. There is no difference or benefit nutrition wise to dry food. So long as the tinned food you are feeding is labeled as “complete and balanced” you could feed all tinned if you like. The added moisture actually makes it a bit better than dry IMO

I imagine most large dog owners feed primarily dry food unless they have the proper funds for it, which is of course possible for some.

I personally feed my bigger dog 3/4 dry food and 1/4 “human food” like sardines, eggs, meat

[Patricia A]

I remember those days . Dumping the blob of kibble mixed with can in the garbage. And I even took time to warm the canned. Don’t know if your dog will like but you can introduce freeze dried VERY slowly . I use Primal and Stella’s. Very dense food so don’t need to much to add protein/calories/nutrition. Just break and use warm water to hydrate a little. I then add the kibble on side of bowl. I rotate Primal turkey/sardine, duck and Stella’s Chicken, venison blend. They also get “human food” when appropriate.

[Susan]

Hi Christie,

Wet can foods are expensive & crap, look what’s happening with Hills Vet Diet wet can & Hills Science Diet wet can foods at the moment, a big recall..
“Signs of excessive vitamin D intake can include vomiting, appetite loss, weight loss, increased thirst and urination, and excessive drooling. Serious health issues, including renal dysfunction, may occur.”
https://www.hillspet.com.au/productlist?fbclid=IwAR1tvOLb3PcBCvinwlXNrKgSb_MdI-9lT4H46_OpHzsf7zx9E9e58J2rxls

It’s cheaper & healthier buying human grade meats & veggies, put all ingredients in a crock pot or bake in oven & make your own toppers/meals & freeze them in those sandwich sealed plastic bags take out the day before put in fridge for the next day meals..

I was making Rissoles, I changed Judy Morgans Pup Loaf recipe & baked rissoles instead this way the fat comes out & drains…
Buy lean beef mince or turkey mince, some organ meats etc
2kgs =4lbs lean mince add 2 eggs, chopped parsley, chopped broccolli, 2 x grated peeled carrots, spinach leaves, mix then make into 1/2 cup size rissole balls, I flatten the balls a bit put on a foiled lined baking tray & bake in oven for 15mins take out drain any water & fat, turn them over & cooked for another 15mins till rissoles are cooked thru..
Don’t over cook, you’ll have hard dry rissoles….
Cool & freeze, the rissoles break up very easy, I also boil sweet potato pieces & freeze then add sweet potato mashed with the rissoles…..Healthy & you can eat them aswell works out cheaper & your dogs + cats will eat..
Here’s Judy Morgan DVM “Puppy Loaf” video if you want to bake in cake baking trays or muffin trays…

[Christie B]

Hi Susan,

Thanks for the recipes. I’d prefer to make my own toppers and put my crockpot to use. If I don’t put anything on their kibble and leave it out, they’ll eventually get hungry enough to eat it. Today, I really confused them. I was running late to work so I put a whole large carrot in each bowl as both a “topper” and a daytime “treat” and I just peeked in on them 2 hours later on my petcam and neither bowl has been touched yet.

I bet by the time I get home later tonight, there will be carrot bits all over my carpet.

I used to boil (which I’ve been told time and time again kills the nutrients) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, but my big guy has food intolerance. I find a food that’s 5 star rated, and they hate it and refuse to eat it. I go back to my least favorite Blue Buffalo kibble and they gobble it right up. So I decide not to fight it, because there are worse foods out there. And both dogs devoured it up , no toppers needed. I was amazed. I went through a bag of Chicken. But I wanted something senior or large breed for my 10 year old, and they have a Senior Large Breed but it’s chicken and if I stay too long with one protein, issues arise. So I tried their Large Breed Adult Lamb and their regular Adult lamb. Dogs loved it for a few days, but then didn’t show much interest. Had to add a topper. Now not even through 1/4 of the bag, the itching starts. It’s a big bag. Is it the lamb? Ugh. It’s a never ending cycle of trial and error. I’m watching him for the next few days to see if it’s a fluke.

If it’s not and I have to switch him to another food, maybe fish this time, how terrible would it be to feed my smaller dog the large breed bag of lamb so I don’t waste it all? She’s about 45-50 lbs. (though she should probably be 35-40 at ideal weight).

Any brand have a senior large breed fish kibble? The BB senior and large breed guaranteed analysis % were similar, I just went with the large breed for the extra chondroitin and glucosamine

[Christie B]

Susan,

I went to Judy Morgan’s youtube channel/. Walking around the supermarket today, I noticed that bonesless chicken thighs and trimmed cubed steak were on sale, so I decided to try her stew receipe. Couldn’t fit EVERYTHING she puts in it into my Insta Pot/Slow Cooker. But since hers is balanced as a meal and I’m using it as a topper that it should be okay as it.
I used: The chicken thighs, cubed steak and some chicken livers (I was looking for gizzards and hearts, but they were out of stock). Red Cabbage, Butternut Squash, Zucchini, Pears, Blueberries, Lemon, Parsley, Broccoli Florets, Red Bell Pepper- She basically says to use all colors of the rainbow. I did buy the Kale she used in hers, but it didn’t fit in the pot.

I have it set for 4 hours on the slow cooker setting, to give some time to take a portion out to let it cool before dinner. I used 5 cups of water so hopefully I’ll get a good amount of broth to freeze. I’ll have to remove the meat and shred it all then mix it back with the fruits and veggies and hopefully the moisture will soften the kibble and make it more palatable.

Since the kibble is nutritionally balanced, I don’t have to worry about missing anything. I’ll have to see if it’s more economical than canned food as a topper. If 1 can = 2-3 meals between the two dogs, then I’d need 5-7 cans per week. That’s roughly $15-21 on a decent brand canned food @ $3 a can.

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