DRY AND WET FOOD COMPARED - THE RIGHT FOOD FOR YOUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND

The market offers you and your beloved pet an almost unmanageable amount of different dry and wet dog foods of various qualities and compositions. With such a huge selection, it's understandable that one quickly loses track. Before you decide on the type, quality, and environmental friendliness of the packaging, you first need to find out which feeding forms are even available for you and your four-legged friend. This consideration leads to the frequently asked question: How should I feed my dog, wet or dry?

To determine the feeding method that is right for you, you should know the characteristics of the different types of feed.

 

What is the difference between wet and dry food?

The crucial difference lies in the water content of the respective feed.
In wet food, the moisture content is between 60 to 80%, while in dry food it is only between 3 to 12%.

The difference becomes noticeable mainly in your favorite's water balance. Due to the high moisture content in wet food, a large part of your dog's water needs is already covered. If your four-legged friend is naturally reluctant to drink, you must make sure that he drinks a lot on the side when feeding dry food.

If you find it difficult to get your dog to drink, you can try a few simple tricks:

• Add some water to the feed, there is no way around water intake.
• Search for a new spot for your favorite's water bowl. Sometimes a small change is enough to encourage your dog to drink. Make sure to place the water bowl in an accessible and nearby location.
• Maybe your four-legged friend is just bored of the tasteless, plain water. Some sliced fruit will make the water bowl much more interesting.
• When it's warm outside and you're spending time in the garden with your favorite pet, try to playfully encourage your dog to drink from the garden hose.

 

Is dry food the right choice?

Dry food offers many pragmatic advantages for you and your dog.
By drying the ingredients and then pressing them into pellets, dry food is much more energy-rich than wet food when looking at the same amount of feed. Therefore, you need a smaller portion to meet your four-legged friend's needs.

Since the moisture content in the feed is very low, the dry food stays fresh for a long time after opening and is therefore better storable. Taking it with you on vacation or when traveling is therefore not a problem. This way, your dog can also look forward to a portion of his favorite food in between. However, you should make sure that he drinks enough water.
When storing opened dry food, it can become contaminated with food mites. If your dog suffers from a food mite allergy, he should mainly be fed wet food.

The increased fiber content in dry food has a beneficial effect on your pet's gut microbiome. Certain fiber components have a prebiotic effect. This means that the included fibers have a positive impact on the intestinal flora and are therefore suitable for dogs with sensitive stomachs.

Dry food also has an advantage for you - you have to clean less. If your darling is a "messy eater", you definitely have to wipe less with dry food. The scattered pellets can be easily vacuumed up or swept together.
Moreover, you have to take out the trash less often, as dry food produces less packaging waste. It can be stored well in the original packaging as long as you can seal it airtight.

Dry food has a controversial effect on your dog's dental health. Only specially designed kibbles with complex forming surfaces (phosphates) can positively influence dental health. Normal food, available in different hardness levels, is generally not suitable for preventing or removing dental plaque or tartar.

Dry food itself is less attractive to your four-legged friend due to its low water content compared to wet food, as it does not smell and taste as intense. If your favorite is picky, wet food might be a better choice for you.

 

The different manufacturing processes of dry pet food

There are basically three methods in which dry food is produced. It is interesting to know the differences between the manufacturing methods in order to make the right choice:

Extruded dry food

Extruded
In this process, the feed mash that is created after mixing all feed components is pressed through a so-called extruder, giving it the typical pellet or kibble shape of dry food. The mass is heated with steam to about 120 degrees. While bacteria and other unwanted ingredients are destroyed at these temperatures, the vitamins and minerals contained in the feed do not survive this process. They are usually artificially added back in afterwards using a spraying process.

Extruded feed is easily digestible for your dog, as the heating of the feed mass breaks down the carbohydrates contained. Therefore, your furry friend's gastrointestinal tract no longer has to do this heavy work. The major disadvantage, however, is that the natural vitamins are destroyed first and must be artificially added afterwards.

2. The cold pressing process

Unlike what the name suggests, the feed components are also heated to about 85 degrees here. The difference to the extrusion process is that the mass from which the pellets are formed is not a feed mash. The individual components are first dried and crushed, and then mixed together by heating. Due to the relatively low temperature, the natural vitamins are preserved and do not need to be artificially added. Carbohydrates are not broken down at these temperatures, which is why cold-pressed dry food cannot be digested as well. Germs and bacteria usually have no chance of surviving here, but the risk is higher than with other production methods.

Traditional: baked

The first dry food that could be purchased was made through the baking process.
Here, the components of the feed, as in the cold pressing process, are dried and ground. By adding water, everything is mixed into a homogeneous mass. Just like baking cookies, the desired shapes are then cut out of the dough and baked. Vitamins and minerals are preserved in this gentle process and do not need to be artificially added. In addition, all important carbohydrates are broken down so that your pet can digest the feed well. Due to the baking process, germs and bacteria have no chance of survival.

The baking process is very elaborate compared to other manufacturing processes. However, it offers the most natural supply for your favorite due to its gentle course. Because of this and the appreciation of tradition, our Escapure dry food is produced using this method.

 

Or would you prefer wet food?

The increased water content in wet food has a positive effect on your dog's water balance. The food he consumes largely covers his water needs. Nevertheless, you should make sure that your furry friend drinks water on the side. Due to this high water content, wet food is lower in energy than dry food. Therefore, your four-legged friend needs to consume more of it to meet his energy needs.

Wet feeding is therefore, depending on the quality of the ingredients, the more expensive type of food. The lower energy content has a positive effect on dogs with a big appetite or slight overweight. An equally sized portion of wet food does not lead to weight gain as quickly as dry food.

The wet food must be consumed fairly quickly after opening due to its high moisture content, as it is more perishable. Many manufacturers add preservatives to the food to increase its shelf life. However, these preservatives, just like for us humans, are also unhealthy for your pet. Therefore, you should definitely pay attention to the quality of the ingredients.

A higher proportion of meat and animal by-products such as offal, along with its moist nature, make wet food very appealing in terms of smell and taste for your dog. If you have a small or large gourmet at home, they will be more pleased with wet food than dry food. Seniors, whose sense of smell and taste is slowly diminishing, benefit from the intensity of flavor and usually prefer wet food over dry food.

The high meat content in wet food can indeed lead to undesired effects. If the protein intake exceeds the requirements significantly and the protein quality is only moderate, high amounts of protein flood the colon. There, they are broken down by bacteria, which can lead to soft stool or diarrhea. Therefore, you should definitely pay attention to the quality of the food!

At wet food, you can now also choose between complete food and supplementary food. What is the difference between these food properties?

 

Complete feed or supplementary feed?

As the name suggests, you can feed a complete food to your pet without having to add any additional ingredients. Complete foods are already enriched with all the necessary vitamins and minerals that your four-legged friend needs to meet its nutritional requirements. For example, in a wet food that can be fed as a complete food, there are usually vegetables/fruits, minerals, and other nutrients that are essential for your dog's health.

Supplementary feed, on the other hand, consists purely of meat components that are enriched with liquids such as water or broth. The vitamins and minerals contained here are far from sufficient to meet your dog's needs. That is why they cannot be used as complete feed. This type of feed must be supplemented with supplements. Supplements include oils (e.g. salmon or coconut oil) or special mueslis that contain ingredients with the necessary nutrients.

 

The middle ground between both - is the mixture the right choice?

Can't you decide between the two types of feed, with all the advantages and disadvantages they bring?
Then you can combine the two main types of food. Most dogs tolerate the mixture of wet and dry food very well. By mixing dry and wet food, everything important that your dog needs is present in one portion. The dry food makes the portion very energy-rich, while the wet food does something good for your favorite's water balance. In addition, the wet food makes the ration more interesting in taste and smell for your dog.

If you prefer to feed your dog dry food, you can always mix some water into the food. This way, your pet's water balance remains stable.

If you do not want to feed too large portions due to the protein content when feeding only wet food, you can use oils and special mueslis that serve as supplements. Our new mueslis consist of 100% fruits and vegetables and are grain-free, making them very well tolerated for your pet. Additionally, you can add fresh fruits and vegetables to your dog's food. However, make sure to only use fruits and vegetables that are healthy for your four-legged friend.

If good quality of food is important to you, here are a few tips to consider when choosing food in general:

Pay attention to a high meat content in the food.

Just like you, your four-legged friend is happy about natural ingredients in his food.

The ingredients should be clearly and accurately listed so that you can easily understand them. The included products are always listed by percentage. The product listed first is also the most contained.

There should be no artificial additives (preservatives, flavors, etc.) included.

Ultimately, you decide together with your dog whether dry and/or wet food is the more practical and tasty feeding method.