Wet pet food for dogs

If you’re the lucky owner of a four-legged dog that people sometimes call man’s friend, you’ve certainly heard of wet foods. They are available practically everywhere – not only in pet shops, but also in regular supermarkets, online and even in drugstores. Is it a good idea to feed your dog such food? What does such food contain and are there any risks involved?

Composition and details to check before buying

As mentioned in the introduction, the list of places where you can buy wet food for dogs is quite long. The same is true of the list of manufacturers of such food. However, the consistency remains generally quite similar – it is in a canned-like form. On TV and the internet we can see advertisements with happy dogs enjoying the food of a particular manufacturer. The composition can vary from product to product, so it’s worth stopping for a moment and looking at the list of ingredients before buying. As with food, the earlier an ingredient appears on the list, the more of it there is. The last ingredients on the list are used in the smallest quantities, so if meat is listed last, the product is unlikely to be suitable for a dog that is a carnivore. In addition to meat, wet dog food often contains rice, cereals, vegetables, animal by-products and oils. Wet food contains fewer carbohydrates than dry food, which is good for our pets. On the packaging of the food, there should be a description taking into account the age of the dog that can consume the food and the dosage method.

Advantages of using wet food

The main advantage of feeding wet food to dogs is that it provides the animal with more water in the food. Although such food is well hydrated, we must not forget to regularly supply our pet’s bowl with water. This is especially important in summer and during hot weather. Wet food is a good option if your dog is old and can’t bite as well as it used to, or if your vet has advised you to reduce the calorie content of your dog’s food if it weighs too much or tends to get fat. Wet foods are lower in calories than dry foods, which may be an advantage for some owners. For less active and overweight dogs, manufacturers have prepared special lines of products that are dedicated especially for them. Wet foods also have the advantage of convenient, often portioned packaging.

Wet food: disadvantages and risks

For healthy dogs that are not overweight, we should ensure that they get the right number of calories in their food, and this may mean that they should eat more or more often with wet food. For us, this is a greater expense. Before buying food, it’s worth looking through the composition carefully – especially if our dog has had problems with its digestive system. Sometimes, the food contains gluten, which should be avoided. The large number of products available on the market can be overwhelming and it takes time to find a good food, both in terms of composition and price.