Swank Pets Dog Blog

Many people are always curious about which is the best type of dog food.  Its only natural for us to want to feed only the best foods for our dogs.  I’ve actually written a couple articles and posts related to dog food.  I think your dog’s diet is one of the most important things in your dog’s life.  Just like humans, a healthy diet will mean a healthy dog.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to feed your dog the correct type of food.  This is a pretty good article I wrote on choosing the best type of dog food in general.  It goes over what your dog needs in their nutrition and some dog foods that I recommend.  It was a little more focused on food for small and toy dog breeds.  I also wrote a blog post on how to prepare home cooked dogs meals if you care to check it out.

Anyhow, I’d like to discuss the complications that wet dog food can cause in our dogs.  In general, you’ll want to feed your dogs dry kibble.   The dry kibble is great for cleaning teeth and keeping their teeth healthy.  The crunchy kibble will help reduce bad breath and even helps with keeping a healthy and strong jaw.  The problem with wet dog food is that this moist and wet food can easily become lodged in your dog’s teeth.  When the wet dog food becomes trapped in their teeth, it starts to decay and cause plaque build up.   In a nutshell, this is the major problem with wet dog food.  I’ve also written a blog on the importance of good dog hygiene and how to brush your dog’s teeth.

I’m not saying that wet dog food should never be fed to your dog.  I’m sure your dog drools when they see that can of yummy wet goodness splash into their dog bowls.   I would use the wet dog food more as a treat rather than a normal consistent meal.  What we do a lot of times with our dogs is mix in about half wet dog food and half dry kibble.  This way, the kibble can still do its cleaning job, and your dog still gets to have some super yummy food.  I mean lets face it, that dry kibble we feed our dogs looks really unappetizing.   On the other hand, there have been times where I was tempted to eat some of their canned food because it smelled so good!

The only other time I would feed my dogs wet canned food is if they refuse to absolutely eat anything else.  To be more specific, if you own a toy breed puppy, it is imperative that they eat on a regular basis.  If you have a really small toy breed puppy that refuses to eat, your puppy can start to become hypoglycemic, a very serious and often fatal condition if not treated correctly.  So if you have a little teeny tiny puppy that won’t eat anything else except canned dog food, then feed them canned food.  You can always change your puppies diet as they grow older and have less of a danger with bouts of hypoglycemia.

All in all, lets do our dog’s a favor and leaved the canned dog food for treats and special occasions.  You will have a healthier dog and that is the most important thing.  As always, consult with your veterinarian on anything related to your dog’s health.