4. Easier to chew

Some pet parents shy away from offering canned dog food to their pets. They're worried they aren't giving their dogs adequate nutrition, or that wet food isn’t good for their dog's teeth. This is somewhat of a misunderstanding; the RSPCA says that dry food may have a slight advantage over wet food because it has a mild cleaning effect on the teeth, but there is nothing to suggest that wet food is bad for your dog’s dental health. A good-quality wet food can offer your pet balanced nutrition to support and maintain their health throughout all stages of life. In fact, for older dogs with tooth or gum issues, wet food may be easier or more comfortable to eat than dry.

5. Keeps well

Wet food in unopened pouches and cans can have a long shelf life and may be easier to store than large bags of kibble. If your dog doesn’t need a whole pouch or can in one meal, always remember to refrigerate what’s left. This will usually last up to three days in the fridge but always check it for signs of going off before feeding. Most animals prefer the food to be back at room temperature or even just slightly warmer than fridge temperature before eating it.

When to serve dry food

While balanced wet and dry food are equally nutritious, there can be reasons you may want to offer your dog a dry food. Dry food can be easier to portion, especially when you’re using a gram scale to weigh the food. Dry food can be purchased in larger bag sizes too, which can be more convenient for pet parents with large breed dogs. And if your dog is a grazer, dry food won’t spoil if not eaten and left out. Kibble is also easy to use in food puzzle toys to enrich your dog's life and satisfy them without overfeeding. 

Why not both?

As long as the food is complete and balanced, it’s up to you whether you feed your dog wet food, dry or a mix of both.  Some pet parents choose to feed dry kibble in the morning and offer their dog a meal of wet food at night (or vice versa), while some prefer to put the wet and dry together in the same bowl. This helps encourage some dogs to eat kibble if they won’t eat it on its own and gives your dog a variety of textures at every meal. Remember to treat a mixed bowl the same as wet food and make sure that anything that’s left is discarded, especially during warmer weather when the smell of wet food may attract flies. Finally, remember to always feed for your dog’s ideal weight. Mixing wet and dry can make it trickier to calculate feeding amounts, so always ask your vet if you’re unsure.