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Food is an important basic need for a dog. In fact, it is very easy to notice a properly fed dog. For a healthy and active dog, the owner should ensure they are selecting the best food fit for the dog.
Feeding your canine canned food has many advantages. The first being, canned dog food has a label on it, which describes the contents and amounts in the cans. Canned dog food also comes in a manageable package that is easy to open, serve, store remains, and has multiple nutritional benefits.
The rest of this article explains why you should feed your dog canned food in great detail. It will also discuss the nutrients in canned dog food that help boost your dog’s health.
Table of Contents
Canned Dog Food is Soft
Canned food is soft such that your dog does not have to chew and break down the food in its mouth before swallowing. This is advantageous to dogs who experience indigestion, especially senior dogs and young-immature dogs with a fragile dental structure. They may have a hard time chewing kibble food because their jaws are weak and prone to chronic dental health problems, making chewing dry food difficult.
Canned dog foods’ soft and moist nature makes it easy for these dogs to be relaxed and enjoy the food while eating. Good dental health for a dog is key to ensuring that plaque does not pile up. It is therefore important to form a habit of cleaning your dog’s mouth as frequently as possible.
It Is Rich in Moisture
Canned dog food being rich in moisture is a helpful trait for dogs. Here are some of the ways in which canned food is good for your dog.
- Puppies who have been recently weaned have slightly built digestive systems. Thus, wet food is easier to digest and ensures your dog does not end up with an ulcerated digestive tract caused by feeding them dry, hard chunks of dog food.
- The richness in moisture in canned dog food helps dogs be well hydrated, avoiding urinary tract complications.
- It is important to note that some dogs do not like drinking water. When feeding canned dog food to your dogs, you will be killing two birds with one stone since there is both food and moisture in that one meal, so having a meal without drinking water will be okay.
- Canned dog food is easy and comfortable to swallow, reducing the chances of the dog choking on food.
- Dogs recovering from stomach virus should be fed soft and moist food due to their sensitive stomach.
- Even better, canned dog food meets the dog’s fluid requirements.
Canned Dog Dog is Fresh
Canning itself is a mode of preservation, meaning canned dog food has a very low chance of having additional preservatives or even none since it is made with fresh animal ingredients. Besides, fresh food attracts and excites dogs, giving them the morale to feed well.
It is also essential to understand that since canned dog food has very little or no preservatives, upon opening, it should not stay more than five days, even if it is refrigerated as it will go bad. Feeding your dog rotten canned dog food will cause illnesses to your dogs.
You should empty and dispose of food in your dog’s bowl within four hours after serving if the food is not eaten or finished, especially if the room temperature is high above 50°C (122°F). This will help avoid the possibility of the food being contaminated with disease-causing bacteria.
Can Assist In Your Dog’s Weight Loss Journey
It is important to note that this will only apply to dogs that have gained weight due to overfeeding. The soggy nature of canned dog food ensures your dog gets full quickly with just a little proportion of the canned dog food. Canned dog food consists of meat mostly, high in protein, and it is crafted for better digestion and ease in absorption.
This characteristic helps in processing calories better, absorbing more nutrients, building muscle mass, and burning the excess toxic fat. Increased body weight in a dog is very risky. It increases the likelihood of contracting chronic diseases, which may eventually lead to death.
For weight loss purposes, I recommend the Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free wet dog adult food from Amazon.com to help your puppy maintain a healthy weight.
Canned Dog Food is Palatable
Dogs rely on their olfactory senses to process whether they should partake in it or not. Most quality canned dog food does not have artificial flavors and colors added to it. Instead, they are enriched with a ‘meaty’ flavor, which attracts and pleases the dog’s palatable glands.
This becomes largely beneficial even to old dogs who have lost their sense of taste with age. Canned food does not only have the meat flavor; it is also made of more actual meat ingredients, which is a preference for most if not all dogs.
A hound’s palatability also increases with the increase in moisture present in its food. As I mentioned before, canned dog food is rich in moisture, making it a win-win situation.
It Reduces Bloat
You will notice that your furry best friend is mainly experiencing bloating because of swallowing big chunks of dry food without chewing and breaking it down properly in the mouth. This leads to a high rate of liquid absorption in the stomach to soften the food to ease absorption and prevent bloating.
Sometimes when an amount of food is not absorbed in the stomach, major discomfort is caused. This is what we are calling bloating. Bloating causes very harsh effects on your puppy. Some of the symptoms include.
● Dry vomiting
● General weakness
● The heart beats faster
● Excessive gas
● Collapsing, caused by lack of breath
If bloating is not noticed and attended to as soon as possible, it may lead to the demise of our furry best friend.
Canned Dog Food has a Variety of Ingredients
I recommend Hill’s Science Diet Wet Dog Food , which has to have a list of ingredients inside on the label on the can. Canned food undergoes less processing, which means the whole natural foods being processed will not lose their natural nutrients.
These nutrients are very important to your dog’s health, especially when they are in their raw form. There is no need to get food with a very enticing scent but does not contain what your dog loves and needs for growth and general health.
When picking out the type of canned dog food to feed your dog, always read and understand the label on the can so that you can understand what your dog is getting. On the label, the first few ingredients are what the food contains in bulk.
This should be helpful because why should you choose canned dog food that has no protein, whether plant-based or animal-based protein for your dog? Yet proteins should be the most important ingredient in any dog’s food. That’s because they aid in muscle growth, boost immunity, and improve your dog’s skin and hair.
Supplements are not a balanced diet. Feeding your dog with supplements only will be depriving it of a lot of necessary nutrients it needs for its general health and well being. With this, you will eventually notice signs of weaknesses in your dog.
Canned Dog Food is Low On Carbs
Apart from the production of energy by carbs in dog food, carbs also help in binding different particles that make the food come together. Food with carbs tends to be sticky and chewy, and if you think about it, more jaw energy is required when chewing and breaking down this type of food.
This disadvantages dogs with weak jaws, such as old dogs, young dogs, those with chronic dental diseases, and those who gulp their food, because they can be choked or even bloated. Canned dog food with low carbs means that the food is less bonded together and less chewy.
Digesting this food is easy and not as stressful as when the food is heavy on carbs. Hence, I recommend low-carb diets for gastrointestinal diseases, allergies, cancer, and diabetes.
Canned Dog Food is Diverse
Canned dog food is produced by many different companies all over the world. The choice on which variety to purchase relies on your dog’s needs, what it loves, its age, health, size, among other factors.
You should purchase dog food after observing your puppy and understanding what it requires, keeping in mind what does not react well with its body. Exposing your dog to different brands and flavors does a lot of good than bad to it.
As an owner, you cannot monitor all the nutrients your dog requires and what amounts. Since dogs cannot communicate and list what they are craving for. Feeding your dog a variety of canned dog food will help prevent minor nutritional deficiencies. This means feeding your dog one variety consistently without changing this may not be very beneficial.
Feeding your puppy a variety of meals will save you frequent visits to the veterinarian, saving you money and time. You also have the assurance of your dog at optimal health. Unfortunately, it is hard to tell the amount of carbohydrates in your puppy’s canned food. But you can calculate it by subtracting all the other available amounts, like proteins, minerals, and vitamins, from 100 percent.
In this Youtube Video by Petscope, you can find out the top 5 best canned dog food on Amazon.com.
Canned Dog Food Acts Like Supplements
For dogs fed on dry food, supplement their diet with canned food in one of its meals as long as they are both rich in nutrients that your dog needs. Below are some of the merits of supplementing dry dog food with wet canned dog food.
- It is affordable. Canned dog food is expensive compared to dry dog food. By mixing the food, you ensure your dog is getting the best of both worlds without you overstretching your pockets.
- By mixing dry dog food and wet canned food, you are giving your dog a chance to experience both textures and tastes. For some reason, dogs love exploring, and such a meal will lead them to lick their bowl clean.
- It is nutritious. Combining dry dog food with canned dog food will bring together different nutrients to be partaken by your dog. However, please consult with your veterinarian before combining various dry and canned dog food. That’s because you may end up mixing a variety that might be toxic and end up harming your dog.
- Supplementing dry dog food with canned food adds moisture. As the name suggests, dry dog food has no moisture in it, so mixing it with canned dog food will moisturize the meal. This means that the dog will not have to drink as much water as it did when it was only fed dry food.
- Chewing and digestion are simplified. Instead of crushing and grinding to break the dry dog food into small pieces to be swallowed, it is using less energy since the food is softer than it was before.
When introducing canned dog food as a supplement to dry food, it is important to note that your dog’s stomach is sensitive. So, you should begin with adding small portions for starters after consulting with your vet.
Here is a Youtube video of a vet explaining why a combination of wet and dry dog food is recommendable.
Conclusion
A canine is a very fragile pet, especially when it comes to what you are feeding it. Canned dog food has all the good qualities and quantities in it for the good of your dog. It is easy to serve, and you don’t have to worry about missteps as long as you make sure you are following the instructions on the label on the can.
Related Articles
- 11 of the Best Low-Carb Canned Dog Food for Diabetic Dogs
- 12 Best Canned Dog Food With Taurine
- 5 Best Canned Dog Foods Without Carrageenan
- The Best 8 Canned Dog Food for Picky Eaters
- The Best 10 Canned Dog Foods Without Guar Gum
- 7 of the Best Canned Dog Food Without Chicken or Beef
- 9 Of The Best Canned Dog Food Without Synthetic Vitamins
- This Is What Lab Breeders Feed Their Dogs
Sources
- Pedigree: Smart Ways to Store your Dog’s Food
- Wikipedia: Dogfood.
- Fetch by WebMD: Dog Stomach Swelling
- Dog Food Advisor: Top Ten Best Wet Dog Food
- The Spruce Pet: Pros and Cons of Mixing Wet and Dry Food
- Purina: Do Dogs Need High-Protein Dog Food?
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