Have you ever thought of mixing wet and dry dog food? Wondering What is the Right Proportion for mixing Wet and Dry Dog Food? A lot of people do. However, many people raise questions about its safety. Moreover, some pet parents feel that mixed dog food is a good diet for their canines. On the other hand, other pet parents feel that it can harm their canines.
So much confusion, right? Don’t worry. This article will help you find out everything about mixing wet and dry dog food and what’s the correct ratio for it
The Valid Ratio of Wet and Dry Dog Food
To be honest, mixing wet and dry food provides all the nutrients that your canine needs to live a healthy life. Moreover, if you always follow the feeding guideline, then mixing these 2 foods is the best thing you can do.
For instance, when you follow the 50:50 feeding ratio, it is better to feed 50% wet and 50% dry food. If the ratio is 75:25, then feed 75% of wet food and 25% of dry food. Additionally, if you add treats to your canine’s diet, then it is vital not to substitute more than 10% of the total food intake.
Combining both types of foods has a huge benefit. When there will be a situation to switch your canine to a wet diet, his body will adopt that no-so-sudden change.
Seeing it from a different perspective, you do not need to mix both foods in a bowl. Moreover, you do not need to serve them together. You can give dry food as a meal and wet food as a midday or midnight snack as well.
Benefits of wet food
- Wet food attracts the canines more because of its strong smell
- It can solve your canine’s habit of not eating
- The high moisture in wet food keeps the canine hydrated
Benefits of dry food
- It is easy to store than the wet food
- Dry food promotes great oral health
- Some dry foods are designed in such a way that it causes a brushing effect when the dog chews it.
Benefits of combination feeding
- Feeding mixed food adds various textures and tastes to your canine’s meal. This is best for the fussy eaters who are not interested in daily, repetitive food and want different tastes.
- Both food types have unique benefits. However, when we combine both of them, the result you get is the best of both worlds.
- Wet food keeps your canine hydrated and dry food keeps the oral health good
Do’s and don’t of mixing wet and dry dog food
| Do’s | Don’ts |
| Mix pet food with various textures, aromas, and shapes. These 3 things are very important to entice your canine’s taste buds | Do not mix wet and dry food without consulting your vet. There are many pet foods that are specified for age and health conditions. If you mix such foods without consulting, it may end up impacting your canine’s health. |
| Add more water to the dry kibble. If your canine is losing interest in the food, then providing the food with a bit of gravy is a good option. | Do not mix therapeutic foods with normal food without consulting the vet. This is because therapeutic foods are designed to prevent specific health conditions. However, it is important to take help from the vet regarding mixing therapeutic foods with normal food. |
| Mix canned food with dry food. It increases the moisture level and flavour of your canine’s meal. However, it is better to talk to the vet about it in the first place. | Avoid giving a huge amount of mixed food in the initial days. Try to increase the amount day by day. |
Should dogs have both wet and dry food?
Wet and dry food contains all the necessary nutrients that your canine needs. ndvsu.org listed these nutrients as – Water, Protein, carbohydrates, Fats, minerals, and Vitamins.
However, mixing wet and dry food is not a necessity for every dog. Still, if you have money and time, you can go for it. By mixing dry and wet food, you give the best of both worlds to your canine’s overall health.
Tips for Mixing Wet and Dry Dog Food
It is best for you to feed the right proportion and amount of dry and wet food to your canine. This is to ensure that the mixed food is meeting nutritional needs of the dog and there is no scope for obesity.
Therefore, before mixing wet and dry dog food, here are some tips to follow-
- Use a few tricks if your canine is not eating enough to keep him healthy. Therefore, you can switch up textures, aromas, and shapes to entice the canine to eat more food.
- When you mix wet and dry food, it is important to monitor daily calories. This extra work is to make sure your canine is not eating more than enough. Therefore, calculate the number of calories you serve your canine in the form of dry food, wet food, and treats.
- Every canine is different. Therefore, you must talk to your vet to check your canine’s body condition score.
How do I combine wet and dry dog food?
The best way to combine wet and dry dog food is to mix a small portion of new food first and consecutively increase the amount day by day. Moreover, it is not necessary to mix dry and wet food in a single bowl. You can keep both foods in different bowls.
Do I feed my dog the same amount of wet food as dry food?
To give the same amount of nutrients and energy, provide a 3.5 times smaller portion than with canned/wet food. When you feed once wet and once dry food, it is important to understand to avoid feeding too much.
What is the best ratio for dog food?
The best ratio for dog food is 50% veggies, 40% protein, and 1-% starch. According to nationalacademies.org, dogs cannot survive without protein in their diets. However, some canines can’t cope with high protein. Therefore, it is vital to talk to your vet to know the best dog food ratio for your canine’s dietary needs.
Do dogs poop less on wet food?
Wet food results in softer poop. This is because of the high water content in wet dog food. Therefore, it does not cause constipation as well. Foods with good quality and fewer fillers result in fewer or smaller stools. However, we cannot label it as constipation.
What is the 80/20 Rule for dog food?
Thai rule contains 80% of animal ingredients and 20% of veggies, botanicals with no grain, and fruits.
What is the 3% rule in dog food?
The 3% rule for beef is that the dog food must contain at least 3% of beef.
Do vets recommend wet or dry food?
To be honest, wet food is better than dry food for dogs. Wet food has fewer carbohydrates. This makes it easy to digest the food and more water is the icing on the cake. It keeps the dog hydrated.
Final words
In conclusion, I would say that mixing wet and dry dog food is a good thing to do. It provides many health benefits like hydrating the canine’s body, providing appropriate nutrients, keeping the canine’s body healthy, etc.
Therefore, if you are thinking of providing mixed food to your canine, then you must go on. However, it is better to talk to your vet before doing this. Your vet can tell your canine’s specific dietary needs and suggest you the way and quantity to mix the dry and wet food.
I hope you enjoyed the article. I will be back soon with more interesting and informative pieces of writing. Till then, stay connected. Thank you.