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Wet and dry food
There's an ever increasing range of pet food products available, often in a variety of formats. Many pet parents wonder if they should be feeding dry food, wet food or a combination.
Each feeding format offers specific advantages so let’s take a look at some of them.
Wet food
• Comes in a variety of packaging types such as tray, pouch and can
• Provides variety to a pet’s diet through flavour and texture
• Food is sterilised through cooking, so no preservatives are added
• Easy to chew texture can help puppies and kittens, as well as senior pets
• Provides additional moisture, especially beneficial to the pet when the weather is warm
• Aromas and texture can help tempt fussy eaters
• High moisture content helps maintain lower urinary tract health
• Less calorie dense than dry food, so can assist with weight loss and healthy weight management
Dry food
• Concentrated nutrition, so you feed less
• Economical
• Convenient to use and store
• Crunchy kibbles may help improve dental health and freshen breath
• May contain active ingredients such as stabilised Green Lipped Mussel powder for joint health
Should I feed wet or dry food?
Wet and dry foods are equally nutritious. The important thing is that you offer your pet a diet that is complete and balanced for their life-stage.
The feeding of both wet and dry food formats together is known as ‘mixed feeding’. This method of feeding provides a pet with taste and texture variety and enables them to get the benefits that each feeding format offers. In other words, mixed feeding provides a pet with the best of both worlds, so it's a great choice.
When feeding both ADVANCE™ wet and dry food, simply halve the recommended quantities of each product and let your pet enjoy the advantages of both formats.
What about home prepared and raw feeding?
Some pet parents want to feed the wild nature of their cats and dogs, but it’s important to remember that our couch-dwelling pets have evolved quite a bit from their days as wolves and free-roaming cats.
Cats and dogs require about 40 essential nutrients, each in the right form and in the right amount (balanced) to deliver complete nutrition. Formulating a pet’s diet means ensuring that the minimum and maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals are met – and that adds an extra element of risk to home-prepared or raw meals.
While raw meat can be a novelty for your pet, it has to be very fresh. A recent study, published in Vet Record, has found that raw meat can contain high levels of bacteria that may pose health risks for your pet. The researchers also warn that such food could present a health risk to you, or others in your household if their immune system is compromised (children, the elderly or anyone using immune system suppressant medication for a health condition).
