When ever I conduct a nutritional dog food consultation, I often get asked this question by pet parents who choose not to feed a raw diet to their pet. As like many, they have opted to feed their pet the traditional dry kibble diet only and think it's all their dog needs. Interestingly though, they have chosen not to add moist or canned foods because they have been led to believe by someone they know or better yet, a vet that "it's going to rot the dog's teeth out" or better yet, "they don't need it". This is complete and utter non-sense and I will debate this until I am blue in the face.
As a carnivore, your dog's body has been built and designed to take in a majority of wholesome moist meats, like their cousin, the wolf. Dry kibble (depending on the brand) has not only been designed to (or should I say "somewhat") made to meet the nutritional requirements for your dog, but it was made to be a pure CONVENIENCE to you, the pet parent. How easy is it to scoop kibble and dump it in a bowl, walk away and wait for your dog to eat it? To me, this is simply like putting DRY cereal in front of a child (without milk) every day for every meal! Wow, that’s easy & convenient, isn’t it, but how healthy is it after a while?
Another example I always like to point out is that, as a human, would you dehydrate all your food to take out the moisture from every single meat protein, vegetable and fruit you consume daily to "dry" it out? The answer is absolutely not! No matter what you eat or how you prepare it; whether it's raw, home-cooked, processed, or frozen, the contents of your daily food intake always includes having it's natural moisture intact. Furthermore, don’t you additionally drink a beverage or two with every meal? Essentially, all this moisture you're consuming daily is hydrating your body, including the skin, which is the largest organ of the body. Therefore, would you consider a dog eating the same DRY food daily and lapping up water here and there so healthy in the long run? The answer is clearly no. Interestingly enough, I always seem to get a large amount of pet parents asking me why their dog’s skin is so dry all the time. The first question I ask them, “is your dog on a dry food diet only?” Eight times out of ten, the dog is in fact, only eating dry food. Another interesting fact is many pets on dry food diets only also have a higher chance of developing kidney and bladder crystals/stones. Why? Simply because of the lack of moisture in their diets. This is why vets will prescribe a “prescription” canned dog food when your pet has been faced with this medical problem. Look at any canned food - they all contain 80% moisture. Although such issues like this can be avoided by knowing what and how to feed your pet, the bottom line is that we all need adequate amounts of water to survive, but also need to eat wholesome proteins, fruits and vegetables that are naturally “wholesome” to support & keep all our organs functioning properly – period.
Another key benefit of adding these “moist” foods to your dog’s dry kibble is that it gives some type of rotation of other types of wholesome meats, vegetables and fruits to your pet’s diet that they do essentially need. Humans, like wild carnivores, don’t eat the same thing over and over again. If we did, our body would not only start to have a deficiency somewhere down the road, but gosh, eating would be so boring! We all need a variation of wholesome and healthy foods to stay healthy as each and everything has an abundance of different vitamins and minerals. In addition, it’s amazing how many pet parents are “stumped” to why their pet that has been eating the same food for many months to many years is no longer eating their food anymore. I often get “they loved it and now won’t eat it anymore”. Well, if anyone was giving me “crackers” (to compare dryness) everyday for every meal, after a while, I would get tired of that old same cracker too. However, if someone then offered you a rotation of dips, spreads, or cheese to add on top of that cracker, it would become a little more interesting to eat, wouldn’t it? Moreover, you just added some more nutritional benefits to your diet. Same rule applies.
Therefore, stick to a brand of kibble that works for your pet that is free of corn, wheat, by-products, sugars and chemical preservatives. Seek out brands that overly use more proteins than grain/carbohydrate fillers, which are technically not conducive to a carnivores diet to begin with. Grain free dry kibble foods work best. As always, you’ll be able to make a determination by looking at the first 10 ingredients of your dog’s brand of food. Now, to introduce moist foods, simply add a small amount that has some different proteins not found in the kibble. For example, if the dry kibble is chicken based, use moist/canned meats such as duck, fish, venison, bison, etc.. Mix everything together, but always remember to start off in small amounts to slowly introduce these new ingredients to your dog’s diet to eliminate the chances of upset tummies. To ensure you don’t overly feed your dog, the more moist food you introduce, always draw back on some kibble to keep the calories intake somewhat the same.
So now that I covered why it’s so important to add moisture to your dog’s food, I want to lastly cover the whole misconception about how moist foods rot dog’s teeth out. Like most pet parents, many do not make it a regular routine to brush their dog's teeth like they do their own. Honestly, I hardly do either because thankfully, my “crew” love to chew on their bones & toys many times throughout the day. Naturally, they are cleaning their own teeth like any carnivore would do in the wild. Like wolves and tigers that are killing and consuming only raw, moist meats & organs, at the end of their fill, they will also clean their teeth naturally by indulging in chewing on the bones from their kill. It's nature’s way for a carnivore to clean their teeth. So having your pet chew on "harder" toys, especially after a meal is extremely important. But, if your pet is not a big, hard core chewer, you can either start a routine by brushing them with a dog toothbrush or a cheap but yet effective way is to take a “dry” wash cloth and wipe your dog’s teeth every few days; making sure your always cleaning along the gum line as well. This will prevent plaque from building up which is the #1 culprit of rotting teeth.
Anyway, I hope this blog was insightful to you. Remember, you can always lead a “horse” to water, but you can’t make them drink it. Well, the same rule applies to most dogs. However, by adding as much “moisture” as you can to your dog’s daily intake with wholesome meats, vegetables and fruits, you have made a big significant change in your dog’s overall health.
As a carnivore, your dog's body has been built and designed to take in a majority of wholesome moist meats, like their cousin, the wolf. Dry kibble (depending on the brand) has not only been designed to (or should I say "somewhat") made to meet the nutritional requirements for your dog, but it was made to be a pure CONVENIENCE to you, the pet parent. How easy is it to scoop kibble and dump it in a bowl, walk away and wait for your dog to eat it? To me, this is simply like putting DRY cereal in front of a child (without milk) every day for every meal! Wow, that’s easy & convenient, isn’t it, but how healthy is it after a while?
Another example I always like to point out is that, as a human, would you dehydrate all your food to take out the moisture from every single meat protein, vegetable and fruit you consume daily to "dry" it out? The answer is absolutely not! No matter what you eat or how you prepare it; whether it's raw, home-cooked, processed, or frozen, the contents of your daily food intake always includes having it's natural moisture intact. Furthermore, don’t you additionally drink a beverage or two with every meal? Essentially, all this moisture you're consuming daily is hydrating your body, including the skin, which is the largest organ of the body. Therefore, would you consider a dog eating the same DRY food daily and lapping up water here and there so healthy in the long run? The answer is clearly no. Interestingly enough, I always seem to get a large amount of pet parents asking me why their dog’s skin is so dry all the time. The first question I ask them, “is your dog on a dry food diet only?” Eight times out of ten, the dog is in fact, only eating dry food. Another interesting fact is many pets on dry food diets only also have a higher chance of developing kidney and bladder crystals/stones. Why? Simply because of the lack of moisture in their diets. This is why vets will prescribe a “prescription” canned dog food when your pet has been faced with this medical problem. Look at any canned food - they all contain 80% moisture. Although such issues like this can be avoided by knowing what and how to feed your pet, the bottom line is that we all need adequate amounts of water to survive, but also need to eat wholesome proteins, fruits and vegetables that are naturally “wholesome” to support & keep all our organs functioning properly – period.
Another key benefit of adding these “moist” foods to your dog’s dry kibble is that it gives some type of rotation of other types of wholesome meats, vegetables and fruits to your pet’s diet that they do essentially need. Humans, like wild carnivores, don’t eat the same thing over and over again. If we did, our body would not only start to have a deficiency somewhere down the road, but gosh, eating would be so boring! We all need a variation of wholesome and healthy foods to stay healthy as each and everything has an abundance of different vitamins and minerals. In addition, it’s amazing how many pet parents are “stumped” to why their pet that has been eating the same food for many months to many years is no longer eating their food anymore. I often get “they loved it and now won’t eat it anymore”. Well, if anyone was giving me “crackers” (to compare dryness) everyday for every meal, after a while, I would get tired of that old same cracker too. However, if someone then offered you a rotation of dips, spreads, or cheese to add on top of that cracker, it would become a little more interesting to eat, wouldn’t it? Moreover, you just added some more nutritional benefits to your diet. Same rule applies.
Therefore, stick to a brand of kibble that works for your pet that is free of corn, wheat, by-products, sugars and chemical preservatives. Seek out brands that overly use more proteins than grain/carbohydrate fillers, which are technically not conducive to a carnivores diet to begin with. Grain free dry kibble foods work best. As always, you’ll be able to make a determination by looking at the first 10 ingredients of your dog’s brand of food. Now, to introduce moist foods, simply add a small amount that has some different proteins not found in the kibble. For example, if the dry kibble is chicken based, use moist/canned meats such as duck, fish, venison, bison, etc.. Mix everything together, but always remember to start off in small amounts to slowly introduce these new ingredients to your dog’s diet to eliminate the chances of upset tummies. To ensure you don’t overly feed your dog, the more moist food you introduce, always draw back on some kibble to keep the calories intake somewhat the same.
So now that I covered why it’s so important to add moisture to your dog’s food, I want to lastly cover the whole misconception about how moist foods rot dog’s teeth out. Like most pet parents, many do not make it a regular routine to brush their dog's teeth like they do their own. Honestly, I hardly do either because thankfully, my “crew” love to chew on their bones & toys many times throughout the day. Naturally, they are cleaning their own teeth like any carnivore would do in the wild. Like wolves and tigers that are killing and consuming only raw, moist meats & organs, at the end of their fill, they will also clean their teeth naturally by indulging in chewing on the bones from their kill. It's nature’s way for a carnivore to clean their teeth. So having your pet chew on "harder" toys, especially after a meal is extremely important. But, if your pet is not a big, hard core chewer, you can either start a routine by brushing them with a dog toothbrush or a cheap but yet effective way is to take a “dry” wash cloth and wipe your dog’s teeth every few days; making sure your always cleaning along the gum line as well. This will prevent plaque from building up which is the #1 culprit of rotting teeth.
Anyway, I hope this blog was insightful to you. Remember, you can always lead a “horse” to water, but you can’t make them drink it. Well, the same rule applies to most dogs. However, by adding as much “moisture” as you can to your dog’s daily intake with wholesome meats, vegetables and fruits, you have made a big significant change in your dog’s overall health.
