Canned Dog Food
While browsing through pet supply stores, it’s common to overhear concerned pet parents asking this exact question to store employees. Answers vary depending on employee experience and preference, but check out these unbiased canned food pros, cons and myths before making the best decision for your dog’s needs.
Pros of Feeding Canned Dog Food
There are lots of them!
Dogs Love It
Yes, they do! Canned dog food has an intense aroma due to moisture and low-temperature cooking method. Most dogs will run to the kitchen when you reach for a can opener. Use this stuff to your advantage and spoon a teaspoon or so over kibble, making sure to coat each kibble thoroughly and feed.
Lots of Moisture
Most cans of dog food contain 70 percent moisture, which keeps some urinary tract infections away. When feeding canned dog food, you’ll notice your dog doesn’t drink as much water, especially compared to feeding dry kibble. Plus, this stuff makes great Kong stuffing. Just don’t forget to freeze overnight to prevent canned food from leaking onto your carpet or bedding.
Great Way to Hide Medication
If your dog requires daily medication, canned food does a fabulous job concealing bitter tasting powder medicine with its overpowering aroma. It also makes a great hiding place for pills due to its texture and is the perfect consistency for liquid medication.
Balanced Nutrition
Unlike many palatable food supplements, canned dog food contains balanced nutrition and can be fed alone or mixed in kibble. Regardless, it’s packed with lots of vitamins and minerals. With a higher moisture content, this keeps calories lower, which is perfect for dogs watching their waistlines.
Fewer Additives Than Dry Food
If you’re worried about food additives, then push aside your guilt when feeding your pet canned dog food. Due to the canning process, which seals food in an airtight container, less additives and preservatives are needed. Now, once the airtight seal is broken, canned food has a limited shelf life (three days max). Plus, canned food is cooked at a lower temperature than kibble, meaning it contains higher amounts of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals from its ingredients than kibble.
Easy to Eat
Canned food is easier to chew, especially for dogs missing teeth and sore gums. If you’ve ever experienced the agony of begging a sick or recovering dog to eat, you know how difficult it truly can be and are thankful when canned food easily entices sick dogs to eat.
Cons of Canned Dog Food
When boiled down, there’s not as many cons as pros. Interesting, huh?
Expensive
With an average price of $4 per 12oz can, your bill can add up quickly. Remember, kibble contains less moisture so you must feed more canned food than kibble. For small dogs, this may not be an issue. For large and giant breeds, feeding canned food can definitely deflate your wallet. As an example, Sobek (my adult Rottweiler) needs six cans of dog food to meet his daily nutritional needs. Yes, six cans! That’s $24 per day and $168 per week–ouch!
May Create Picky Eaters
Well, who wants to eat cake without the frosting, right? This can happen, but it doesn’t happen to all dogs. I recommend mixing small amounts of canned food in kibble so your typical cost averages $8-$10 per week for a giant dog breed.
Once Opened, Short Shelf Life
This is true. Once canned food contents are exposed to air, its shelf life is limited. For best results, cover with plastic zip bag or lid, and store in your refrigerator for a maximum of three days.
Myths
Many pet parents shy away from canned food because they’ve heard canned food doesn’t clean dogs’ teeth, but there’s more to the story.
This was a common belief, but it seems crunchy kibble doesn’t always clean dogs’ teeth. Think about it for a minute: If kibble scrubbed teeth clean, we wouldn’t have so many dogs needing yearly dentals. What about dogs that swallow kibble whole? Yes, there are many of them out there where kibble never touches their teeth. To clean your dog’s teeth, regular brushing with VOHC-approved products work best.
READ MORE: Homemade Diets for Dogs