Food is a basic pillar when it comes to maintaining our dog's he alth. Therefore, what to feed is a recurring question that all caregivers ask ourselves. In this sense, the well-known cans for dogs are, along with feed, one of the most purchased products to feed our companions. But is the wet dog food that we find for sale really good? What other options do we have?
In this article on our site we will focus on explaining what is the best wet food for dogs after reviewing the nutritional needs of this species animal and the different alternatives that exist.
Nutritional needs of dogs at each stage
Regardless of its age, the dog needs mainly protein, fat and carbohydrates. Foods rich in these nutrients will also provide you with just the right amount of vitamins, fiber, and minerals. The percentages of the three basic nutritional groups, however, can vary depending on where you are in your life. Therefore, first of all and before explaining which is the best wet food for dogs, we must be clear that their nutritional needs vary depending on their life stage. Thus, we can distinguish the following periods:
- Infant: during the first weeks of life the puppies will feed exclusively on the his mother's milk In this period of rapid development, this perfectly covers all his needs and can only be replaced, if necessary, by a preparation for orphaned dogs. Weaning should occur naturally around two months, so it is not advisable to separate the puppy from its mother beforehand to avoid socialization and behavior problems in the future.
- Puppy: from three weeks of age and up to approximately six months, although it varies according to the dog, these little ones experience very fast, so they need quality calories and protein. Wet puppy food eases the transition between milk and solid food.
- Adult: in this phase the dog can reduce her energy needs, since he has stopped growing and "alone" must be maintained. For a correct diet we must take into account the level of activity of the dog, which will modify the percentage of fats and proteins that it must ingest.
- Sterilized dogs: this intervention will reduce the dog's energy needs, so if we don't adapt its diet, it could gain weight.
- Pregnant and lactating bitches: the proper diet for them should be similar to what we have offered to growing puppies, since their nutritional needs skyrocket to manage to gestate, give birth and feed their young.
- Enfermos: part of the treatment of multiple pathologies involves a change in diet, always following the advice of the veterinarian.
- Elderly: from 7-8 years of age, although it depends on the size, dogs enter the geriatric stage. In this phase they are more easily dehydrated and some stop eating or eat less, which leads them to lose weight. Therefore, their diet must be very palatable, that is, tasty, and energetic, with a high percentage of moisture and a soft texture The objective is to facilitate their intake, increase its hydration and nourish it, even if you eat less. Because of this, wet food may be recommended for these older dogs.
In these different phases, the dog's diet will present differences in terms of composition, but the quality of the ingredients must be constant.
How to choose the best dog food?
The quality of the ingredients, as we have said, is the pillar of a good diet. But we should not only look at them, since the way of processing them will also influence the use that our dog can make of these ingredients. It's digestibility. In addition, dogs should receive a sufficient amount of water in their food, just as they would in nature when eating their prey. In this regard, to choose a good diet we must take into account the following considerations:
- The labeling of foods for dogs can mislead us. For example, the fact that meat appears in the list of ingredients does not imply that it is of quality, since it can come from the parts that are left over from the meat industry for humans. Thus, this meat could actually come from beaks, heads, legs or any part that is not considered fit for human consumption.
- The processing suffered by the ingredients of the feed or cans will affect their nutrients. This treatment removes essential vitamins and amino acids. In addition, in the list of ingredients, its percentage may appear before processing, but, after it, in reality, this percentage will be lower.
- In the case of feed, during its manufacture the ingredients lose all their moisture to prevent the growth of bacteria. Thus, they add approximately 8% moisture to the diet, far from the percentage that their natural prey would provide the dog. Therefore, you will need to drink more to compensate, and if you don't, urinary tract and kidney problems may occur, especially in older animals.
- Processing results in an unappetizing food. To make it more palatable fats are added, especially in cans. These can be animal or vegetable, saturated or unsaturated, the latter more recommended.
- Another problem with fats is that they can become rancid and degrade, which is avoided by adding antioxidants, which are not always natural.
A good part of the keepers opts for the feed. It is a highly publicized product, with numerous varieties and very easy to administer, which is appreciated due to the current pace of life. But, in view of the above data, the feed is far from being the best option for our dog from a nutritional point of view. For this reason, if we are thinking of another type of food, we are interested in knowing what the best wet food for dogs will be or if cans for dogs are really suitable.
What type of wet food is best for dogs?
Natural wet food for dogs is the homemade food, an option that will always be the winner if we examine which is the best wet food for our dog. Making a menu with the same fresh products that we can buy and eat ourselves, such as meat, fish, vegetables, fruit or eggs, will always be the best choice, as we will offer quality food with all its moisture and nutritional values practically intact. Of course, preparing an adequate homemade diet that meets the requirements of the dog in its different vital stages implies knowledge about canine nutrition. Therefore, if we decide on this menu we must consult a specialized veterinarian to make sure that the food we are going to give the dog is correct. As we have seen in previous sections, the percentages of each of the basic nutritional groups vary depending on many factors, such as age, level of physical activity and even the preferences of the dog. For this reason it is so important to consult an expert in animal nutrition.
To provide the dog with a natural diet, we find different options, such as the raw diet or BARF, semi-cooking the food or opting for dehydrated natural food. The problem is that, unfortunately, we don't usually have time to cook, which explains, in large part, the success and spread of feed as a star food for dogs in recent decades. If this is our case, we should know that we can resort to the alternative we have mentioned: the natural dehydrated foodTo do this, we have brands such as Naku, which chooses fresh products suitable for human consumption and dehydrates them separately at low temperature. In this way, the nutrients are preserved and more easily assimilated by the dog. To prepare this meal we will only have to rehydrate it by adding water again. Thus, we make sure that we offer our dog a balanced diet, with the necessary supply of moisture, proteins, carbohydrates and fats, in addition to the advantage of minimal preparation time. In addition, as it is a food with a soft texture, it is highly recommended for puppies in transition and for elderly dogs that have difficulties chewing certain foods.
Focusing on Naku's most popular products due to their composition and quality, highlights Naku Ocean, which is a preparation made from cod, whiting, saithe, potato, spinach, green beans, cabbage and flax, grain-free and preservative-free (neither chemical nor natural). It is a low-fat product, ideal for dogs that need to lose weight or with stomach problems, since its ingredients are easily digestible. Likewise, this specific product admits a greater amount of water when preparing it to offer it to the animal, so it is recommended for dogs with constipation or that are not used to drinking the sufficient amount of water they need to stay hydrated.
On the other hand, one of the biggest consequences that can be caused by the consumption of poor quality feed or cans is the appearance of food allergies. For this reason, Naku also offers a range for these dogs, with allergic skin reactions, which reduces and alleviates symptoms. All these products are prepared with various and easily assimilated foods, such as white fish, potato, salmon, rice, apple or yoghurt. Similarly, it has diets for dogs with joint, gastrointestinal, overweight problems or, conversely, that need to gain a few kilos.
In short, we have access to a whole variety of natural products that allow us to feed our dogs in a he althier way and closer to the original diet of the species, thus avoiding making use of cans or other low-quality products.
Are cans of dog food good?
If we look at the general composition of dog food cans we will see that it does not show many differences with respect to that of feed. Therefore, it will have the same disadvantages, with the exception of humidity. So is wet dog food good for you?
When we talk about wet food, industrial cans come to mind which, as we have pointed out, are not the best optionBut of them we are interested in the high percentage of humidity. Thus, a good and balanced food for a dog will include this moisture, but with high quality ingredients. So, if the conclusion is that wet food is recommended but canned food is not, how can we substitute this product?
We have the options that we mentioned in the previous section: homemade food and dehydrated natural food Of course, it should be noted that there is no All canned food is inappropriate, since there is a minority of manufacturers that do respect the nutritional needs of the dog and make their products based on natural, fresh foods that are suitable for human consumption. However, it is not always easy to identify this minority and, therefore, we recommend opting for the previous options.
