All Wet or All Dry Diet: Pros and Cons for Your Pet

Many owners find confusion when trying to decide whether they want to feed their cat or dog an entirely wet food diet or if they wish to go the opposite route and feed their dog or cat dry food only. The truth of the matter is that both choices have their benefits and their negative impacts on a pet’s life whether the pet is a feline or a canine. It is best to weigh both options for an all wet or an all dry diet before pursuing either one as health concerns from both may leave owners preferring one over the other in the end.

Here are two benefits for feeding a pet an all wet diet:

1. Continual Hydration

Since cats and dogs must stay hydrated to avoid complicated health issues, feeding them an all wet food diet will help them avoid as many health issues with their kidneys or urinary tract. The Alternative Daily says that pets, normally cats, are prone to getting kidney stones and urinary tract health issues and that feeding them canned food or mushy frozen raw food can lessen the chance or lessen the frequency of stones forming in their bladders.

2. Higher Protein Levels And Fewer Carbohydrates

In wet food, there is a higher level of protein found in the pet’s food. This can be a negative reason to feed wet food, but it depends on your pet’s specific health concerns. In most cases, having a higher level of protein compared to carbohydrates is beneficial because you are bringing that animal back to its original, carnivorous nature. PetNaturals says that having higher levels of carbohydrates in your pet’s diet can cause diabetes mellitus, which is a lifelong caused by excessive ingestion of carbohydrates. If a pet eats more wet food than dry, it has a lesser chance to develop such a disease because many high-quality canned pet foods contain little to not carbohydrates.

Here are two cons to feeding a pet an all wet diet:

1. Looser Stools

One of the main negative impacts of feeding your pet an all wet diet is it can cause your pet to have not produce firm stools. PetPlace.com relays that having copious amounts of diarrhea can cause issues within your pet as well as cause other health concerns. For example, if an pet owner is used to their cat or dog never producing a solid bowel movement, they won’t think twice when they have looser stools and might not notice if their pet has underlying medical conditions that diarrhea could be a symptom of.

2. Short Shelf Life

Wet food for pets has a shorter hold life due to it being either canned or frozen raw. Because it has higher levels of meat proteins, wet food can expire faster than dry food. Wet canned food must be used within days of being opened and kept in a container in the fridge. Petcarerx.com says that although wet foods tend to expire quicker than dry food, it is healthier to feed to your pets but will be more costly due to its short lifespan.

Here are two benefits to feeding a pet an all dry diet:

1. It’s Cheaper

Buying a large bag of dog or cat food is less expensive than purchasing a continuous amount of wet food for your pets. HomesAlive.ca states that not only is dry food for both canines and felines more convenient to find and serve to your pets, but it is also generally less expensive due to constant bulk production in the factories where the pet food is manufactured. So, if money is tight, dry food may be the better option.

2. Helps with Dental Health

Dry food tends to be able to scratch off plaque that can accumulate on a pet’s teeth and gums. For dogs, specifically small breed dogs, dry food can be more beneficial for a their dental health than wet food because it does not get as stuck in the pets teeth and dry kibble can scrape off the plaque on smaller dog’s teeth. DogFoodScoop.com reports that if someone owns more small breed dogs than medium to large breed dogs, dry food would be their best option in their diet. For cats, however, both dry and wet can work, but if the cat is prone to extreme dental disease or issues then dry could be fed as a preventative for such dental problems.

Here are two cons to feeding a pet an all dry diet:

1. Higher Potential for Constipation

In an all dry diet, hydration could become a long term issue. Since pets do not know they need to regularly drink plenty of water to stay healthy, this can be an intense issue for the owner and the pet. Usually cats are known to not drink as much water as they need to be healthy, so feeding an all dry diet can result in your cat becoming constipated and, if ignored, can cause your cat to need surgery for such complications. AnimushrawPetFood.com says that if an pet owner decides to keep their pet on a strict all dry diet, it is their responsibility to monitor their pet’s drinking habits to assure they are drinking enough water each day.

2. More Additives

Read the back of any dry cat or dog food and you’ll see that many of the ingredients you will find are additives that are combined in the food as fillers. Dry food tends to have more fillers and more calories due to it needing to be in a solid form whereas wet food can have just meat, proteins, veggies, and not as many fillers to make it the correct consistency. VetInfo.com remarks that in terms of which foods tend to be more natural or healthy for cats and dogs, wet food ranks higher.

While both options have their pros and cons, consider your pet’s health needs before making a decision and always consult a veterinarian for extra input. Your pet will thank you!

Do you feed your pet a dry or wet food diet? Leave a comment and let us know!