Another thread got me thinking about a hypothetical situation. If someone was choosing between a wet or dry diet and considering wet is usually pretty pricey... Would it be healthier to be on a lower quality wet diet or a high quality dry diet?
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- Thread starter solaritybengals
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lower wet
but I would likely say to have both ... since higher end dry s often have things that would help alleviate the faults of lower end wet
but I would likely say to have both ... since higher end dry s often have things that would help alleviate the faults of lower end wet
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I would think that a high quality dry would be the better choice, as long as enough water is ingested.
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Ok. I can just imagine a lot of people who try wet diets eventually go low end because it gets so pricey. It just got me thinking about which would be better.
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its a great question.. and yes I have found many many folks that feed premium dry feeding grocery canned.. I was one for many years just didnt understand the wet low was different from the wet high end
me, personally, would say go for mid-grade both
I think it depends on the circumstances as much as anything. I have a 9 year old who I never see drinking so for me a priority is making sure he gets enough water. In that case I think a poor quality wet would be better than a high quality dry. In fact, he recently went on strike from his high quality wet (in retrospect I think it was just the heat curbing his appetite) and the only thing I could tempt him with was felix
I'd rather feed him that than all dry.
In general Id say poor quality wet has the edge (just) as I'm not a great fan of dry food, whatever the quality.
In general Id say poor quality wet has the edge (just) as I'm not a great fan of dry food, whatever the quality.
I'd say it depends on the brand! Some low price wet foods aren't terrible quality- one flavor at least of Iams doesn't even have corn in it.
i was wondering why wet food has a much lower protein percentage than dry food but is said to be better?
Because on a dry matter basis (what's left when the water is removed), wet food has much much more protein/fat than dry food (generally). I don't feel like getting too mathy though
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Jaycee
here is a dry food
34% protein
20% fat
10% moisture
wet food
10% protein
5% fat
82% moisture
Dry food actual taking out mositure
35-37protein
21-23 fat
wet food
38-45% protein
18-23% fat
here is a dry food
34% protein
20% fat
10% moisture
wet food
10% protein
5% fat
82% moisture
Dry food actual taking out mositure
35-37protein
21-23 fat
wet food
38-45% protein
18-23% fat
so wouldnt they have to eat a lot more of the canned to get the same amount of protein as in dry, because they are just eating mostly water?
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No ... if you go ounce for ounce wet does require a bit more ...
take my Zoey she is about 9.6 lbs and eats 3/4 cup of dry food which is about 3 ounces but she also drinks 5 ounces a day of water so total is 8 ounces
on a wet diet she would likely eat 5-8 ounces a day and drink far less water...
she is starting to eat a combo and is down to 1/2 cup dry 3 ounces of water and two ounces of wet
take my Zoey she is about 9.6 lbs and eats 3/4 cup of dry food which is about 3 ounces but she also drinks 5 ounces a day of water so total is 8 ounces
on a wet diet she would likely eat 5-8 ounces a day and drink far less water...
she is starting to eat a combo and is down to 1/2 cup dry 3 ounces of water and two ounces of wet
I feed the boys a pretty good dry (Nutro), but they have refused all of the premium wet foods I've offered them. In an attempt to get them to eat any wet food at all to supplement their moisture (as I worry about them not drinking enough water) I've had to break down and buy low quality wet food (Fancy Feast) to get them to eat any at all. (And even with the FF, Spike will only eat a little and Cotton won't eat any at all.)
Once I have them in the habit of eating wet food, I plan to try to wean them onto something higher quality by mixing higher quality stuff in with the lower quality stuff slowly, but before I can do that I have to get them eating something wet to begin with!
I also want to invest in a water fountain.
Once I have them in the habit of eating wet food, I plan to try to wean them onto something higher quality by mixing higher quality stuff in with the lower quality stuff slowly, but before I can do that I have to get them eating something wet to begin with!
I also want to invest in a water fountain.
according to that she would still be getting more or equal the amount of protein on dry food. so if its a high quality i would go with that over a low quality wet.Originally Posted by sharky
No ... if you go ounce for ounce wet does require a bit more ...
take my Zoey she is about 9.6 lbs and eats 3/4 cup of dry food which is about 3 ounces but she also drinks 5 ounces a day of water so total is 8 ounces
on a wet diet she would likely eat 5-8 ounces a day and drink far less water...
she is starting to eat a combo and is down to 1/2 cup dry 3 ounces of water and two ounces of wet
im starting to think wet food is somewhat of a scam, especially considering the prices.
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No the protein would still be higher since the ave wet food provides 38-45% protein ... which is still more than the dry ave of 34% ...
three ounce s of wet still has more protein and the added benifit of extra moisture to mimic nature ...
Also remember wet food s levals are nearly constant no matter what brand wheras dry food s protein and fat varies greatly for just adult
The prices are higher for less but the vet bills are a lot lower
example
Kandie ate Friskie s wet and dry for years and ave three vet visits a year( over the yearly check up)
I put her on high high end dry and friskies wet ... two trips a year ( plus two check ups a yr)
switched to high end wet and dry ... just her check ups///
of course now she eats wet and raw and sees an accupucturist and is acting like 18 weeks not 18 years...
Lower end wet still gives alot of benifits like low grain, something cats dont need and almost every low to high end dry gives way to much....
Are you kidding? There are so many reasons why wet is better than dry food. First being it more closely resembles a natural diet. Dry food is very taxing for the digestive system of a carnivore to process. This may not affect day to day living, but causes problems in the long run. There are many many illnesses that have become increasingly common for felines these days, and it's been shown that it is more than likely due to the fact we've been told to feed them nothing but mid-range dry food from our vets. Diabetes, obesiety, feline lower urinary tract disease, thyroid problems, dental problems, allergies, etc. are all causing the veterinary community to take a second look at diet. Most vets are changing their tune and realising that wet overall is a better diet for cats than dry.
Here are some articles. You may have seen them before, but I'm linking them because I get the impression you havn't. Please read them, they're very informative!
http://www.littlebigcat.com/?action=...needcannedfood
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canned_food.htm
and at the bottom of the first page are links to many other pages that relate as well.
i have a petmate freshflow & a catit & i see mine drinking from them [altho Java STILL prefers the toilet when she can get to itOriginally Posted by nekokaasan
I also want to invest in a water fountain.
nope, im not kidding, the digestion thing is the only part about wet food that makes sense so far. the part about them getting more water cause cats dont drink much, i can see thats not true at least in my cats, they drink plenty of water. and i dont believe it gives them more protein either. i will read the articles you provided, thanks
Ok wow....let me clear something up.
Wet food has more protein...it's simple math.
Wet food is composed of 70-80% water. That means that the label will say 9% protein. If you convert that to DRY MATTER which is what is DIGESTED, you will see that it is actually 50-60% protein. While it gets expensive because you have to feed more because it is mostly composed of water, it has more digestible nutrients.
When dry kibble is digested, it requires EQUAL amounts of water to re-hydrate it, expanding it in the stomach. If the equal amount of water is not present, the kibble doesn't rehydrate causing it to be "wasted." It is not digested because it is not broken down, so it is passed through the GI tract and expelled in the waste.
Wet food has more protein...it's simple math.
Wet food is composed of 70-80% water. That means that the label will say 9% protein. If you convert that to DRY MATTER which is what is DIGESTED, you will see that it is actually 50-60% protein. While it gets expensive because you have to feed more because it is mostly composed of water, it has more digestible nutrients.
When dry kibble is digested, it requires EQUAL amounts of water to re-hydrate it, expanding it in the stomach. If the equal amount of water is not present, the kibble doesn't rehydrate causing it to be "wasted." It is not digested because it is not broken down, so it is passed through the GI tract and expelled in the waste.
