Canned Dog Food

[Denise L.]

A question I have been pondering since grocery shopping Friday night. A man in line ahead of me had a million cans of Alpo in his cart. The cashier asked hiom what kind of dog he had and he said "St. Bernard". At that point, I stuck my nosy nose in and asked if he only fed canned food and he said yes.

Kind of brought me back to days of Grandma feeding Blackie Calo canned!

Anyway, my question is: Does anyone here feed exclusively canned food? And why? Is a totally wet food diet healthy? What about dental health?

[RottiMomCT]

I don't feed canned at all - dry kibble moistened with a bit of water, the dogs have normal tartar buildup which we try to take care of with bones & annual brushings.

A friend of mine has a Pug that eats exclusivly canned food and that dog has the worst runny poops and the worst foul breath I've ever smelled. Not to mentionhis teeth, at four years old, look like those of a 12 year old dog...YUCK! When he asked me what to do about the bad breath, I asked what he fed. When he told me whatever canned food is on sale because that's what the breeder said to feed, I laughed. He bought the dog at a PET STORE! Don't even get me going on that end of it all

I told him the dog needs dry kibble mixed with his canned food, and an occassional bone to chew to get the crud off his teeth wouldn't hurt either.

He still feeds canned....he is now dealing with his dog losing teeth and asked me what I can do about it. Would it be cruel of me to say "I told you his teeth would rot out of his poor little puppy mill head but you didn't listen..."?

I don't think an exclusively canned food diet is good for dogs...especially dental health...

[spidey]

There's nothing wrong with feeding all canned food, assuming it's good-quality. The amount of difference it makes to the teeth is likely very small (dogs don't exactly chew kibble much), and adding abrasive things that dogs actually chew on like raw bones, Greenies and hard biscuits to the diet makes much more of a difference to the teeth than dry food does (Greenies are proven to reduce plaque). There are also many benefits to feeding a good-quality canned food (likely NOT Alpo), for one thing, canned food has a much higher percentage of meat, since dry food has to contain a certain amount of grain for processing, canned contains fewer additives and preservatives, canned contains more fat, and canned is easier to digest. The main issue is really cost and convenience - canned is WAY more expensive than dry, especially for a big dog, and it doesn't keep as long as dry once opened. See here for more info, including links about the perceived dental benefits of dry food.

[mmgy]

Once again, it depends on the quality of the food. The better foods don't make the teeth any worse than their sister kibbles.

When all our dogs started aging a few years ago we learned the value of canned food for encouraging finicky appetites, and have used it ever since. My Delilah was on a canned diet exclusively for a period of time in old age, and did very well.

Now with 5 healthy dogs we use about a half can a day.

[Denise L.]

Thanks Amanda I checked out that website.

Cyrus eats Canidae so I checked that...1 13 oz can for every 20 lbs per day! That would mean Cyrus would need to eat nearly five cans a day! NOT that I considered doing that! But that would put us in the poor house!

Cyrus does love his Canidae canned though, so he gets a spoonful in with his kibble and I will often stuff a kong with some too. One can lasts a few days that way!

[spidey]

I believe that the Candiae canned isn't nutritionally complete and isn't intended to be fed as the entire diet anyway - I think it says right on the can that it should be fed with kibble, and shouldn't make up more than a certain percentage of the diet. But yeah, even with my 25lb. guy, feeding all-canned is just too expensive.

[MontanaRott]

We feed our old men a mix of canned and a small bit of kibble. My 15 and 17 yr old are toothless but still can eat a bit of kibble. They also get bones and things to chew. It is pretty common for a Pug to have bad breath and teeth if they are not brushed daily. They have a lot of teeth in a very small space and need to be brushed and have regular dental visits! Our 15 and 17 did not get that and are now gummy.

[Patty1231]

I add a big spoonful of Nutro Weight Maintenance to the dogs Natural Balance kibble mixed with a little water to spread it out. Mainly just for flavoring.

[Judi W]

Dental problems are expected with a breed such as the Pug because of their occlusion. If the teeth do not mesh, they are not going to have the degree of self-cleaning that a dog with a sissors bite will. Also, mouth chemistry has a lot to do with dental health.

[rottnelmo]

Originally Posted by RottiMomCT

He still feeds canned....he is now dealing with his dog losing teeth and asked me what I can do about it. Would it be cruel of me to say "I told you his teeth would rot out of his poor little puppy mill head but you didn't listen..."?

OMG!!!! Yes, I think you should say that...I spit chewed up chocolate chip cookies out when I read that. Say it and report back!

I agree though, canned should only be feed as supplemental and kibble should be the main diet or raw with bones. Must keep the tartar at bay you know.

[spidey]

Originally Posted by rottnelmo

OMG!!!! Yes, I think you should say that...I spit chewed up chocolate chip cookies out when I read that. Say it and report back!

I agree though, canned should only be feed as supplemental and kibble should be the main diet or raw with bones. Must keep the tartar at bay you know.

I really suggest you look at the link I provided. Kibble's effect on tartar is considered minimal at best, chew items like bones do a much better job and as Judi pointed out, dogs with malocclusion (either undershot like a Pug or overshot) are far more prone to tooth problems than dogs with a scissors bite. Feeding canned food has little or nothing to do with it.

[Sargeant_C]

I was suggested by a vet and also a animal shelter worker that I add canned food to Mindy's kibble to add on some fat to her. She was way undernourished when I adopted her and she was so cold that I had to buy her a sweater to keep her warm on our walks.
But with both of my dogs I feed kibble (Innova) and with Mindy I add some can food to it.

[rottsnroses]

I feed a 50/50 mix of dry Canidae and canned, either Canidae or Solid Gold Tripe. I also add Nupro Joint Support to the evening feeding, and plain yogurt to the morning feeding.

I prefer to add canned as it is less processed than kibble, and as Amanda pointed out, the protein content is higher and it is easier to digest. It does make for a softer stool, but I don't have a problem with that. It's still formed and easy to scoop.

Both dogs have sweet breath, but I also brush their teeth and give them a marrow bone and a Greenie or two every week, so keeping their teeth clean is not a problem.

[Dave Brown]

Originally Posted by spidey

I think it says right on the can that it should be fed with kibble, and shouldn't make up more than a certain percentage of the diet.

The can says to mix a 25/75 ration of wet to dry. 255 being the canned. So that's what I did.

db

[chivas]

I mix about a teaspoon of canned , I use either CA Natural or Canidae, in my dogs' dry food to encourage eating it all at one time. My 16 yr old dog is becoming thin so he is fed almost totally canned. At this point I dont care about tarter build up - he has never had his teeth cleaned (never needed too) but he does get greenies to hopefully stave off any tooth troubles.