# Kibble vs. Canned



## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I've always fed dry kibble, but have been moistening it with warm water since I started to add the Probiotics to their food. The lady at AnimalEssentials, where I get the Probiotics from recommended using canned, at least until Jett's colon is healed (he has IBS), and that it isn't true that canned is bad for their teeth. Then I was reading the newsletter from the lady who wrote Scared Poopless (still haven't read that book but am going to) and she also said the same thing, that it's a myth that kibble is better for their teeth. I hate to give Jett Metronidazole when his IBS acts up because he could go a long time and be just fine, and then go through a time where he ate rabbit droppings and had a flare up, and then 2 weeks later do the same thing. So I broke down and picked up some canned (I've got them both on California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice) 2 weeks ago. I was mixing it half kibble and half canned. In two weeks time I can honestly say both of their coats are looking even better then they had. Their coats have always been really good, but they are even nicer now. Yesterday I noticed that Jett started with a softer stool, like maybe he got into something he shouldn't, so instead of mixing the kibble and canned, I just gave him the canned. I didn't give him any Metronidazole. Today he is totally fine. But the thing I find really interesting is that they both have stopped having BM's twice a day and are now down to having a BM just once a day. Is that ok? How many here mix kibble and canned? How many just feed canned? For those who do feed canned in any proportion, have you noticed more of a build up on their teeth?


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

For yrs I didn't feed canned either. Because my vets always told me it wasn't good for their teeth.  Well, I believed them, after all they're the doctor.

Fast forward - about two months ago I started incorporating a tsp of canned with their kibble, because I have read that it actually benefits the dogs and that canned food in most cases can be better than dry altogether. Who knew. See what you learn when you do a bit of reading.

I have also learned that "most" vets dont know diddly when it comes to food. I especially get up in arms when they sell science diet, and swear its the best. :mellow:


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## jen_hedz (Mar 5, 2008)

I asked my vet about canned food too when I got my babies since they were only on canned food and I wondered when I should start feeding kibble. My vet said that either way I wanted to go was fine. She said she wouldn't be to worried about buildup on teeth, although the intern that was there with her did mention it before my vet came in. She said that it may cause buildup and they may eventually have more dental problems. Since the intern was really new at this and my vet has been a vet for over 20 years I listened to her, not the intern. My pups have been on canned food only since birth and they are 3 months now and there is no buildup, granted they do a lot of chewing on there dental bones.


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

Crystal I have fed both boys on canned since the beginning and have kibble available to snack on through the day, as you know Scooby had his very first dental a few weeks ago and his teeth are good for a 4½ year old's first dental check. The are snow white and not one bad tooth.
Koko has IBS too and I just make sure he only eats what I give him in meals and treats, no people food except the occasional steamed carrot which he loves, but only a little.
I feed organic and natural ie Canidae and Castor & Pollux and Canidae kibble. Both boys are doing great on their food. I still have to spoon feed Scooby his canned which he must have, but he does like his kibble and treats and gobbles them up willingly.
When Scooby was so sick the vet said the canned was the best for moisture which he needed, she always encouraged me to feed canned as she said all kibble diets can cause kidney stones if the dogs don't drink enough water.


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

There was an excellent overview of dog food in an article titled "Food For Thought" in the March 2008 issue of *Dog Fancy* magazine. Here's what the "Dry versus Canned" section of the article states:

_Dry dog food is more economical and a bit easier to feed than canned, says veterinary nutritionist Rebecca Remilland. However, dry food is a complex product, whereas the canned version of the same usually contains different ingredients. If the dry food is causing a stomach problem, the canned version may be an option.

Canned food contains few or no preservatives because the canning process preserves the food. It is usually more palatable, and contains significantly more water, which can be good for a pet who needs more hydration. However, canned foods can start to spoil after sitting out for more than 30 minutes and are more costly for the nutritional value.

Myth-buster: Recent research has shown there is no difference between the effects of dry or canned food on the oral health or degree of plaque and calculus accumulation, says veterinary nutritionist Iveta Beevarova. Dental diets work because of the ingredients they contain and how the kibbles are formulated, not because they are dry, she explains._



Joy


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

I mostly use dry but I do add some canned to the dry a few times a week. They enjoy the change & it hasn't caused any problems.Neither have any tummy issues & they have 1 or 2 normal poops a day.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

> There was an excellent overview of dog food in an article titled "Food For Thought" in the March 2008 issue of *Dog Fancy* magazine. Here's what the "Dry versus Canned" section of the article states:
> 
> _Dry dog food is more economical and a bit easier to feed than canned, says veterinary nutritionist Rebecca Remilland. However, dry food is a complex product, whereas the canned version of the same usually contains different ingredients. If the dry food is causing a stomach problem, the canned version may be an option.
> 
> ...


Oh that is an excellent article. Thanks Joy! So I'm guessing canned is actually better for them then since there are few to no preservatives in them. I only give mine what they will eat at a serving so it doesn't sit out for more then 10-15 minutes. And if the theory that the smaller and less poops mean the body is using most of the food, (less fillers and junk), is still correct, then one poop a day instead of two is a good thing...I hope. Although I do remember someone saying that larger poops help to express the anal glands naturally. LOL Solving one problem only to contribute to another it seems! *sigh* I've got my two on the same potty schedule and they are only pooping once a day. Now if I could only get them both to poop at the same time. Jett poops in the morning and Zoe poops in the evening. Am I really asking too much? :HistericalSmiley:


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

> Crystal I have fed both boys on canned since the beginning and have kibble available to snack on through the day, as you know Scooby had his very first dental a few weeks ago and his teeth are good for a 4½ year old's first dental check. The are snow white and not one bad tooth.
> Koko has IBS too and I just make sure he only eats what I give him in meals and treats, no people food except the occasional steamed carrot which he loves, but only a little.
> I feed organic and natural ie Canidae and Castor & Pollux and Canidae kibble. Both boys are doing great on their food. I still have to spoon feed Scooby his canned which he must have, but he does like his kibble and treats and gobbles them up willingly.
> When Scooby was so sick the vet said the canned was the best for moisture which he needed, she always encouraged me to feed canned as she said all kibble diets can cause kidney stones if the dogs don't drink enough water. [/B]


You know Janet, I should have been giving Jett canned after the lady at AnimalEssentials told me because thinking back, when I was in high school and was having some IBS trouble myself, I remember the Dr. telling me to eat a soft diet for a while until my colon healed and then to avoid certain types of foods. Can't remember what all they were now but I do remember strawberries because of the seeds and I'm thinking foods that are considered roughage food I was to avoid. Something else I've been hearing lately is that it is good to mix up the proteins every now and then. By going with a low ingredient food that is pretty limiting. But I see that Evanger's has a couple of different formulas that have only one protein and one carb. Have you looked at their line?


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

Ollie has IBS and he only can have single protein/single carb food. Even more particular, Duck and Potato formula. I give him 1/4 canned first thing in the morning b/c I know he will gobble it up and it keeps him from empty-tummy throwing up. The rest of the day he free-feeds on kibble--about 1/2 cup.

I give Ollie natural balance brand and he does very well on it. It's a good food. Very recently my vet was pushing Royal Canine duck and potato (they sell it there) and, come to find out, the duck was "duck bi-product" !! When I found that out I called and didn't get much of a straight answer other than they also sell prescripiton Hill Science diet duck and potato and I could use that instead. They claimed they wanted him to be on a food that they sell there so that they know exactly what he is eating--and I can understand the logic in that--after all, the vets can't keep track of the ingredients in all the hundreds of foods that are out there. But why they were promoting the Royal Canine with the duck bi-products when there are much better foods out there is beyond me. btw, the Hill's duck and potato actually has a very decent ingredient list (and no bi-products).

I'm surprised your vet never suggested a "limited diet" being the one carb/one protein diets for IBS. I think it's the best thing for them. The fewer the ingredients, the better for them.

Anyway, I'm not in a hurry to switch Ollie off of NB. He does VERY well on it. His coat is nice (nice for a non-show dog, lol), never any tear staining, etc. Healthy poops 1-2 times per day.

If you're concerned about tooth plaque, give them a bully stick to chew on every day.

He is still young--18 months, so I'm still figuring out all the IBS stuff. I, also, had IBS years ago almost on a daily basis and it flared very badly during my two pregnancies but since I've gotten it under control. What works best for me is the more simple & pure, the better. I'm assuming it's the same for the fluffs!!


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

My holistic vet said a mix of canned and dry is great and to rotate the brands every few months so that they don't develop allergies.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

> Ollie has IBS and he only can have single protein/single carb food. Even more particular, Duck and Potato formula. I give him 1/4 canned first thing in the morning b/c I know he will gobble it up and it keeps him from empty-tummy throwing up. The rest of the day he free-feeds on kibble--about 1/2 cup.
> 
> I give Ollie natural balance brand and he does very well on it. It's a good food. Very recently my vet was pushing Royal Canine duck and potato (they sell it there) and, come to find out, the duck was "duck bi-product" !! When I found that out I called and didn't get much of a straight answer other than they also sell prescripiton Hill Science diet duck and potato and I could use that instead. They claimed they wanted him to be on a food that they sell there so that they know exactly what he is eating--and I can understand the logic in that--after all, the vets can't keep track of the ingredients in all the hundreds of foods that are out there. But why they were promoting the Royal Canine with the duck bi-products when there are much better foods out there is beyond me. btw, the Hill's duck and potato actually has a very decent ingredient list (and no bi-products).
> 
> ...


Jett is on a low residue or limited diet...California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice. It only has chicken meal and rice plus supplements in it. Remember the converstation about what is "low residue" and Probiotics? LOL But my vet said nothing about canned being better to help heal the colon, the lady from AnimalEssentials did, where I get his Probiotics. Just the more I'm learning about nutrition the more I'm hearing it is better to switch the proteins every once in a while for several reasons...developing allergies is one of them. Making sure they get everything they need nutritionally is another. There isn't a lot to choose from out there that is a "limited diet formula". I just noticed Evangers have a couple of different ones and I am kind of impressed with their product so I thought I'd pass that info on...as well as it seems the canned seems to be better for those who suffer with IBS. At least it helped to ward off an IBS flare up for Jett without having to put him on the Metronidazole. Bully sticks and Flossies give both of my babies tummy problems. I'm assuming it has something to do with mixing proteins. Jett is very limited in what he can have for treats. Pretty much it is only his food and currently some shaved chicken for treats since his protein in his food is chicken.

Zoe and Jett's coats have always been awesome. I just happened to notice that after only supplementing their kibble with canned for a couple of weeks, I can see an improvement. Just thought I'd pass that info on as well.


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## graceandmartin (Feb 25, 2008)

I tried Dini on dry kibble at first (Avoderm Naturals- which was what her breeder used), but when we first brought her home, she barely ate any. Plus too, she had a few parasites where we were required to put the medicine in her food. Needless to say, since she barely ate her food, she barely intook any medicine. So we switched her to canned Evo Innova (which was recommended to us by our vet due to the high amount of protein) and she was like a totally different dog!! She loves the canned Evo. She also had colitis, so we had to also put the Metronizadole in her food, and it was fine. I give her the canned food in the morning before I go to work. When I come home in the early afternoon (Thank God I only work half days!) the bowl is empty and I give her the dry kibble (also Evo Innova) to munch on for the rest of the afternoon. And that is exactly what she does, she'll munch on it till dinner time (I usually only give her about 1/3 of a cup). Since she's still teething, the dry kibble is perfect for her when she needs to chew. And because the Evo is so high in protein her BMs are less frequent and not watery anymore- thank goodness! I also give her Nylabones, White Bites (also recommended to me by the vet) and her teething Kongs to help out with her bite. So far, this is what has been helping for her! :smheat:


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

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Yes, I remember the conversation now (it takes me a while sometimes, lol). That's good and interesting and helpful info for me to keep in mind--thanks for sharing!!

I've also heard before to switch the foods (w/ in the same brand and, in this case, same limited diet formula) to prevent allergies, etc. A few times I've tried Ollie on other brands like a lamb & rice, etc., and had negative results. Maybe what I need to do is try within the same brand. I think I did do that a while back and it didn't do so well. When he's done with the 10 lbs of NB duck & potato I have now, I'll try switching to a different flavor. 10 lbs should take him quite a while, lol.


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