How much kibble to mix with wet food

Feeding Your Dog Kibble and Wet Food: How Much and How Often?

When it comes to knowing how much kibble and wet food to feed our dogs, it can take a bit of trial and error. One of the most frequent questions we get asked is "how much do I feed my dog?" With all the different considerations of weight, activity level, age, and environment, that can be difficult to answer. However, we've compiled some of our top tips to help you decide how much to feed your canine companion.

Check Your Dog's Body Condition

A good starting point is to figure out your dog's current body condition. A body score chart can easily do this to visibly check and see if your dog is average, overweight or underweight This chart will help you determine if your dog needs to gain, lose, or maintain their weight. Next, weigh your dog and record the number so that you can easily track if their weight changes.

If you feed your dog primarily dry food, check the package for the daily feeding guidelines for their weight, age, and activity level. If you wish to provide your loyal companion with a combination of dry and wet food, you should also check to see how much wet food would be required on a daily basis, because you will need to consider all of those calories. Remember, wet food is not as calorically dense as kibble simply because of the moisture levels.

Tip: The feeding guidelines on your dog's food package are listed for their weight and are reported in daily amounts. Once you have found the daily recommended quantities for your dog for each type of food, it's simple math to determine how much of each to feed!

Here's an example:

Let's say you have a 30 lb reasonably active adult dog. You want to feed him a combination of Go! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Chicken Recipe With Grains dry food and Go! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Shredded Chicken Recipe With Grains wet food.

• If you want to feed 50% kibble, 50% wet, use the feeding guidelines for each and provide half as much daily. In this example, you would feed cup of dry and 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cartons of wet per day.

• If you want to feed 75% kibble, 25% wet, use the feeding guidelines for each and calculate how much 75% would be for providing dry and 25% of the feeding guidelines for the wet food.

• Adjust these amounts over time to achieve ideal body weight. In addition, we recommend weighing your pet's food for better accuracy.

Treats can add extra pounds to your dog if you aren't careful, so these should never add up to more than 10% of your dog's daily caloric intake.

Remember, paying attention to the feeding guidelines will give you a good idea of where to start. Once you see how these amounts affect your dog's body condition, you can easily adjust up or down to what works best. In the end, ensuring your dog has the proper amount of nutritional intake each day will be an ongoing balancing act. Like people, their weight and body condition will fluctuate with activity level, climate, and age.

How to Properly Mix Wet & Dry Pet Foods

Using wet pet foods to supplement or 'top dress' dry kibble is popular practice. In fact, research shows that many pets that eat a therapeutic dry foods are also eating awet foods from a supermarket. If you are feeding your pet a therapeutic food, it's important that you not mix it with more wellness-based types of foods.

Therefore, it is NOT recommended to mix Hill's with other foods. Mixing with wet cat or dog foods other than Hill's may:

• dilute the precise balance of Hill's nutrition
• cause undesired weight gain
• expose your cat or dog to higher levels of certain minerals

Hill's offers a wide range of products with no excess salt, clinically proven antioxidants and over 50 vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This is the ultimate in precisely balanced nutrition, formulated to enhance your cat's health and longevity. Additionally, it is not recommended to mix therapeuticfoods with foods from the pet store or supermarket because it may decrease the impact the therapeuticfood has on your pet.

If you wish to offer your pet a more varied diet, talk to your vet about complementing your their dry food with Hill's Science Diet or Prescription Diet wet products. Both are packaged in either cans or pouches and are the only wet food solutions to effectively complement Hill's dry food.

Click here to find your local vet and to see the full range of Hill's products, go to our product selector.

The Ultimate Guide to Mixing Wet and Dry Dog Food

Wet vs Dry Dog Food: What You Need to Know About Mixing Them

Most dog owners have heard that wet and dry food should not be mixed together. But is this really true? And if you do mix them, what are the pros and cons? In this article, Ill explore mixing wet and dry dog food in more detail and try to answer all of your questions on this topic.

Can You Mix Wet and Dry Food?

The short answer is that it is possible to mix wet and dry food, but there are some things you need to be aware of first. Wet food contains around 75-80% water, while dry food only contains around 10% moisture. When you mix these two very different types of food together, it can negatively impact their texture and how your dog digests them.

Some potential issues with mixing wet and dry food include:

1. The wet food can cause the dry kibble to become very soggy and mushy. This texture change can discourage dogs from eating all of their meal.
2. The moisture from wet food can speed up the fermentation process in dry kibble, decreasing its nutritional value more rapidly.
3. Mixing the two types together can create an imbalance in your dogs digestive system if eaten consistently.

So in summary while an occasional mixture of wet and dry likely wont cause harm, mixing them routinely is generally not recommended by veterinary nutritionists. But there may be some exceptions to this rule, which Ill cover later.

Reasons People Mix Wet and Dry Food

Now that weve explored some of the potential downsides, lets take a look at why many pet owners do opt to mix wet and dry food together. Here are a few common reasons:

To Increase Consumption: Some dogs can be very finicky eaters who dont always finish their meals. Adding a small amount of tasty wet food to dry kibble can entice picky pooches to eat more overall.

To Support Specific Health Needs: Mixing in wet food allows you to easily adjust macronutrient ratios to support weight management, joint health issues, digestive issues, and more. The moisture content is also better for some senior dogs.

To Prevent Boredom: By alternating food textures and flavors through wet and dry mixtures, pet owners hope to keep carnivore companions entertained and engaged with their mealtimes. Variety is the spice of life for dogs too!

For Multidog Households: In homes with dogs of differing sizes/needs, mixing wet into dry kibble makes it possible to feed one meal that works for the whole pack. Mealtimes are easier to manage this way.

So in certain situations, a mixture may provide benefits even if not quite as nutritionally balanced as feeding completely separate meals. But its important to consider your individual dogs needs.

When Mixing Wet and Dry Works Well

Now lets explore some guidelines for when it can be okay, or even advantageous, to mix wet and dry dog food:

For Senior or Sedentary Dogs: The extra moisture in wet food supports hydration for aging pooches or those less active due to injury/illness. Its easier for them to digest.

In Small Amounts: Adding 1-2 tablespoons of wet food per cup of dry minimizes texture/digestion issues. It should be mixed just before serving, instead of letting it sit and get soggy.

For Picky Eaters: Topping dry food with a teaspoon of wet enticement can work to get finicky furballs eating. Train them with this, then slowly cut back on wet amounts over time.

When Feeding Multiple Dogs: If all dogs have similar needs, a wet/dry blend ensures the littlest pooch will eat too. Just watch ratios for weight management pups.

With Few Health Issues: Generally healthy dogs have more flexibility for occasional wet/dry mixtures. But always consult your vet if dietary changes are needed for medical reasons.

The key things are moderation, serving fresh mixtures immediately rather than letting them sit, and being aware of any special dietary concerns for your particular pup. With care and guidance from your vet, mixing small amounts can work well as part of your dogs regular diet.

Working With Wet and Dry Food Mixes

From my experience as a dog lover and owner, there are a few tricks Ive found helpful when incorporating both wet and dry food into a canine companions meals:

Start Slow: Gradually transition your dog to any diet changes over 5-7 days to avoid tummy troubles. Go 25/75, 50/50 and so on.

Feed Separately: If you do large mixtures, consider dividing into two meals one wet, one dry. This prevents soggy kibble issues.

Experiment: Try different combos to see your pups preferences. Topping, mixing or dividing could all work based on your doggo. Do what motivates best eating!

Watch Water Intake: High moisture wet food reduces thirst, so feed less if also serving lots of water between meals. Hydration is crucial to monitor.

Store Sensibly: Keep leftover wet/dry mixtures refrigerated or discarded within 2 hours to prevent bacteria growth in moist conditions.

With a bit of trial and error, paying attention to your dogs unique personality and needs, you can usually find a wet/dry balance that works well for your furry friend. The key thing is moderation in all things! But hey, what do I know every dog is different, right?

Bringing It All Together

So in summary while complete wet/dry mixing gets a red flag from many vet nutritionists due to digestive balancing issues, small amounts on occasion are generally okay for healthy adult dogs. There are also some specific situations where a mixture can indeed be quite beneficial.

Overall, Id say use your best judgment as an owner. Consider guidelines from reputable sources as well as your own dogs habits, preferences and any special dietary requirements. With moderation and attention to your pups reaction, small wet/dry mixtures can absolutely be incorporated successfully into many canine companions diets.

The most important things are knowing your individual dog, communicating with your vet, and making adjustments gradually based on your pups needs and responses. With care, patience and compassion, Im sure youll find a dietary approach for your furry friend that keeps them healthy, happy and well nourished. Let me know if you have any other questions!

FAQ

1. Can I feed my dog a mix of wet and dry food?

   Yeah, its absolutely okay to give your pup a combination of wet and dry kibble. In fact, mixing up their diet with different textures can be good for their health. Some vets even recommend it!

2. What are the benefits of mixing wet and dry dog food?

   There are a few perks to a mixed diet. Wet food packs more moisture which can help your dog stay hydrated. The texture change keeps mealtimes interesting too. Also, splitting nutrients between wet and dry may result in better nutrient absorption compared to one type alone. So basically, variety is good for your furry friend!

3. How much of each should I feed?

   Theres no set rule, but most experts suggest starting with 25% of the daily portion as wet food and the rest as dry kibble. You can totally play around with the ratio to see what your pup prefers. Maybe do half and half or even three-quarters wet food if dry kibble just isnt their jam. Just be sure the total amount equals the daily amount stated on the packaging.

4. Wont they just eat all the wet food and leave the dry?

   Not necessarily! Some pups will obviously go after the wet food first since its tastier. But with the right balancing act, theyll still end up eating some of the dry too. The key is dividing the portions and feeding them separately, rather than mixing it all in one bowl. Another option is adding a little water to the dry kibble to make it more enticing. With the right technique, Fido shouldnt snub their kibble.

5. Is there any downside to a mixed diet?

   At the same time, theres one potential issue a diet heavy on wet foods may lead to weight gain if not portion controlled. Wet food has a higher moisture content so pups feel full on fewer calories. Its easy to overfeed. So stick to the daily amounts and dont pile on extras just because pooch prefers wet to dry. As long as youre careful about portions, a combination should suit your dog perfectly fine.

6. Any tips for transitioning to a mixed diet?

   If suddenly changing up pups diet, start gradual. Over the course of a week, slowly decrease the dry portion and replace it with wet little by little. Going cold turkey may lead to an upset tummy. Some pups also kind of need to adjust to new textures and flavors. Making the shift step-by-step helps them get used to it. And of course, watch out for any telltale signs that their system just aint digging the change.