Is it OK to mix wet and dry dog food

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.

Can You Mix Wet and Dry Dog Food? Vet-Verified Pros & Cons

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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Do you ever mix wet and dry dog food together? Many people do, but is it a good idea? Some pet owners believe that mixing the two will provide their canine companions with a more well-rounded diet. However, others think that this could actually be harmful to the dogs. So, whats the verdict?

Yes, you can mix wet and dry dog food. In fact, many pet parents do it to add variety to their dogs diet or to make sure their pup is getting all the nutrients that they need.

However, there are a few things that you should keep in mind when mixing wet and dry dog food.

Dry Dog Food

Dry dog food is also known as kibble. Its made up of bite-sized pieces of meat and other ingredients that have been cooked and then dried. Dry food is typically high in carbohydrates, which can make it a good choice for dogs that need more energy.

Dry dog food has a lot of advantages. For one thing, its great for dental health, since the crunchy kibble helps to remove tartar and plaque. Its also easy to store and has a long shelf life, which makes it a convenient option for busy pet owners.

Additionally, dry dog food is usually cheaper than wet food, and theres a large variety of brands and flavors to choose from.

However, there are also some disadvantages to dry dog food. There is wide variation in the quality of ingredients, and choosing a food suitable for your dog can be daunting. In addition, some dogs dont enjoy the texture of dry food and prefer wet food instead.

Pros

• Great for dental health
• Easy to store
• Long shelf life
• Cheap
• Large variety of ingredients

Cons

• Some dogs may not like it

Wet Dog Food

Wet dog food has several advantages, including the fact that dogs tend to like it more than dry food. The high moisture content in wet food can also be beneficial for dogs that need to stay hydrated, such as those with kidney issues.

Additionally, wet food is softer and easier to eat, making it a good choice for dogs with dental problems. Finally, wet food is often used to wean puppies, since it is easy for them to consume.

While there are many benefits to wet dog food, there are also some drawbacks. Wet food is generally more expensive than dry food, and it can be messy to feed. Wet food also spoils more quickly than dry food and requires refrigeration after opening.

Despite these disadvantages, wet dog food can be a nutritious and delicious option for your four-legged friend.

Pros

• Dogs tend to love it
• High moisture content, aiding hydration
• Ideal for dogs with dental issues
• Great for weaning puppies

Cons

• Expensive
• Messy
• Spoils quickly
• Requires refrigeration after opening

Mixing Wet and Dry Dog Food

As you can see, there are both advantages and disadvantages to feeding your dog wet or dry food. So, what happens if you mix the two?

Mixing wet and dry food can give your dog the best of both worlds. The dry food will provide them with the crunchy texture that they enjoy, while the wet food will add moisture and flavor.

Additionally, mixing wet and dry food can help to ensure that your dog is getting all the nutrients they need. Different types of food offer different nutritional benefits.

For example, dry food is typically high in carbohydrates, while wet food is higher in protein. By feeding your dog a mix of both, you can help to ensure that theyre getting a well-rounded diet.

The Benefits

• Positive effects from both types of food
• Easier to disguise the introduction of new flavors
• Provides texture and variety to their diet
• More cost effective than feeding just wet food
• Aids in weight management (wet food is less dense in calories)

The Downfalls

• More work involved
• Mixture gets soggy if not eaten immediately

Make sure youre feeding your dog the right amount, check out our dog foodcalculatorhere:

The exact amount of calories an individual animal needs to maintain a healthy weight is variable and influenced by many factors including genetics, age, breed, and activity level. This tool is meant to be used only as a guideline for healthy individuals and does not substitute veterinary advice

How to Mix Feed Your Dog

Now that you know some of the benefits and drawbacks of mixing wet and dry food, you might be wondering how to go about doing it. There are three primary ways that you can mix these two dog foods:

• Straight mixing: This is the simplest way to mix wet and dry food. Simply combine the two foods in your dogs bowl, and let them eat as usual.
• Alternate days: If youre concerned about the wet food going bad, you can alternate between feeding your dog dry food one day and wet food the next.
• Alternate meals: Another option is to feed your dog dry food for one meal and wet food for the next. This can be a good option to blend into your routine. Many owners opt for dry food for breakfast and wet food for dinner.

Ratios

When it comes to mixing wet and dry food, there is no perfect ratio. It will vary depending on your dogs individual preferences and nutritional needs.

A good starting point is to mix one part wet food with three parts dry food. From there, you can adjust the ratio as needed based on your dogs response.

Transition Period

When mixing wet and dry food, its important to do so gradually. Sudden changes in diet can cause digestive upset in dogs. Instead, slowly introduce the new food over the course of 710 days.

Begin by mixing a small amount of wet food with their dry food. Each day, increase the amount of wet food while decreasing the amount of dry food. By the end of the transition period, your dog should be eating mostly wet food with only a small amount of dry food mixed in.

Tips for Success

• Consult a vet before making any changes to your dogs diet.
• Use different flavors and textures to entice your dog to eat.
• Choose a food that is high quality and nutritious.
• Monitor your dogs weight and energy levels to ensure that theyre getting the right amount of food.
• Never mix prescription or specialty dog food before discussing it thoroughly with your vet.

Summary

There is no such thing as the best option for all when it comes to feeding dogs. Cost, storage, ease, medical concerns, physical limitations, access to food types, individual dog pickiness, and much more may all influence your choice of whether to feed only wet or dry food or a combination of both.

Featured Image Credit: Yuriy Golub, Shutterstock

Mixing It Up: Is It Safe to Combine Different Dog Food Brands

Have you ever stood in the pet food aisle, overwhelmed by the endless choices, and wondered if your dog might enjoy a little variety in his bowl?

Or perhaps youve pondered whether mixing brands could be the secret sauce to balancing your fur babys diet.

You can mix dog food brands, but it should be done carefully. Ensure the mix offers balanced nutrition, is the same life stage, and doesnt cause overfeeding. Gradually transition to new brands to prevent digestive issues.

From the whys and hows to the dos and donts, were sniffing out the truth behind mixing dog food brands. Is it a culinary adventure or a recipe for trouble?

This article is like the canine version of a dinner party but with kibble and canned food instead of canaps and cocktails.

Lets unleash the facts!

Can You Mix Dog Food Brands?

Mixing dog food brands is a practice adopted for three reasons. It is generally harmless and is even recommended in some situations, but there is one type of dog food mixing that isnt advisable.

To elaborate on this, we must start with the three reasons people want to mix dog food brands:

• They are transitioning their dog to a new type of dog food
• They are trying to make food more palatable for their dog
• Theyre trying to adjust their dog food expenses

Transitioning Your Dog To A Different Brand

Mixing two different dog food brands is an acceptable practice when switching your dogs diet. Abrupt switches can be bad for your dogs health.

Moreover, your dog might not be as receptive to his new diet. Mixing dog food brands for transitioning purposes follows these stages:

1. 90% brand A (primary food) + 10% brand B (new brand)
2. 80% brand A + 20% brand B
3. 70% brand A + 30% brand B
4. 50% brand A + 50% brand B
5. 20% brand A + 80% brand B
6. 10% brand A + 90% brand B

This type of food mixing is temporary until your dog gets used to his new food. It is often the recommended method of making transitions in your dogs diet, especially if he starts to get bored with his food.

You can adjust the ratio and percentages of brands A and B in his food mixture.

The underlying principle is that the brand he is fond of must initially constitute most of the mix. You can reduce it gradually until it is practically non-existent.

Some dogs can transition to a different brand without any stomach problems quite quickly, whereas others may need a few weeks to transition over fully. Its best to take things slowly to avoid any stomach upset.

Togiveyourpetsdigestivesystemtimetoacclimatize,Iadvisegraduallyblendinganincreasingquantityofthenewfoodintotheolddietoveratleastoneweek.

Spreading out the switchover allows your dog to adjust and adapt to the new food.

Making Food More Palatable

The second reason is more specific to fussy eaters. If your dog doesnt like to eat dry dog food, you might want to mix in some wet food. If he doesnt like processed dog food, you might mix it with organic dog food.

The underlying principle, in this case, is that you disguise the taste of the food he isnt fond of with food that he likes. This is a perfectly acceptable solution if both brands are high quality.

Pro tip! If you have a picky-eating dog and are on the fence about mixing dog food brands, there are many things you can add to kibble. Head to this article to learn more: 15 Tasty Toppers to Mix with Dry Dog Food to Tempt Your Dog.

Pro tip! Sometimes, I also add water to dry dog food to mix things up and change the aroma and palatability of the food. This makes the food into a yummy gravy without additional expense.

Can You Mix Different Brands of Wet and Dry Food?

You can mix different wet and dry dog food brands as long as both brands offer healthy nutrition. You should not mix subpar dog food with high-quality dog food, regardless of whether it is dry or wet.

It is also not advisable to mix expired wet or dry dog food with an alternative.

Mixing dog food is not like mixing medicines. Thats why you dont have to overthink potential complications and reactions.

Remember, dog food brands know that dogs might be eating any number of things before or after consuming their food.

Thats why dog food is generally free of ingredients that might cause an adverse reaction when co-consumed with other food.

Mixing can make it easy to overlook some problems with one or the other brand. And that should not happen.

Before you mix two brands of dog food, you need to ensure that they:

• Are nutritious
• Are not past their use by dates
• Do not include anything that your dog is allergic to

If youre a regular reader of my blog, youll know that I often like to feed my German Shepherd cold-pressed dry food with a wet food topping.

Both types will be different brands of high-quality foods to ensure her canine nutritional needs are met.

Mixing For Budget

This type of dog food mixing is discouraged because subpar dog food is not nutritious when mixed with high-end dog food. It only brings down the nutritional density of good quality dog food.

It is particularly dangerous when, instead of mixing a cheap brand with an expensive one, dog owners mix expired food with fresh food. That makes the overall mix unhealthy.

How To Mix Dog Food Brands

In this section, I will cover the best practices of mixing dog food brands in chronological order so it forms a guide you can follow. These draw from my experience and my vets advice.

Find Different Brands That Reflect The Same Life Stage

Mixing dog food brands is easy once you acquire the right food. The first step is, therefore, the most crucial one. You must get two different dog food brands whose nutritional requirements reflect the same stage of development.

Dont buy senior dog food and mix it with puppy food. World of Dogz

Please note that same-stage dog food doesnt mean the same texture. You dont need to get dog food that has the same texture or similar aroma. It should just be nutritionally adjacent to the dog food that your dog is used to.

If youre getting just one new brand because you already have dog food at home, take down the following specifics of the brand you have at home and find another brand that matches them:

• Dog breed The food brands should belong to the same category. The three broad categories are big-dog, medium-sized-dog, or small-dog food. Dont mix Chihuahua dog food with German Shepherd food and vice-versa.
• Dog age The food brands should broadly match the same category. Dog food is divided into puppy food, adult dog food, senior dog food, or food suitable for all life stages. Dont mix puppy food with senior dog food and vice versa.

How to Mix Canned with Kibble

Mixing wet and dry dog food is a little more complex than adding water to kibble or mixing two servings of dry dog food. The complication comes from the different nutritional concentrations in canned and dry dog food. Here is how you can mix wet and dry dog food.

1. Use Food For The Same Dog Breed And Age

As covered earlier, it is crucial that big dogs eat food meant for big dogs and small dogs consume food formulated for small breeds. Both wet and dry options must be for the same breed type (large, medium, or small) and the same age range (puppy, adult, or senior).

2. Mix 1 Part Wet Dog Food With 3 Parts Dry Dog Food

Initially, the wet food should serve to moisten the dry food. It cannot overpower the crunchy dog food, or your dog might get suspicious and reject it.

Unlike water, wet dog food must go at the bottom of the dry food. This should not be confused with a topper, which is appetizing food that goes at the top of the bowl to get the dog to chew on his food.

3. Maintain or Increase the Wet Food Ratio

It is not mandatory to increase wet dog food beyond 25%. But if you want to increase your dogs wet food intake, you can decrease the dry food in the right proportion so your dog doesnt overeat.

Remember that a quarter cup of most dry dog food equals 3 ounces of wet dog food. And an average adult dog needs an ounce of wet dog food per pound of body weight.

Reading the serving suggestions and portion information on the package is also highly recommended. You must also factor in the number of meals you feed daily, body weight, metabolic rate, and exercise.

Biggest Dog Food Mixing Mistakes

Often, pet owners mix dog food experimentally. These experiments can be costly for pets. In this section, I point out a few mistakes you must avoid when mixing dog food brands.

• Do not mix expired dog food with fresh food This can lower the overall freshness of the mixed food and can even make it unhealthy.
• Do not mix dog food randomly Proportions matter, and different portions of wet and dry food are nutritionally equivalent. Random mixtures can starve your dog or contribute to his weight gain.
• Do not mix therapeutic food without consulting a vet Therapeutic food needs to be carefully mixed with other food if it is supposed to be mixed in the first place. To avoid diluting its effectiveness, you must consult a vet.
• Do not mix dog food meant for different ages/sizes Big dogs need big dog food, and small breeds need small breed food. The same applies to dog food formulated for different stages of a dogs life. Both food A and B in the mixture should be individually appropriate for your dog.

FAQs

Can I mix different flavors of the same brand?

Mixing different flavors of the same brand (e.g., chicken and beef) is usually fine, as the core ingredients and nutrition should be consistent between flavors. This can help prevent pickiness. Ensure any texture differences between flavors (e.g., kibble vs canned) arent too drastic.

What if my dog refuses to eat the new brand?

If your dog refuses to eat the new brand, dont force them. Mix a small amount of the new food with their usual food and slowly increase the ratio over a few weeks. Be patient during the transition. If they still refuse after a couple of weeks, it may be best to stick with their original brand.

My dog has allergies. Can mixing foods help identify triggers?

If your dog has food allergies or sensitivities, its best to avoid mixing foods, as this can make it difficult to pinpoint triggers. Speak to your vet about a strict elimination diet using hypoallergenic food from a single brand to properly diagnose allergies.

Final Thoughts

Mixing two different brands of dog foods is perfectly fine. In fact, mixing different textures and aromas can make food more interesting for your dog.

However, you should ensure that both food types being mixed are appropriate for your dog and have excellent nutritional value. Above all, make sure that your dog actually likes the food hes given.

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