Dry vs. Canned

Canned dog food is better, say most experts

Although dry dog food is convenient to store, pet nutritionists such as DogAware.com's Mary Straus say that canned food can be better than dry food, mostly because it contains fewer preservatives (since the canning process itself acts as a preservative). Canned dog food generally has less grain in its ingredients, and of course it has more moisture, which helps keep a dog hydrated and benefits the urinary tract.

While highly recommended canned dog foods usually have high meat content, experts and even manufacturers say that such foods are best used as a supplement, balanced by a good-quality dry food. For example, Canidae All Life Stages canned food contains high-quality carbohydrate sources and is suitable for use as a sole diet, but the company recommends a mix of 25 percent canned to 75 percent dry (by weight) "to achieve a balanced diet and maintain firm stools."

Like canned foods, the best dry dog foods have high-quality proteins (named meat and meat meals), along with high quality carbohydrates, such as potatoes and whole grains. Corn, wheat and soy, along with glutens and by-products are found in lower quality foods. None of those are desirable ingredients. Due to the manufacturing process, some experts say that dry food isn't very palatable to dogs all by itself. According to the Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute website, that's why dry dog food might be sprayed with animal fat, sometimes obtained from restaurants disposing of used cooking oil. If you open a bag of dog food and it smells rancid, you should return it for a refund immediately.