When trying to decide what to feed your pet, you might feel like you need to decide: dry or wet dog food? The truth is that both dry and wet dog food have their benefits. It’s entirely possible to feed a nutritionally complete diet of either – however, why not feed your dog both!

Here’s some of the benefits of mixed feeding that ensures you’re giving your dog the best dining experience.

Dry vs Wet

Some owners swear by dry dog food, while others are adamant that wet dog food is the best option for their dog. There are some great benefits to both.

While dry dog food is usually cheaper than wet, it’s also very good for your dogs dental hygiene. Chewing dry food is great for getting rid of tartar and plaque, eradicating bad breath, and removing mouth bacteria.

Wet food is especially appealing to dogs. The smell and the texture are usually much more pleasing to them compared to dry food, and it’s a great way to boost hydration. Wet food also helps maintain a healthy body weight as studies have shown that when dogs eat a high-moisture diet, they eat less food, decrease weight and increase activity levels compared to dogs that are fed only dry food.

Mixing the Two

If you start mixing dry and wet dog foods, then you’re going to be giving your dog a meal that is healthy and balanced but also delicious. Here are some tips for making sure that you get the right mix that will get your dog licking the bowl clean.

How to feed a mixed diet:

There are several ways of giving a mixed diet to your dog it really comes down to preference (of both dog and owner) and what suits your routine.

• • Mix dry and wet food together, to avoid overfeeding make sure you the total quantity of food given is within the daily guidelines for your dog.
  • Feed dry one day and wet the next, alternating days through the week.
  • If your dog eats two meals per day feed dry food for one meal and wet food for the other meal.

Mix More: Don’t just stick to your usual brand of dry or wet dog food. Make sure that your dog gets to experience different textures, flavours, and aromas. If you’ve got an especially fussy dog then this can be a great way to get them more interested in what’s in their bowl.

Seek Advice: Many types of dog food are designed for different Breed sizes, Life stages and required health benefits. You don’t want to be giving your dog a food that lacks the nutrients that it needs. If you're unsure which premium dog food you should be feeding your dog, talk to the Pet Direct team or your veterinarian.

Water is Great: While some dogs absolutely love their dry food, it can get a little boring if they have the same thing day in and day out. If you’re not yet sure about mixing some wet food in their bowl, then you might want to consider adding a splash of filtered water instead. Water can make their food smell and taste better by releasing the flavours. It also gives them that much-needed hydration too! You don’t need to add much either. Just a small cup of water could get your doggy excited about eating again.

Give your dog the best of both worlds – feed them a mixed diet and keep them happy, healthy and hydrated!