Should Your Pet Eat Dry Food, Wet Food or Both?

Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital

269 Springfield Avenue, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922

(908) 464-0023

Deciding on dinner for yourself is hard enough, so when it comes time to choose a type of food for your pet, how are you supposed to know what kind they'd like best? Many pet parents have struggled with figuring out if they should feed their pet dry food, wet food or both, and if you're in the same boat right now, we want to make it easy for you: there's no right or wrong answer!

Ultimately, it comes down to what is right for you and your pet - this you can figure out by asking your veterinarian for a recommendation, and we also think reading over these pros and cons of each will help:

Wet Food

Animals need water to survive just like we do, but the truth is that not all animals drink as much water as they need to. This is where wet food can be beneficial - wet foods are a great source of hydration! If your pet isn't a fan of his or her water bowl and you suspect that his or her water needs aren't being met, wet food would seem like the appropriate choice.

Just like there are benefits though, there are also some drawbacks to wet food. For starters, wet food can be a bit messy and require more cleaning up. Additionally, wet food will spoil faster than dry food once it's been opened and put out, so you'll need to get feeding times just right to ensure none of the food goes to waste!

Dry Food

Dry food has proven to be extremely convenient for pet owners everywhere due to its long shelf life. If you'll be away from home for an extended period of time and want to ensure that your pet has enough to eat, you won't have to worry about dry food spoiling. Additionally, many pet owners prefer dry food over wet food since it can be more cost effective, and there are some brands that help with dental health!

As for drawbacks, the most obvious would be that dry food does not provide the moisture that wet food does, so if an animal is not drinking water the way they should, dry food wouldn't provide the water they need.

Like we said earlier, there really is no right or wrong answer to what type of food your pet should be eating - instead, it's really all about what's best for their health, what satisfies their hunger, and what makes sense for you as a family!

If you have questions about the food your pet should be eating, you can always ask the trusted veterinarians here at Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital. Your pet's health is our number one priority, so we'll share as many of our expert tips with you as we can when it comes to keeping your pets healthy for years to come!