What is the difference between wet, dry, and fresh dog food?

 

Dry food is pellet-shaped dog food that is usually made from rendered meat by-products, starch, preservatives and additives, and processed using the high-temperature extrusion method. Wet dog food comes typically in canned form, with meat and a lot of gravy containing grains, vitamins, and other minerals. Fresh dog food is usually minimally processed and made of high-quality, wholefood ingredients, with a semi-solid texture.


Why does this matter?

  • There is a lot of confusion in the market regarding what is the best thing to feed to dogs: wet, dry, or fresh dog food. Whether we take ingredient quality, processing, or even long-term health effects into consideration, fresh dog food emerges as the best option for dogs.

  • While dry food is relatively easier to distinguish, many pet parents are confused about the difference between wet dog food and fresh dog food, since they’re both moist. Wet dog food is made by grinding meat (this may be by-products, derivatives, or scrap meat) and then adding the meat to a gravy filled with vitamins, minerals, and grains. Fresh dog food uses wholefood ingredients and high-quality meats and veggies. They are gently cooked to retain as much nutritional value as possible and contain zero preservatives, additives, or flavourings.

What do vets generally agree on?

Dry dog food typically contains feed-grade ingredients, such as animal and plant by-products, meat meals and derivatives, as well as various artificial additives, flavourings and preservatives. Wet food is considered to be canned dog food. It contains fewer carbohydrates, preservatives and additives, but the ingredient quality is usually still feed grade. Fresh dog food uses human-grade, high-quality, and recognisable natural ingredients that we use for our own everyday meals. That’s why its digestibility is high and its nutritional value is also superior. 

When to be careful?

The feed-grade ingredients of dry dog food goes through a high-heat extrusion process that adversely affects the nutritional value of the ingredients. Wet canned food is processed a little less, but the ingredients are still feed-grade. Feeding these low-quality meals regularly to your dog may cause long-term deficiencies, sensitivities, and other health issues. Fresh, 100% natural dog food like BLEP dog food is minimally processed and contains high-quality, human-grade ingredients that are high in bioavailable nutrients. 

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