Pros and Cons of a Kibble Diet
Pros
- Convenience — can be easily stored and fed.
- Economical — can be bought relatively cheaply.
- Nutritional — provides your dog's daily needs.
- May Help with Training — most training involves treating your dog after every proper response, so kibble can fill the bill.
- Safety — is not subject to contamination, when stored properly and will not go bad quickly.
Cons
- Health Risks — there is always a chance of salmonella contamination, particularly from the large mass producers. They use the same conveyor belts for the really cheap food that they use for their “premium” brands.
- Diabetes — very easy to overfeed your dog with a food that has a lot of carbohydrates in it.
- Dental Problems — dogs fed with only kibble may have a tendency to develop dental problems later in life, which are quite expensive to fix and actually dangerous.
- Bloat — dogs fed on an exclusively dry diet are more likely to get bloat than dogs on a raw or wet diet.
These are just a few things to consider with the kibble diet. Dogs are different from cats. Some dogs can do fine with a kibble diet that has a grain in it. Other dogs have problems with grain, chicken, and almost anything else. It is just something of which you have to be aware as you watch your dog grow.
Pros and Cons of the Canned Food Diet
Pros
- Convenience — can be easily stored and fed.
- Nutritional — scientifically formulated to provide your dog's daily needs.
- Taste — dogs prefer the sensation of eating a canned food. Provides great way to “trick” your dog onto a diet.
- Provides the water that your dog needs in his diet.
Cons
- Health Risks — there is a chance the liner of the can will have BPA, a toxic chemical used as a preservative. There is also a risk of salmonella poisoning.
- Limited shelf life after opening — product will go bad quickly.
- Somewhat expensive — average cost of a good quality can of food is around $2.50 per can, although we will give you a 10 percent discount for case orders.
Some experts recommend that people feed about half kibble and half canned food on a daily basis.
BPA poisoning has recently become a hot topic in the pet food community. Some manufacturers including Weruva and Canidae claim to be BPA free. At Tucker Pet Supply, we try to stay on top of the most recent information, but when dealing with corporations and mass producers, it can be a little dicey, but that is what we do and who we are.
Pros and Cons of the Raw Diet
We have now reached the raw diet. This is the diet that we would recommend for your puppy. We carry several brands of raw food for dogs, and also several freeze-dried flavors. Freeze-dried is simply raw that has been freeze-dried.Pros
- Improved Digestion — dog's digestive systems geared for raw.
- Healthier Skin and Coat — dog fur becomes very soft and shiny, when fed raw.
- Better Teeth and Dental Health — meaty bones act like a toothbrush.
- Increased Energy — high quality protein in raw will make your dog more active.
- Better Smelling Poop — dog will use about all the food for its daily needs.
- Provides the Water your dog needs.
Cons
- Health Risks — possibility of salmonella contamination during production.
- Limited shelf life after opening — once thawed, it must be used within a few hours.
- Cost — a raw diet is going to be more expensive.
A raw diet is the most expensive of your options, but provides the most benefits. A fifty pound dog can consume around sixteen ounces of raw food per day. This provides them with needed moisture and gives them a good healthy appearance.
Now, there is one other option for the raw diet. Fix it yourself. This requires a lot of research and also perseverance. But if you can do it, go for it.
To see pros and cons for cats, click here.