# How bad is a wet food only diet?



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Nothing wrong with wet food only if it meets requirements of nutrients. 

Kibble is most convenient but the fats in it can get rancid quickly so you need to check the kibble....if it smells rancid, toss and open a fresh bag. 

My minipoo eats only wet (homemade). She loved kibble too, but I cannot find any that she can eat given her food intolerances and allergies. I used to use her kibble as training treats.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I can see no issues at all with feeding wet only - as Skylar says, kibble was invented to use up cheap ingredients and appeal on the grounds of convenience. It has been refined over the years, but as long as you feed a complete food I think there are still advantages to a wet food. Less chance of dehydration and urinary issues, and much more obvious when the food has gone off.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

The only disadvantage I see is the dog not using his teeth to grind, and the fact that without good dental hygiene, his teeth will get more cavities, faster.

Also it’s not as practical, and it smells bad, in my opinion.

Have tou tried going to a pet store and getting 10-15 food samples and seeing which one she likes to eat ? Then you stick with that one, and if she doesn’t eat, she’ll eat next time.

That’s what I did for my 2 picky eaters. Dogs can go 48-72 hours without eating and they’ll be fine.


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

I haven't tried other kibble varieties than the ones I mentioned, but I am heading to PetSmart today and will see if they have any sample sizes. I'd love to find a kibble she'd eat and enjoy, but I'm dubious. I've never had a picky eater pet before! I'm also more used to cats where not eating can become a serious problem fast, so I'm being too paranoid about it. I was just out mowing the lawn laughing to myself that I actually posted a question if feeding my poodle dog food would be bad for her. You know what they say about the first child...


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Noelle doesn't eat kibble. She's wet food only. I give her chews to help with cleaning teeth and brush them. I told my vet she doesn't like kibble and he said that's fine.


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## Dogs4Life (May 27, 2018)

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you brush her teeth at least most days of the week. I agree dogs should enjoy meal time. I've had to change some things for my dogs to make their meals more enjoyable. You can just use canned, but you also might try dehydrated food like The Honest Kitchen (a little more expensive). You might also check out pour overs which might make dry kibble seem more appetizing. Switching to another kibble might help, too. My dogs were not too enthused about the last brand they ate, even with the different meat flavors, but they really love the dry salmon kibble they currently are eating. I even was able to transition my Jasper from eating canned to eating dry food as long as I added some water and a topper.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

I think wet food is okay, though I would second trying a dehydrated food. Misha's on a raw diet, but I use dehydrated complete foods as training treats for him. My favorites are ziwipeak and Real Meat air dried diets. Misha is crazy about these and the Real Meat smells so good I've actually tried it and found it pleasant if a little low in salt. Both of these are expensive but are good supplements. I also use Vital Essentials which is freeze dried and has a harder more kibble like texture, and Misha likes that one as well. These sorts of foods are more appetizing than most dog treats, so there's a good chance your picky eater will go for them.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Raindrops said:


> Misha's on a raw diet, but I use dehydrated complete foods as training treats for him.
> 
> My favorites are ziwipeak and Real Meat air dried diets. Misha is crazy about these and the Real Meat smells so good I've actually tried it and found it pleasant if a little low in salt. Both of these are expensive but are good supplements.
> 
> I also use Vital Essentials which is freeze dried and has a harder more kibble like texture, and Misha likes that one as well. These sorts of foods are more appetizing than most dog treats, so there's a good chance your picky eater will go for them.


Thanks Raindrops;
My spoo is also fed raw, and I appreciate the suggestions for training treats

I often use bits of leftover cooked chicken or beef from my own meals for treats. I totally avoid giving him things things like hotdogs or other items with preservatives and artificial food coloring, etc.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I don't see anything wrong with wet food. I have a standard he of course gets a bigger portion than yours but I take 1 1/2 cup kibble and mix it with a heaping tablespoon of wet food, and I mix it well till all the kibble is basically covered with the canned.


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

Toppers/canned food added to kibble doesn't work well for us. Jessie is very adept at eating the good stuff and leaving the kibble behind even if it's well mixed. That's why I was hoping the broth would work, but to no avail. 

The manager of our local small pet food store recommended goat's milk as a mixer for kibble instead of broth, has anyone tried that?


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

Wet-only is very bad for their oral health unless they are eating raw meaty bones. My teenie tiny Chihuahuas will eat chicken wings cut up. If they're too tiny to break the bones or don't yet have enough strength, you can take a meat cleaver & whack it with the back of meat cleaver to break down the bones.

As for goat milk. I buy goat milk replacer at the feed store. I have been known to spritz the kibble with warmed coconut oil & then coat it with the a light coating of the goat milk replacer. If it's colostrum that's even better. We were helping a little dog years ago who had never eaten anything solid in her life. Did what I described above after several people tried various things including syringing yogurt & pumpkin puree down her throat, fearing she'd starve to death. She did lick the good stuff off the kibble for awhile then it tasted so good to her it was better to just eat the whole thing. It wasn't very long until she was jumping up & down looking for her meals. Every dog is a little different in what that thing is that tastes just so good to them. If you try this just remember to spritz lightly with coconut oil (it's very good for dogs) & then add the powdered goat milk or colostrum. If you over do the oil you can upset her tummy.


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## Yellow (Sep 24, 2018)

maybe try a natural dog food store instead of big box, pet smart/petco for a better variety of food that has been researched. check out Farmina, Fromm, Victor. They should have samples and can easily switch proteins. Switching up proteins every so often is good. I feed kibble in morning and Answers Raw at night. never the two together. There is freezed dried raw which is easy to take when traveling. hope this helps.


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

I just thought of a brand of food you might try. When our oldest Chi was unable to eat raw because she'd lost her teeth I was looking for something because she still liked to chomp on food but it couldn't be very big. I got her a dry kibble called Solid Gold Mighty Minis. It's very tiny bits of kibble. Then all 3 of our tiny dogs got hooked on it. I still use it for the filler feed for our tiny dogs. It got the thumbs up from our vets.


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## Dogs4Life (May 27, 2018)

Something to think about when looking for a new food is to avoid foods with high amounts of peas, potatoes, and lentils (canned or dry). There are brands deemed "good" that are full of these ingredients. They also are usually more expensive. 

Short version:
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/fd...tatoes-investigation-grain-free-diets-and-dcm

Long version:
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...rtain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

If she will chew bones you can make up for the dental problems by giving her a recreational bone a couple of times a week. Bones are actually much better for oral health than kibble.


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll give Solid Gold Mighty Minis a try soon. I have a bunch of kibble samples of Fromm's from our local pet store that I will be trying too. Maybe we'll find a flavor she'll actually eat  For now, Crave wet food is working for when she turns her nose up at anything else. 

She's not a big chewer- I've been trying to interest her in nylabone dental chew bones. She'll chew for a minute or two and then just move on. What kind of recreational or dental bones/chews do you use?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I don't know if you have read this article. Eating kibble really doesn't clean the teeth, the same way that eating dry crunchy food doesn't clean our human teeth.

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/dry-dog-food-cleaner-teeth/


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Skylar said:


> Eating kibble really doesn't clean the teeth, the same way that eating dry crunchy food doesn't clean our human teeth.
> https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/dry-dog-food-cleaner-teeth/


Not only does kibble not clean a dogs teeth, but it actually causes them to get more discolored.

I had to have my dogs teeth cleaned at a high cost when he was on kibble at age 2. Since then he had been on raw and meaty bones and has never needed them cleaned.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

Wet only should be fine. I have had lots of luck with Weruva, which I tried when Sunny had some dental issues a year ago. He is 11 now and never was keen on wet, but I like Weruva. Also, recently found ND stew, which is good. I always keep his senior kibble down (Petcurean NOW Fresh!) which he grazes once in a while. I like to mix it up. I use Stella & Chewy's dehydrated raw, which I hydrate, too, but find it has more fat than I like. There are so many options. Whatever works! Just stick with high-grade, nutritious foods.


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

Not commercial chews. Real bone. She might like chicken backs. Maybe chicken thigh bone. Size the bone to her, no weight bearing bones of large animals. Dogs who reject nylabones or other chews often are quite happy with a real bone.


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## likemagic (Aug 23, 2019)

I think the primary challenge with an all wet food diet is the very high volume of wet food required to get to the equivalent nutrition with at least a partial kibble diet. 

If your poodle will eat that volume of wet food, I would think it would be fine.


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## likemagic (Aug 23, 2019)

I think the primary challenge with an all wet food diet is the very high volume of wet food required to get to the equivalent nutrition with at least a partial kibble diet. 

If your poodle will eat that volume of wet food, I would think it would be fine.


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## Dogs4Life (May 27, 2018)

Zesti_V said:


> The manager of our local small pet food store recommended goat's milk as a mixer for kibble instead of broth, has anyone tried that?


My dogs sometimes get a very tiny amount of cottage cheese or plain yogurt with their food, and I mix it so it coats the food. If you are still interested in goat's milk, I found this: https://www.chewy.com/honest-kitchen-daily-boosters-instant/dp/177081

You also might try soaking the food in a broth like this:
https://www.chewy.com/honest-kitchen-bone-broth-pour-overs/dp/179368


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

Thanks for the input everyone! It seems like Jessie will have no problem eating wet food gladly which makes meal time easier for us since she'll eat predictably on a schedule. I'm working on finding a kibble she'll enjoy so I can transition her back. All toppers we've tried on kibble have failed- she's really good at licking them off and spitting the kibble back out. Broth/gravy has no impact.

I've been trying different kibbles as training treats (usually we just use play as a reward). Most of them she ignores, some she just licks, and others she takes and spits them back out. However, she seems to be quite interested in Fromm's Highlander kibble! Fingers crossed she'd actually eat that as a meal. I'm slowly introducing her to Kongs too, so hopefully she'll associate kibble with both meal time and a game and will be happy eating it.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

You say she eats a little. How's her weight?

I don't see any problem feeding wet food.

Yep, that's an old wive's tale about kibble "cleaning" the teeth better. Best to brush every night or every other.


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

Jessie's weight is rock solid stable at 11lbs. She's definitely lean, but the vet says her weight is good.

We've worked into a great routine that gives her plenty of energy and normal predictable poos. I'm currently feeding her wet food twice per day out of cupcake pan (to slow her down), a Kong with about 1/2-1 Tbsp frozen 100% peanuts no salt peanut butter once per day to train her to eat from them, and 1/2 a healthy edibles bone treat that she takes and stores to eat when she gets hungry. It works out to about 375-400 calories per day. I check her weight every week and will adjust the food amount as required. She could easily be 12 lbs and still have an ideal body score. As the weather cools down, I might end up increasing her food a bit more since she will likely be joining me on a couch-to-5K running program in addition to her normal exercise.

I brush her teeth about 3x per week and am still learning good technique there. In the meantime, I've also been using an oral cleansing gel daily that we also use for our cats in case I'm not brushing well enough.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Oh...good. When you said she was picky and wasn't eating but just a little, I thought I'd ask about her weight. But apparently she's eating enough. Maybe you were expecting her to eat more. (?) Anyhow, glad she's fine. If she's putting out a lot of calories, you may need to raise that up a tad. Good luck!


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

The battle continues- I actually found a kibble Jessie likes! I started offering it to her as training treats, and then slowly added some to her wet food. Over the last week I tapered her off her wet food by slowly increasing the kibble amount. No stomach problems, great poos.

Only issue is now that we've made it to 100% kibble, she doesn't just eat it happily like she always did before with her wet food or the wet/dry mix. She just looks at it like she's waiting for something else. I'm wondering if she got used to the stronger smell of the wet food to entice her to eat? She's not very food motivated at all.

I know it's not a food quality/spoilage problem because she'll eat her entire meal portion if I offer it to her as training treats, and it's a battle to keep my cat away from it. Anyway, just wanted to post the update. I'm very committed to finding a kibble Jessie will happily eat without toppers/broth/additives and I hope we're almost there. Maybe just a few days of knowing this is her only option will do the trick! Jessie and I are heading out of town for a few days so it'll be easier for me to do the "15 minutes is all you get" food offering without having to lock my cat away so she doesn't eat it all


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Sorry to sound like a crab, but how would you like to eat exactly the same thing every meal in a dry biscuit?


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

If there were a kibble balanced for my health available for me, I'd jump on it.


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## Eclipse (Apr 26, 2010)

You might want to try Stella and Chewys new raw coated grain inclusive kibble, which is pea, lentil and potato free as well. My older Standard has always been a very picky eater and has only gotten worse as she has aged. So far, knock on wood LOL, I am getting her to eat it. I supplement with a lot of other homemade cooked food as well, but always want them to get kibble so I know they are getting all their needs met. My younger dog, thank goodness, will eat whatever you put in front of her so no issues with finding something she likes.....


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

It really doesn't seem like it's a problem with her liking the food, I just don't think it's a *WOW I LOVE THIS STUFF* moment. She happily eats it if I have her do a trick and then give it to her as a reward (this isn't true with most kibble I've tried). She will do that for the entire meal portion without hesitation. But if I just put it in a bowl or on a mat she'll take a few bites and then keep following me around instead of eating.

I don't mind turning her meals into training sessions if that's what it takes. I just find it odd!


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Maybe she just enjoys training and being rewarded by you. And finds just eating by herself boring....


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## mother4 (Jun 8, 2014)

Bil-jac - it's been recommended before on this forum. I have two picky eaters and they will always eat Bil-jac.


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

mother4 said:


> Bil-jac - it's been recommended before on this forum. I have two picky eaters and they will always eat Bil-jac.


Thanks! I was excited when I read about Bil-Jac a couple of months ago, but Jessie doesn't like it


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## mother4 (Jun 8, 2014)

Ha of course you would have done the same research I did. You're here, aren't you? My bad.


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## Zesti_V (Aug 7, 2019)

mother4 said:


> Ha of course you would have done the same research I did. You're here, aren't you? My bad.


Not at all! I appreciate the response. Too much information on this forum for me to see it all. In fact, I think I ran across Bil-Jac from the AKC's website not this forum!


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