# Wet puppy food questions



## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

LizIsLame said:


> I've always heard to mix dog food with kibble for puppies. Does anyone do this? I've had several puppies over the years and I've done it with 1, maybe 2. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right this time.


There is no reason to give a healthy puppy canned dog food. (And there are many reasons why NOT to do it.)


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## sophiebonita (Jul 10, 2012)

I mix in about a tsp of wet food with my dry, alternating w plain yogurt. Vet and breeder ok'd it 

Have a 3-month old mini


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

I mix a spoon full into the dinner with warm water to make a gravy. I only buy the ground in cans so it mixes in well. I don't think canned is necessary, but they love it so much and eat so much better that I do it to be nice.


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## papoodles (Jun 27, 2011)

Bonia- there are many breeders, mine included, that feed an exclusively raw diet to their dogs, and make it a condition of placing a puppy in a home where raw feeding is continued, if at all possible. 
Supplementing kibble with canned tripe seems a good idea, I think, as it is highly nutritous and dogs love it.Mine adore it raw..


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think the best thing is to keep the pup on what they are used to (assuming it is at least adequate!) until they are thoroughly settled, and then transition to the diet that you believe best, and that suits your circumstances best. But if a puppy is reluctant to eat kibble then a little gravy made from meat broth or from canned food can make their food much more enticing, and softening kibble with meat broth when they are teething can make a big difference. There are advantages and disadvantages to wet, dry, raw, frozen, minced, RMBs ... what you feed will depend on your research, what is available locally, and local disease conditions. Mine get raw/home cooked - it works very well for us!

For excellent advice on adding more interesting stuff to dog food see: DogAware.com: Adding Fresh Foods to Commercial Dog Food For the special needs of young puppies see: DogAware.com Articles: Growing Bodies (Dog World Magazine)


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## papoodles (Jun 27, 2011)

*Thank you, FJM.*

FJM- you always provide the best, well written and most appropriate advice.
Thank you!


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## Lily's-Mom (May 31, 2012)

For a picky eater dog we used to have, we'd add 1 spoonful of high quality canned food into the kibble alternating with plain yogurt or cottage cheese. Wasn't really *necessary*, but it made her eat, so that was the main thing. With Lily we add some warm water. Since Lily doesn't drink much overall, and that's how her foster mom fed her, I have just continued to do that.


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

Very well said FJM! 

The only thing I want to add here is this: 

When house training a puppy, it can be very helpful to know exactly when your dog has eaten and drank last. If you free water, this can be difficult and lead to accidents, since your pup will be drinking randomly throughout the day. Therefore, many people follow a "scheduled watering" system for puppies during the first few weeks-months. Part of this generally includes adding water to dry kibble. 

Adding water to the kibble can do 3 things: 
1) make sure your pup is staying hydrated
2) allow you to know for a fact that your pup has had fluids, and therefore will soon need to relieve himself. 
3) In general, I think dogs tend to prefer their food moist. Soaking it in water makes dry kibble moist and therefore more appealing. Adding warm water is even better. 

This doesn't specifically have to do with canned food, which you asked about, but if I were asked to give advice about feeding/watering puppies, this would be it. Also, don't get sucked into the "only dry kibble" school of thought. As FJM said, I'd stick with what your puppy is used to for a while, but it's perfectly OK to add things to your dog's kibble every now and then, be it canned food, meat broth, raw eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.


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## Shammy (Aug 4, 2012)

I'm feeding my 11 week old puppy canned food (Grain Free Merrick Puppy Plate) mixed with dry kibble (Taste of the Wild Puppy). I do this twice a day and for lunch, it's dry with a little warm water mixed in. She likes the dry moistened, it's softer too, and actually eats that all up quicker than the canned and kibble mix. So far so good!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

tortoise said:


> There is no reason to give a healthy puppy canned dog food. (And there are many reasons why NOT to do it.)


And this is a matter of opinion... There is a WONDERFUL holistic veterinarian that I know from Montana (Dr. Shura Bugreef) and I've attended several nutrition seminars that she's presented. Dr. Shura's belief is that canned food is better than kibble. It's better for the dogs teeth as well. She said the dog food marketers who try to convince people that the crunchy kibble actually "brushes" the dogs teeth are brilliant - but WRONG. Her suggestion to us at the seminar was to eat a dry, carb-laden food (crackers, dry bread for example) and then go to bed without brushing your teeth - see how your teeth feel in the morning. Then, eat a nice slippery piece of ham or some moist protein, go to bed without brushing your teeth and see how your teeth feel in the morning.

I would have no problem feeding canned food to puppies or dogs, providing it's a high quality brand with good ingredients. And this is just MY opinion...


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

Our vet recommends canned food. Charlie is teething now, he loses them one by one, so I can't imagine feeding him hard kibble. It will hurt his naked/teething gum. It has to be a 6-star canned food, otherwise Sir Charlie only give it a sniff sniff then walk away.


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## sophiebonita (Jul 10, 2012)

I have a (gross) question about all of this. My kibble and canned brand is wellness core (that's the grain-free) just for puppies. I think the puppy formula is relatively new. I was doing kibble mixed w the canned or some plain yogurt. The last couple of days I've experimented w just feeding canned. Now 3-month old mpoo Sophie is a VERY picky eater ESP when it comes to kibble hence my experiment. not only has she been eating her entire 3 meals per day now, but her stools are harder and a breeze to clean up. I snuck a meal of kibble in today and sure enough, a looser messy stool. This was the same scenario when I was feeding her a grainy dog food the breeder was using til I made the gradual transition to grain free, so I don't think it's the grains that are an issue. 

Ok I know a lot of people on here are devout raw feeders and that is great and I hope to try that one day, but for now I'm sticking w my wellness. 

All rambling aside, canned food gives my dog better stools? It seems like it'd be the opposite. Plus Sophie LOVES it!!! Any input?


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## only me (May 24, 2012)

When I got Pepe at eight weeks (parti standard) the breeder had been feeding him Iams puppy. Right from the start what came out the rear end was very loose and foul to pick up, though perhaps that was the stress of a new home (he didn't seem stressed though!) I've gradually changed him to wet food (he's nearly 14 weeks now) and his stools are firm and well formed and picking up after him is so much easier.


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## Oreo's Mommy (Dec 18, 2012)

Oreo is on canned food due to his tongue ouchie and loves it. His stools are on the firm side and regular.


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## AngelsMommy (Nov 3, 2012)

only me said:


> When I got Pepe at eight weeks (parti standard) the breeder had been feeding him Iams puppy. Right from the start what came out the rear end was very loose and foul to pick up, though perhaps that was the stress of a new home (he didn't seem stressed though!) I've gradually changed him to wet food (he's nearly 14 weeks now) and his stools are firm and well formed and picking up after him is so much easier.


I am not a fan of Iams for many reasons so I think that many canned foods would be better for your baby.  But here is a great source of info as to what is in your foods. Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor I highly recommend checking all foods that you are using here if they are listed.


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