Throughout my career as a veterinarian, I’ve had many pet parents ask me, “Can I mix dry and wet dog food or cat food?”
Usually, my answer is yes, mixing wet and dry pet food together generally is OK. But first, you’ve got to take into account your pet’s health, their preferences and dietary needs, and your budget. After you’ve considered all of those factors, you can determine what the best decision is for your pet.
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Can I Mix Wet and Dry Pet Food?
Mixing wet and dry dog food or wet and dry cat food is fine as long as both options are of high quality and meet your pet’s nutritional and other health needs.
Quality wet and dry foods are formulated to provide your pet with all the protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they need to thrive. However, if your dog or cat suffers from a health problem and needs a specific type of diet, like wet food for kidney disease, do not make a change without first talking to your vet.
Benefits of Mixing Wet and Dry Pet Food
There are several reasons why pet parents might consider mixing wet and dry pet food.
1
Increases Palatability
Mixing wet food into dry food can make the diet more palatable for many pets. If your pet is not eating their dry food, then wet food may be the “secret sauce” you need to get them to eat their food. I’ve noticed that many pets find wet food tastier than dry.
2
Increases Water Intake
Moisture content is the main difference between wet and dry pet foods. Dry diets contain only about 10 percent water while wet formulations are generally between 68 percent and 78 percent water.
If your pet needs to take in a little extra water, adding in some wet food is a simple way to increase their water intake. Get other tips for preventing dehydration in cats and tips for preventing dehydration in dogs.
3
Helps With Weight Management
Adding wet food to your pet’s diet can also help with weight loss since the extra water allows pets to feel full and be more satisfied after their meals. In contrast, adding in some dry food can provide extra calories for dogs who struggle with eating enough wet food to meet their energy requirements. Dry food is more nutrient dense since it is less diluted with moisture.
4
Cost-Effective Combination
You may be wary of switching from dry food to wet food completely because wet food is generally more expensive than dry food of comparable quality. That’s the beauty of mixing the two together. In order for your pet to reap the benefits of wet food without breaking the bank, you can feed wet food and dry food mixed together in comparison to feeding just wet food alone.