Canned dog food for puppies...

[3muttsandaboston]

My mom said my aunt got a new miniature pinscher puppy (probably from a byb) but she feeds him only canned dog food? (mighty dog) This can't be good for him right? Don't dogs need dry food for their teeth. And don't puppies need puppy food? This is the same aunt that tried to talk me into giving her Lucy when she came over one time. She even got mad at me and cried when I said no. I feel bad for the poor little guy. She also has two other dogs who are fed crap food but it's dry food and not canned. A 12 year old pomeranian and a 1 year old mutt who lives outside as the "yard dog". If I try to recommend foods she gets very angry with me so I have given up.

[Catlady711]

Mighty Dog food has got to be at the bottom of the barrel for dog foods in my opinion. And yes puppies do need puppy food and dry food.

The best you can do for someone else is educate them as to what they should be doing and hope they take the advice.

Good luck.

[buttercup132]

The dog teeth with be rotted in no time unless she gives it bones too but it doesnt sound like she does.

[3muttsandaboston]

The dog teeth with be rotted in no time unless she gives it bones too but it doesnt sound like she does.

Thats what I was thinking! She doesn't have much money and can't afford the dogs she has so I don't know why she got a puppy!

[bckrazy]

Actually... wet food being worse for teeth than dry food is a big ol' myth! Wet food is actually less likely to stick to the teeth and encourage the growth of bacteria. Dry food does nothing to clean teeth, especially since most dogs swallow the pieces whole... raw meaty bones and appropriate chews are what keep teeth clean. Plus, wet food has much higher meat content. Puppy food is NOT a must. Fozzie ate all life stages food when he was 9 weeks old, and mostly Raw from then on.

The big concern is that, yes, a poor quality wet food is just as unhealthy as a poor quality dry food. You should definitely give your Aunt a call, or send her an e-mail, with some friendly pointers. I know it's hard, but try to be as gentle as possible with the advice... like saying: "My girls do really well on *insert high quality food*!" Or, you could even send her a puppy basket with good food included. And you could throw in some healthy chewies, like lamb ears & bully sticks, too!

[Jessika]

Actually... wet food being worse for teeth than dry food is a big ol' myth! Wet food is actually less likely to stick to the teeth and encourage the growth of bacteria. Dry food does nothing to clean teeth, especially since most dogs swallow the pieces whole... raw meaty bones and appropriate chews are what keep teeth clean. Plus, wet food has much higher meat content. Puppy food is NOT a must. Fozzie ate all life stages food when he was 9 weeks old, and mostly Raw from then on.

The big concern is that, yes, a poor quality wet food is just as unhealthy as a poor quality dry food. You should definitely give your Aunt a call, or send her an e-mail, with some friendly pointers. I know it's hard, but try to be as gentle as possible with the advice... like saying: "My girls do really well on *insert high quality food*!" Or, you could even send her a puppy basket with good food included. And you could throw in some healthy chewies, like lamb ears & bully sticks, too!

Six months ago I would never have believed this, but after my nutrition courses at school... surprisingly, kibble does not promote dental or oral health unless it is a specific food.

Dry kibble is simply not abrasive enough to "clean" teeth as many people seem to believe.

There ARE some dental formulas where the kibble DOES clean teeth, I do know Science Diet's T/D does this, but it is a prescription diet.

The only downfall I see with feeding canned food all the time is with canned food you are mostly paying for water and the nutrients are so diluted since it is nearly 75% water therefore you would have to feed a LOT more canned food than dry kibble in order for them to get adequate nutrition.

My opinion is that unless there is a medical reason, you don't mind forking out the money, or they do not drink enough water on their own, feed kibble. It's cheaper, muuuch cheaper in the long run.

As far as dental health goes, buy dental treats, take your dog in for their yearly dental exam/cleaning, and brush DAILY, not weekly!