Dry, Wet, Raw - Which way is best to feed your dog?

Key pointers to help you decide what works for you

Which way should I feed my dog?

We shall go over some key pointers in this blog article for you to help you make your decision.  Many brands will push you to believe one way is the best, but this is not correct.  At Ooddles Kitchen we believe you should select the way you wish to feed your dog, but knowing whatever way you decide, all Ooddles foods, whether dry, wet or raw,  are natural, packed full of goodness grain-free, hypoallergenic and contain no cheap fillers or nasties. 

The key thing to note is that not all foods are made equally. Dry foods, some are really poor quality, and others are as good as feeding raw. Wet Food - some are poor quality and low in meat content, others are premium quality with higher meat content. Raw - if you go it alone it is complicated to get all the different nutrition you need, using a "complete" raw meal can remove this issue.

Dry Feeding

Not all dry foods are made equally. Some are very poor in nutrition, very low in meat content and cooked at high temperatures.  We have another blog article where we show you how to look at the label and check what your feeding and the meat content of your food. We recommend you do read this.

Ooddles dry foods, some formulas are what we call 80/20; this means 80% meat and 20% veggies and botanicals, we have many different formulas available, from 50/50 to 65/35, 70.30, all our dry foods are cooked at lower temperatures using a unique cooking process, using fresh meat, all formulas are exceptionally high quality and offer our principals of all-natural, grain-free, hypoallergenic. It is a complete food packed full of goodness.

As our dry foods are all higher in meat content, you need to feed less volume per day than some commercial dry food dog foods. You must weigh your dog's food, so you do not overfeed. We have other blog articles all about this, so do read over our articles within this section.

Ooddles Dry feeding benefits.

• Convenient
• Easy to store – all our dry food bags come with a special fresh closer top to keep fresh.
• A great option if your dog likes to eat when they want to eat, and return to their feeding bowl, dry food is easy to leave out for periods, you cannot do this with wet or raw.
• Dry food is easy to weigh the correct portion size.
• Dry diets may contribute to better dental health by reducing the build-up of plaque and tartar on teeth.
• Small harder poos, less waste than feeding cheaper dry foods which are full of grain and maize which cause more waste and more fibrous poos.

Ooddles Wet Food

Is quality food, with higher meat content, 65% and 70% meat, with veggies. Some soft foods are deficient in meat content, so do check the labels.

• Grain and Gluten-Free
• No Added Preservatives
• Hypoallergenic
• No Dairy Products or Eggs
• No Soya or fillers
• Added minerals, botanicals and vitamins
• High meat content, using the finest fresh meat.
• Feeding wet food means higher moisture content, so less water is normally consumed.
• Wet foods can be a good option for pets with missing teeth, poorly aligned jaws, or smaller mouths.
• Easy to serve
• Some dogs prefer the feel and mouth taste of wet food.
  
  

Wet food cannot be left out in the bowl; it cannot be left out for prolonged periods.

Storing wet food, as there are no preservatives in our wet food, you must store in a cool, dry place at your home. If a seal is broken or has heat, the food will spoil.

Once opened Ooddles wet food can be stored for 3 days,  keep in the fridge for ease once opened.

You need more wet food, due to high moisture to achieve daily nutrition, so if you have a larger breed dog, we don’t recommend you feed just pure wet food on its own.

Wet and Dry Together – Most Popular Way

The most popular way to feed your dog is using Ooddles high-quality dry food, and add a little wet to the food.  We recommend the below combination options.

80% Dry and 20% Wet

50% Dry and 50% Wet

This normally works very well if you are dry feeding and your pup is going off its food. It remains the most popular way to feed your dog.

Raw Feeding – We call it Bare Ooddles.

When feeding raw, it can be complex as you need to ensure you feed bone and do it yourself, feeding does not always mean you have a nutritionally complete meal.

Our Bare Ooddles is a completely raw meal. It is what we call 90/10: 90% meat and bone, and 10% superfoods. You don’t have to worry about full daily nutrition; all our meals are a complete meal. Using human-grade ingredients, it really is the very best when it comes to raw feeding. We take the hassle away of daily feeding using raw; also, we make your transition to raw feeding easy with simple to follow guidelines.

Feeding considerations for raw 

Ooddles complete raw foods are convenient to feed, defrost the sealed container in the fridge and serve.

Raw feeding does not use the concept of leaving food down as can be done with dry feeding; instead, it is offered at regular mealtimes.

For hygiene and cleanliness always ensure your hands, utensils, pet bowls and any surfaces that have come into contact with any raw pet foods are cleaned thoroughly, just as you would when handling raw meat for human consumption.

For hygiene and cleanliness, any uneaten food should not be left out for a prolonged period.

Due to the high natural moisture content in raw food, you may notice that your pet drinks less.

If switching from a dry or wet diet, a gradual transition over 7-10 days is recommended to restore natural gastric acidity and allow the gut flora to adapt to a raw diet. 

Please see our "switching to raw" article for top tips.

The Final Decision

The choice of what to feed is with you, the owner. Many owners choose to ‘mix and match’ wet and dry foods. A pet with a clinical condition may be recommended a specific diet to assist with the management of the pet. Regardless of food type, a plentiful supply of fresh, clean drinking water should always be available. 

We advise all dog owners to follow the 1+1 rule (offer one water bowl for each pet in the house plus an additional one.) 

If you are concerned about any health issues, please contact your local vet.