Why choose wet food?
Written by Zoe Russell, BSc (Hons), ANutr
Nutrition Officer, Naturediet
The pet food world is absolutely enormous with so many different types available; wet food, dry food, semi-moist, raw, freeze dried, cold-pressed and much more! We all want to make the right choices for our dogs, but knowing what to feed can be a bit of a minefield. To help you make the right choice for your dog, we’ve given you six reasons why wet food might be the one.
- Highly palatable
Wet food often has a richer, more attractive aroma than other types of food and can have an appetising taste and texture. Furthermore wet foods often come in a variety of tempting flavours, as seen in the Naturediet range, with flavours such as chicken, turkey, salmon, white fish, lamb, as well as combinations of all these ingredients. This is ideal if your dog is not a big ‘foodie’, or they are quite fussy, or they do enjoy an occasional change in flavour
2. Soft texture
Our wet diets are gently steam cooked in the carton to retain all the goodness and have a high moisture content. This means they provide a moist, soft, pate-like texture which is gentle on the mouth. This can be especially beneficial if your dog is perhaps older and can’t chew excessively, or they have a smaller mouth, or they have dental issues or simply prefer a softer bite.
3. Complete and balanced
When a pet food product is labelled as ‘complete’ it means it provides all the nutrients a healthy dog needs, without needing any additional supplementation. At Naturediet, our wet foods are all balanced and complete recipes, so provide everything your dog needs in all the right proportions. This is ideal as it not only makes mealtimes more convenient, but also means you don’t have to worry about under (or over) supplementing important nutrients.
4. High moisture content
Typically wet foods have a high moisture content of around 70-80%. This can be beneficial, as wet food can be spread into items such as Likimats or Kongs, then popped into the freezer to provide a fun, cooling, summer-time meal to help keep their minds busy. The higher moisture content may also help to support a dog’s daily water intake, especially during the warmer months or if they aren’t a ‘big’ drinker. However it’s important your dog also has constant access to a source of fresh, clean water as their main source of hydration.
5. High meat content
Wet foods typically have a high meat content and our food is no different. All of our Feel Good diets contain around 60% meat, while our Purely diets contain 92% meat in each recipe. Meat is an important ingredient, as dogs are omnivorous so will naturally eat meat as part of their diet. Meat also provides a source of protein to support muscle integrity, as well as various nutrients such as iron, zinc, B vitamins and more.
6. Convenient storage
Wet diets can be very shelf-stable which means they usually don’t need refrigerating or freezing before opening. Our wet foods can be kept in a cool, dry place such as a cupboard before opening and have a convenient shelf-life due to our clever Tetra Pak cartons which naturally retain the quality of the food, without the need for added preservatives. Our compact cartons provide the same amount of food as a carton or tray but can be easily stacked in the cupboard without taking up wasted space. Then once opened, we suggest keeping them in the fridge and using within 48 hours.
Contact us
Looking for more information? Please give our nutrition team a call on 01362 822 320 or email us at nutrition@naturediet.co.uk and we would be happy to help.
