Rating of wet dog food - leaders in 8 categories

Updated: 02/26/2021 13:54:59

Expert: Rudenko Irina Sergeevna

*Review of the best according to the editors of expertology.ru. About the selection criteria. This material is subjective in nature, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before purchasing, consultation with a specialist is required.

To choose high-quality wet food for your beloved pet, you should pay close attention to its composition. As a rule, all ingredients are listed on the package and go from most to least. Meat ingredients (proteins) always come first, followed by grains, vitamins, vegetables and other additives. The best and highest quality is considered to be wet food with a large amount of pure protein in its composition.

1. So-called holistic-class diets contain a lot of (protein) meat, but there are no by-products in this wet food.
2. Economy category wet food contains half as much protein, but has a large percentage of grains and processed meat products. For this reason, it is not recommended to give them to pets every day.
3. For animals with allergies, food made from duck, fish, turkey, and beef is suitable, but it is better to avoid chicken.
4. As for carbohydrates, the ideal option for dogs is rice, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system. Corn and wheat are best avoided as these grains can cause dogs to develop food intolerances.
5. For pets with sensitive digestion, foods containing grain-free formulas are suitable. In this case, grain crops are replaced by vegetables - sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc.
6. After the spay or neuter procedure, dogs are advised to follow a low-calorie diet that maintains optimal weight. You should choose canned meat that contains less phosphorus, calcium and magnesium, which lead to pathologies of the genitourinary system.

Pros and cons of wet dog food

There is a myth that it is better for a dog if it is fed only wet food. This myth extends from another myth - it is healthy for a dog to eat only meat. Let's not forget that dogs are omnivorous predators and, in part, scavengers.

Interesting! Dogs can live without meat. This is proven by wolves raised on artificial feeding. Once released into nature reserves, wolves (who cannot hunt or kill) feed on berries and other vegetation, remain healthy and live for many years. The lack of protein affects the muscle mass and activity of animals.

Feeding a dog exclusively meat leads to intoxication, since the breakdown of proteins produces a number of toxins. Excess proteins increase the load on the liver, which can lead to the development of chronic pathologies.

Further, it is worth understanding that canned food does not consist of 100% meat, so comparing these products is not entirely logical. Meat for wet food can be prepared in two ways:

• Braising – fresh meat is subject to heat treatment.
• Reconstitution - dried meat powder is soaked in water or broth.

Many owners believe that food made from fresh meat is healthier. Perhaps healthier, but definitely not richer.

Important! After dehydrating the meat, the resulting powder is pure protein. When processing fresh meat, it loses most of its beneficial properties and decreases in volume.

Let's look at the pros and cons of wet dog food. Let's start with the positive aspects:

• All dogs eat canned food well.
• Any wet food can be made into a lickable paste, which means the food is suitable for puppies of any age.
• Wet food has an attractive aroma, so it can be used as an intermediate stage in the transition from natural to dry food.
• Wet food contains more meat than dry food.

The disadvantages of wet food include:

• Relatively high cost. Canned food is more expensive than dry food by weight, and it also contains water, which has the weight and volume that you pay for.
• Feeding exclusively wet food leads to loosening of the gums, diseases of the oral cavity and teeth.

Unlike drying, wet food can rarely be considered as the main feeding.

An exceptionally soft diet is suitable for puppies and dogs who cannot eat solid food for medical reasons. In this case, the food must be of high quality (super-premium or holistic), balanced, enriched with vitamins and microelements.

How to choose canned food

When choosing, it is important to pay attention to the composition, giving preference to natural ingredients. The best canned food for dogs, which belongs to the holistic class, consists mainly of meat and healthy additives. They are ideal as daily dog ​​food.

Other features of high-quality canned food include:

• low percentage or complete absence of grains such as wheat and corn, whose vegetable protein is poorly digestible and can cause food allergies;
• Rice, potatoes or other vegetables are used as carbohydrates to aid digestion;
• The composition contains no preservatives, hormones, flavor enhancers or artificial antioxidants.

When purchasing canned food for dogs with allergies, exclude products containing chicken, preferring turkey, veal or fish. For castrated and sterilized pets, choose food with a minimum content of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. These elements in high concentrations provoke diseases of the genitourinary system.

Rating of wet food by class

The main criterion when choosing food for a pet is quality or class.

Dog food, regardless of type, is divided into the following classes:

• Economy - low quality, does not contain meat
• Premium – average quality, excess carbohydrates, quality and quantity of meat products are satisfactory.
• Super-premium – adequate quality for everyday food. The super-premium class usually produces food for dogs with special needs and veterinary products.
• Holistic - the calorie content of the food is similar to the super-premium class, but the quality of the raw materials is much higher.

Wet dog food varies in purpose:

• Everyday is a diet that is suitable for most adult, healthy dogs.
• Preventative – a diet that prevents the development of any disorders.
• Medicinal or veterinary - a diet that is part of the therapy for treating an animal.
• Restorative - pates or pastes that can be fed from a syringe. Restorative products are very high in calories and are enriched with probiotics and vitamins beyond the norm, so they cannot be fed to your dog on an ongoing basis.

Differences in individual characteristics:

• Age group.
• Dimensions of the dog.
• Breed (not all manufacturers produce food for certain breeds).
• Wool length.
• Degree of activity.

Let's rank wet food by class.

Economy class

Economy class is the relatively cheapest and most advertised animal feed. Veterinarians do not recommend feeding dogs with economy-quality products, and there are a number of reasons for this:

• The feed does not contain meat - leather, fat and other production waste act as a source of proteins and fats.
• The food contains grains that dogs cannot digest - corn, wheat.
• The food contains soy, a GMO product that is (at best) useless for dogs.
• The feed contains preservatives, salts, flavors, dyes, and flavor enhancers.

Naturally, the popularity of economy feed directly depends on the price; the cheaper the product, the more often it is purchased.

There are no official statistics, but reviews from owners allow us to distribute the rankings between:

• 1st place – Darling.
• 2nd place – Pedigree.
• 3rd place – Chappi.

Premium class

Premium class is an everyday product that is suitable for healthy pets leading an active lifestyle. The premium segment has one significant disadvantage - high calorie content. Simply put, there is a serious risk of gaining excess weight. Naturally, premium food is not suitable for allergy sufferers and dogs with chronic diseases.

General characteristics of premium food:

• 25–30% meat in the composition (pure or mixture).
• The composition should contain vegetables and vitamin supplements.

Premium wet food rating:

• 1st place – Hill's Ideal balans – many consider this food super-premium, but in terms of composition, canned food belongs to the premium segment. Protein Content: 36-40% (not dehydrated meats or derivatives), contains grains including wheat and coarse fiber sources (vegetables). The assortment is pleasing; there are products for different ages, needs and even breeds. Hill's Ideal balans are products that leave competitors behind in terms of price and quality.

• 2nd place - Royal Canin - products are a little more expensive than Hill's, so they are not so popular among owners. Royal Canin is slightly better quality than Hill's, especially the special needs dog line. The assortment is pleasing; the food is divided by age, size and special indications. The protein level is low: 12–20%.

• 3rd place – Pro Plan – an adequate choice in terms of price-quality ratio. The food is clearly divided into lines; for dogs with special needs, the food is a little more expensive. Subjectively, the food contains little meat, up to 70% fresh chicken. After treatment, the figure will drop to 35–40%.

It is important to understand that the premium class is the broadest. It includes high and low quality feed.

For example, owner reviews indicate that Royal Canin suits more pets than Pro Plan. At the same time, Pro Plan is highly praised by cat owners. The conclusion is obvious - do not trust the inscriptions on the front side of the pack, always read the composition of the food.

Super premium class

Super-premium food is an optimal, everyday diet. If your pet has health problems, its diet should be selected from specialized lines.

Super-premium food is characterized by the following qualities:

• At least 50% pure meat.
• The composition should not contain taste enhancers, flavorings, or synthetic sources of nutrients.
• Cereals are most often absent.
• Most often, the composition contains vitamin and mineral supplements.

Premium food rating:

• 1st place – Grandin – canned food that contains only meat, broth, flaxseed oil and mineral supplements. The food is produced in Germany and meets the high standards of EU countries. The mass fraction of meat in canned food ranges from 66 to 70%, which is an excellent indicator for super-premium and holistic class food.

• 2nd place - Eukanuba - contains slightly less meat than Grandin, but has an advantage in assortment. Eukanuba food is based on lamb or duck meat. There are several separate lines, for example, for puppies, hypoallergenic and for exhausted animals.

• 3rd place - Almo Nature - belongs to the super-premium segment, but is inferior in meat (and offal) content - up to 50%. We are pleased with the wide range of products by age and purpose; there are also products in pieces, with gravy and jellies.

Important! Super-premium food can vary significantly in quality, or more precisely, in the amount of meat in the composition. Pay attention to the guaranteed indicators that are listed under the composition; proteins should be at least 20%.

Holistic class

Holistic food is considered to be of the highest quality, which is why its price is the highest. The product is characterized by the following qualities:

• At least 60% pure meat.
• Contains vegetables, fruits and herbs.
• The presence of all necessary vitamins and minerals.

Holistic class food rating:

• 1st place - Barking Heads - the leader of the rating, since the canned food is perfectly balanced. The food contains 60–70% meat, healthy grains, vegetables and other sources of coarse fiber. Unlike most canned foods, Barking Heads keeps your dog feeling full for a longer period of time.

• 2nd place – Belcando – confidently “stepping on the heels” of Barking Heads and ends up in second place only because most of the products are based on chicken meat (up to 80%). The composition also includes alternative protein sources, vegetables, and berries. The advantage of Belcando is its expanded range of weights and purposes. The Belcando food line includes hypoallergenic and grain-free products.

• 3rd place - Merrick - an excellent food, only in third place because it is very difficult to buy. Canned food is based on chicken or duck meat; it also contains broth, stewed (not dried) vegetables and fruits. The aroma of the food is very attractive, many owners talk about it. Pets eat Merrick with great pleasure. There is only one nuance - manufacturers and consumers cannot decide which class Merrick belongs to. The food can be considered a holistic or super-premium product of high quality.

Holistic class food is, of course, preferable to premium class products, however, consider your capabilities wisely. You should not frequently switch your dog from one food class to another, as this will lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

If you are not sure that you can feed your dog holistic food on an ongoing basis, it is better to stick to a high-quality super-premium diet.

What kind of products are there?

There are a great variety of products. On store shelves there are products from both popular companies and little-known ones. Which company is better, everyone decides for himself. You can listen to advice on choosing from “dog lovers” who cannot imagine their lives without pets. Special feeds are produced taking into account the needs of animals. Manufactured on an industrial scale. During production, a special formula is used so that the pet can receive everything it needs during feeding.

There are the following types of food:

• dry;
• wet;
• semi-dry;
• frozen.

In the production of products, ingredients of various qualities are used, and therefore the food is divided into the following classes:

Wet food is classified as supplementary, but can be used for continuous feeding. Over the years, the requirements of the dog's body change. Based on age characteristics, products are classified as follows:

1. Adults. Characterized by balance. A complete set of micronutrients. Recommended for use on animals over 2.5 years of age.
2. Puppies and young individuals. Nutrient and mineral components in concentrated form. An ideal option for the successful formation and development of your pet’s body.
3. Milk substitute. Most popular among puppy owners. Takes into account all the needs of a growing organism.
4. Elderly. The composition is such that the food is gentle on the stomach, without overloading it, and is quickly absorbed.

There are other features of choice. Much depends on the breed of the animal. To do this, manufacturers divided their products into the following types:

• for small breeds;
• for medium dogs;
• for large individuals;
• for giant dogs.

In addition to the above varieties, the world's leading manufacturers produce products for daily use, special, lightweight, medicinal, for dwarf breeds, for overweight pets, for pregnant and lactating animals.

Puppy food

Products for puppies contain 10-15% more protein than food for adult dogs. The rating included:

• 1st place – Royal Canin – wide selection of products for puppies, affordable prices, numerous positive reviews from owners. In addition, Royal Canin produces a bitch milk replacer that can be used to feed blind puppies.
• 2nd place – Natures Protection – super-premium food at a relatively affordable price. Natures Protection has been released relatively recently, but has a very good reputation; most owners praise the food.
• 3rd place – Brit – a relatively inexpensive and popular food that can be considered as complementary food for puppies aged 2–7 months.

Veterinarians recommend feeding puppies natural food, however, there are exceptions. For example, if a puppy was artificially fed, it is better to switch it to industrial feeding. For puppies that are stunted in growth, there are special foods that allow them to quickly gain weight and improve their metabolism.

For small breeds

Food for small breeds of dogs must meet the needs of pets, namely, give them enough energy so that it is enough not only for their own heating, but also for activity.

The food ratings are based on popularity and owner reviews:

• 1st place - Grandorf - more expensive, but better quality than Royal Canin and Pro Plan.
• 2nd place - Royal Canin - a confident leader in terms of price-quality ratio.
• 3rd place - Purina Pro Plan - an equally popular food and the closest competitor to Royal Canin, slightly inferior in quality.

A diet of exclusively soft food is recommended for most small dogs until teeth are completely replaced and the bite is corrected, if necessary.

Small dogs are also prone to early tooth loss, so many owners have to switch their pets to soft food at 5-6 years of age.

Benefits of canned food

When choosing between dry and wet food, many owners opt for canned food. This is explained by the numerous advantages of such products:

1. Wet food is very similar to natural food.
2. Canned food is produced in sealed packaging, so no additional preservatives or stabilizers are added to them.
3. Canned food retains all the flavors of natural products, as they do not contain flavorings or dyes.
4. Many manufacturers produce special canned food for puppies, small breed dogs, and animals suffering from kidney and liver pathologies.
5. Wet food in cans is convenient to use on the go.

For older dogs

Foods for older dogs should be formulated to take into account the natural slowing of metabolism. If an older dog eats a food that is formulated for a younger dog, he is getting too many carbohydrates. Rapid weight gain leads to the development of heart failure, arthritis and, quite often, diabetes.

Rating of wet food for senior dogs:

• 1st place - Nature's Protection - food takes a leading position, since TM provides a choice of food for older dogs. The products belong to the super-premium class and enjoy a good reputation.
• 2nd place – Royal Canin – there is a wide selection of preventative and specialized feeds. By class, Royal Canin is premium, but is characterized by high quality.
• 3rd place – Hill’s – the range of food for senior dogs consists of only two items, but is complemented by an extensive line of preventive food. Hill's is a premium food with good taste and quality characteristics.

If an owner skimps on food for an older dog, they are unintentionally shortening the time available for the dog. Expensive food is not the only alternative; switching an elderly dog ​​to a dietary, natural diet is a very common and successful practice.

What difficulties may happen

A dog does not always reach old age without problems. Some owners fatten the animal to such an extent that obesity occurs. Another common problem is loss of appetite in your pet. Regardless of what happened, it is important to take action in time because the dog will not cure itself.

In cases where the pet is overweight, it is recommended:

• Reduce portions.
• If feeding occurs 4-5 times a day, meals should be reduced to 2-3. However, the procedure should be performed smoothly; you cannot suddenly switch to this mode. May have problems.
• You need to play with your dog often, run and increase your walking time.
• You should never leave food out in the open. It is important to feed the dog at a certain time; this is the main rule that many people forget about. In addition, the amount should be given based on age.
• The last main rule is to never feed your pet from the communal table. It only harms them. Of course, they will eat everything, but such actions lead to rapid weight gain, as well as the formation of digestive problems. After all, human food for dogs is very fatty.

When your pet loses its appetite, don’t yell at it or force food on it. Nothing good will happen. The following measures should be taken:

• Start gradually changing the brand of food, you can try to buy holistic food in bulk, this will help save money and time searching for a suitable option.
• It is important to know that some dogs really like cat food. Of course, you can’t feed them constantly, because the composition and quantity of useful elements is different. However, the treat can be mixed with the main food.
• Some owners introduce a natural diet. But you should know in advance that this process only seems easy. A person should take into account a lot of characteristics, otherwise there will be no benefit. For example, if you overfeed your pet chicken, his back legs will swell and bumps will appear.
• In addition, very old animals may have problems with their teeth, so before giving them food, you should soften it a little.

We must not forget that if you lose your appetite, then this is a deviation from the norm. Therefore, before taking independent measures, you should consult a specialist. After which he will give advice and recommendations that should not be neglected.

Veterinary feed

Veterinary foods cannot be assessed in terms of popularity, since they are prescribed as part of therapy and, most often, are used temporarily.

The rating of wet veterinary food is based on the range of:

• 1st place – Hill's.
• 2nd place - Royal Canin - the widest range, there are high quality canned food for emaciated animals.
• 3rd place – Purina Pro Plan.

Note! Lifelong feeding with medicated food is only relevant in cases of serious, chronic pathologies and constant medical supervision.

How to choose the right wet food for your dog?

You can find out how to choose the right wet ball for your dog in two ways: contact a veterinarian who will give advice and justify them, or figure out the issue yourself.

Choosing your own diet for your pet is the best way out, since no one except the owner understands the dog’s needs.

When choosing food, rely on the needs of the pet, and then on the quality of the food. It is necessary to take into account the size of the pet and the degree of its activity.

• If your pet is young and healthy, you have a huge selection of everyday food from premium to holistic class.
• If you are prone to any pathologies, food should be chosen from the preventive lines.
• If your pet suffers from any pathologies, the only reliable way to choose a diet is to contact a veterinarian, who will select therapy and supplement it with a balanced diet.

How are holistic foods different from other foods?

The term “holistic” comes from the word “holism”, which means a holistic approach to the body. Despite the fact that such foods are significantly more expensive than others, it will be even more expensive for the owner to “put together” a similar menu for a dog from natural products, and if you understand the composition of the diet, it becomes clear why holistic doctors are so recommended by veterinarians and conscientious breeders.

Table. Benefits of holistic food