# What's the best canned food?



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Brody is on Wellness puppy and doing good on it. He is a picky, picky eater though and doesn't want to eat unless I doctor it up with a spoonful of canned mixed in. He doesn't seem to drink much water AT ALL, so I figure at least he's getting a little moisture by eating some canned. 

So what is the best canned food for him? That is palatable? I got a sample of Nature's Recipe chicken and it looked like big chunks of shredded chicken with some green beans. He liked it. 

Do other people mix the dry food with the canned? If I just put down the plain Wellness kibble, he will NOT eat it. 

I would prefer not to order on the internet, but be able to buy it at petco or petsmart if that helps.

Thanks for the help!

Brodysmom


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## Mandy (Jan 16, 2009)

i mix james wellbeloved pouches (wet food) with the james wellbeloved dried kibble mine wont eat the dried alone either


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## SillySally (Jan 2, 2009)

When my dogs won't eat their dry which isn't very often I give them Three Dog Bakery soft food, its got alot of veggies in it. Or I give them a brand such as Merrick can food.

But honestly everyday feeding can dog food isn't good for them and really isn't good for their teeth. I find that people that feed can food alone or mixed have to get their dogs teeth cleaned about once a year. Dogs fed just a hard dog food or even raw diet with other healthy sources to chew on to keep tarter down rarely have to have annual teeth cleaning.

Here is Merricks meal list for can food but if your pup is still young I would sway more to the puppy can food. http://www.jbpet.com/merrick-dog-food-can.html


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

What can I give him to keep his teeth clean if the canned food is bad for his teeth? He likes those rawhide bones (with supervision, I take them away when they get gummy), or bully sticks, or those rolled pork skin things (they are really hard). He has a blue soft plastic dog toy that he will chew on sometimes that is some kind of dental thing. And I give him nutridents which are shaped like little toothbrushes that he chews and then eats. It seems like he is chewing on something ALL the time. He chews on rolled up socks and also on his stuffed toys too. Remember he ate a corner of the shamwow towel awhile back?! He is a chewer.

So far his teeth look really white, but I don't want to do dentals on him all the time. 

Oh, and I brush his teeth with an enzyme toothpaste and brush I got at Petsmart. 

What else can I do??

Brodysmom


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## Muzby (Jan 28, 2009)

Canned food does not rot teeth, kibble does. Kibble has starches which = sugars which rot teeth. Canned has less (generally speaking) and is better for their teeth because it often doesn't get stuck in the teeth.

We fed EVO when we fed canned food.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Muzby said:


> Canned food does not rot teeth, kibble does. Kibble has starches which = sugars which rot teeth. Canned has less (generally speaking) and is better for their teeth because it often doesn't get stuck in the teeth.
> 
> We fed EVO when we fed canned food.


You know, I wondered about this!!! Thanks Muzby. I had a raw feeder tell me that having kibble clean teeth is like brushing your teeth with crackers. It just doesn't work. 

I wonder if I could find EVO around here. 

Brodysmom


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## lgahr (Dec 16, 2008)

I love reading these posts.......am glad I am not the only worry wart.

At PetCo I found Candidea for 1.68 a can. I use Lamb and Rice or Chicken and Rice. I never use the fish because I just don't like the sound of it. Like Brody's mommy I mix a spoonful with 3 tablespoons of dry food that I have mashed in the mortal and pestil because MY Diva does not like even the tiny pieces that Candidea comes in. 

I still feed 3 times a day and leave a dish of dry out 24/7 but I have to toss that and put out fresh every few days. She never eats it but just in case she gets hungry I have it. 

I like to consider Lola's food just more "pre-chewed" for her delicate little self. One good thing.....because I have my computer and tv in "Lola's room" where her potty pad is I know this for a hard fact......her stools are well formed and do not smell. She gets NO table food that I am aware of but does get teenie greenies and chewies.

I have tried to get LoLa to eat dry without the canned but no luck. If she is really hungry she will eat it with some chicken broth. Good Luck, Brody's mommy........ They certainly train us well, don't they????


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

lgahr said:


> I love reading these posts.......am glad I am not the only worry wart.
> 
> At PetCo I found Candidea for 1.68 a can. I use Lamb and Rice or Chicken and Rice. I never use the fish because I just don't like the sound of it. Like Brody's mommy I mix a spoonful with 3 tablespoons of dry food that I have mashed in the mortal and pestil because MY Diva does not like even the tiny pieces that Candidea comes in.
> 
> ...


I am glad to see I am not the only mommy who spoils her baby.  I do the exact same thing you do... leave out a dish of dry in case he would want to nibble, but he doesn't. Brody doesn't get table food either. 

Yes, they DO train us well!!! 

I think I will pick up some Canidae at Petco next time I go by there. Thanks!

Brodysmom


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## Mandy (Jan 16, 2009)

i leave dried out in a dish tooo then mix some wet pouches with dried


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## Choco (Jul 3, 2008)

Mine babies are finicky eaters too. I too feed wet canned food from Merricks (Puppy Plate/Turducken/Grannys Potpie or Cowboy Cookout) and also Evo Small bites as hard food. I only feed them twice a day.

In the morning, I usually feed 1/4 cup each of dry kibble coated with freeze dry liver treat (I crush the treat into a powder form). Sometimes I mix the kibble with a bit of cottage cheese.

In the evening, I feed 1/4 cup each of dry kibble with 1 tablespoon of wet dry canned food just enough to coat the kibble so it has taste. My chis are funny because they will gulp down the first few bites and then leave the rest and come back and eat it an hour or so later licking the bowl clean.


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## Pepe&Thia'sMom (Feb 18, 2009)

I give them 1/4cp of Purina one lamb and rice formula and about a tbsp of Pedigree can puppy food 3 times a day


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## LoLa's Mommy (Dec 7, 2008)

*Raw*

Go RAW! I was a skeptic at first because I did not want to be one of those nutty people who feeds their dog steak while I had noodles but after only 3 weeks on a partial RAW/dry diet I can really tell the difference. Their skin is no longer flaky, breath is fabulous and poop is minimal (not as much junk in the RAW food makes less waste). I will never go back to foods with wheat, soy or corn after seeing the difference. 
As for the price it is literally pennies more.


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## SillySally (Jan 2, 2009)

Muzby said:


> Canned food does not rot teeth, kibble does. Kibble has starches which = sugars which rot teeth. Canned has less (generally speaking) and is better for their teeth because it often doesn't get stuck in the teeth.
> 
> We fed EVO when we fed canned food.



I am really not sure where you get your info from but in my line of work I see this everyday and can food can rot teeth if fed everyday for the rest of the dogs life. Can food is nothing but mostly water and has no nutritional benefit what so ever so why would someone opt to feed nothing but can food? Yes some dry kibble can also rot teeth but not high quality dry kibble such as Wellness Core, Innova Evo or Instinct, Orijen. Dry kibble has come a long ways over the years if you hadn't noticed.

This is the reason for giving xtra things to chew on such as Greenies because it removes anything stuck in the dogs molars. Or ground RAW bones also help with this.


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## Muzby (Jan 28, 2009)

We can agree to disagree.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

So if I wanted to give a raw bone now and then for teeth health, how would I do that???? What kind, how big, etc.?

Brodysmom


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

we had the evo wet food(pet supplies plus has a great selection!), carrera ended up getting sick from evo, so we used it up on chicco, he didnt have any stomach issues with it. then i ran into petsmart, and our selection there is not great so i grabbed a can of blue buffalo for them to try. I wanted something other then evo because carrera always tried to eat his food when i wasnt looking so this way if she gets his food it wont bother her stomach. Before we got chicco. when looking i always try to find canned food with not too many ingredients, like i just want it to say chicken, sweet potatoes and peas (or whatever is in it, minimal ingredients) i found a really basic canned food at our health food store that was like that,and it was organic too. 
If brody wont eat his food plain why dont you try adding fish oil to it? you can get it at any drug store, we just give carrera 1 1000mg tablet drizzled on her food


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I tried the fish oil and it gave him terrible diarrhea. So I'm hesitant to use the fish oil caps again.  So far, the canned food has agreed with him and he likes it. I am also using NUPRO supplement for dry skin and have seen pretty miraculous results from it. It's a powder you sprinkle on the food or make a gravy out of. It has flaxseed, etc.

http://www.nuprosupplements.com/

It took about 3 weeks to notice a difference, feeding it twice a day, but I can really tell now. His coat is really shiny and no more dandruff. He also had really thin hair on his inner thighs, like kind of bald on the back of his legs?! And now the hair is growing there! So I'm pleased with the Nupro and will keep him on it.


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

the fish oil really helped with carreras skin and fur too, it took about 10-12 weeks which i guess is the normal time frame for it to kick in. i'll have to look into the nupro if the fish oil doesnt work for chicco, he has the same coloring as brody and is a little bald around his ears so i'd like to see that fill in. 

oh another note about the evo, i dont know if anyone else had these issues but chicco's stool smells horrible!


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## Muzby (Jan 28, 2009)

SillySally said:


> Can food is nothing but mostly water and has no nutritional benefit what so ever so why would someone opt to feed nothing but can food?


Wow. 

The ONLY difference in canned food and kibble is the starch and filler content! Canned has LESS, kibble has MORE. They are NOT nutritionally different, please go read a can vs. a bag. Also, yes, thank you I had noticed but it is STILL not better than canned of the same brand. 

"Or ground RAW bones also help with this. " GROUND raw bones won't do a lick for a pets teeth, as ground bones don't rub against the teeth while they "grind" it themselves. A whole raw bone can do wonders though! That we can agree on.  Use a chicken wing or chicken neck, a chicken back would work well too. Stay away from beef/lamb/goat/etc bones as they are too thick for chi teeth.

(On the EVO, sometimes it can be too "rich" for smaller dogs, have you tried the Wellness grain free varieties?)


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## SillySally (Jan 2, 2009)

I am feeding Origen which is compatable with Evo but a bit better. 

Can food is nothing but water and if you are in contact with a nutritionalist that specializes in dog food you would know that  Please explain to me what benefits dogs get from canned food other than coaxing them to eat?? I am all ears as I have studied this with a dog nutritionalist that I can get to join here to tell his side 

Are you talking about Wellness Core ( Grain free?) that is the exact same as Innova Evo?

Also I would like to know how much extensive research you have done on dogs nutrition to post such negative information. Sorry but you are leading people the wrong way and maybe you need to locate a dog food nutritionalist in your area to consult. I don't mean to be negative to you but I been doing this for years for all my pets and I can say my longest live dog is my yorkie that is 18.5yrs and she got a clean bill of health, how many can say that? I must be doing something right?


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## Chili-mom (Sep 7, 2008)

I think wellness canned is pretty good.


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## jeanie brown (Jan 5, 2009)

All these foods you talk about are not readily available in the uk. 
I feed dodge bakers complete puppy food but he dosent eat anywhere near enougth as he should i believe he just eats when he is starving . So i allow him to eat good human food. Otherwise he wouldent eat at all i feel sure. I am just going to try to feed him james wellbeloved chicken and rice pouches mixed with pedegree chum puppy biscutes and see how he goes .


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## SillySally (Jan 2, 2009)

There are ways you can get these foods but it maybe more shipping? I think the UK needs to lighten up on limiting certain things over there because it makes it hard for you to choose good diets for your pets.

I am sorry you are so limited.


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## Mandy (Jan 16, 2009)

> All these foods you talk about are not readily available in the uk.
> I feed dodge bakers complete puppy food but he dosent eat anywhere near enougth as he should i believe he just eats when he is starving . So i allow him to eat good human food. Otherwise he wouldent eat at all i feel sure. I am just going to try to feed him james wellbeloved chicken and rice pouches mixed with pedegree chum puppy biscutes and see how he goes .


i started my 2 of on the bakers complete puppy food but same as you i didnt think zac was eating near enough so someone reccomended james wellbeloved also my vet said it would be good for zac (as at the begining i was never away from the vet as i was worried about zacs eating habits) so now i leave out a bowl of bakers complete because honey likes it, zac will take a bit occaisionlly but i also put out the james wellbeloved pouches mixed with the james wellbeloved dried they both like it zac still only eats small amounts but at least hes eating that and over the last month i have seen some weight gain on him so fingers crossed he keeps eating it and dosent get fed up with it and go back to not eating much


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

I got Wellness Core grain free for Zoey to try to get her to gain some weight.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I think I will try a can of that Wellness next time I am out for Brody. He is such a bad eater. I want to make sure that every bite is nutritious and healthy for him. Sure would LOVE to find a food that he enjoys eating!! In a few months I can switch him over to the dry Wellness CORE. That seems to get good reviews here on palatability.


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## Pepe&Thia'sMom (Feb 18, 2009)

Brodysmom said:


> What can I give him to keep his teeth clean if the canned food is bad for his teeth? He likes those rawhide bones (with supervision, I take them away when they get gummy), or bully sticks, or those rolled pork skin things (they are really hard). He has a blue soft plastic dog toy that he will chew on sometimes that is some kind of dental thing. And I give him nutridents which are shaped like little toothbrushes that he chews and then eats. It seems like he is chewing on something ALL the time. He chews on rolled up socks and also on his stuffed toys too. Remember he ate a corner of the shamwow towel awhile back?! He is a chewer.
> 
> So far his teeth look really white, but I don't want to do dentals on him all the time.
> 
> ...


I give Carrot sticks as a Treat and it cleans there teeth it is really good for them


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## gigimommy (Mar 5, 2009)

What do you feed them raw?


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## Chizoey (Dec 28, 2008)

A good quality canned food is mostly meat. ( Innova Evo canned is no grain and 95% meat!!) Meat isn't laden with carbs. Carbs stay on the teeth and cause tarter build up. Guess what kibble is chock full of in order to make it stay in shapes?

A good quality canned food will NOT cause dirty teeth. But, all dogs will get tarter buildup unless you are brushing the teeth or feeding raw meaty bones to give them a natural tooth brush.

I think a lot of people still believe in the myth that kibble cleans their teeth. Even if they did chew the kibble, it would only, at best, clean the tips of their teeth. The rest would get stuck in between their teeth and toward the gumline. Thus, more plaque is trapped near the gumline and tartar develops.

I have known many many dogs live 15+ years on canned food only, with no dental problems!


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## BeckyLa (Feb 18, 2009)

:cheer:

My what an interesting discussion!! I think it would be great to have a couple of dog nutrition experts, to get various opinions, come along and explain it all to us. So many varied opinions!


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

Zoey now has Inova Evo chicken and rice and I am going to get some Canidae canned as well.


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## Chizoey (Dec 28, 2008)

I highly rec. the site www.dogfoodproject.com The lady that writes/owns it is a pet nutritionist. She use to be on dog.com forums. Not sure if she still posts there since she has her own forum ( http://www.ourdogsonline.com ) I suggest reading the posts on there, you can gain a lot of info!


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## SillySally (Jan 2, 2009)

I think some people no matter how much you preach to them about the certain foods they feed they will still listen to their vet for the advice on food. Vets are not nutritionalist so it is frustrating for me to tell one of my clients which food I think is good and the vets tell them science diet is and that client takes the vets advice. Vets will recommend what they carry in thier clinics and most do carry science diet. Not a food I am fond of but I will just continue to focus on providing my dogs with a quality food that I feel s good enough for them. Good nutrition and genetics are for a long lived happy canine.


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## magtru (Feb 18, 2009)

*Don't buy cheap crap like Purina*

Go to this site: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

Most of the Purina products use CORN as the FIRST ingredient. That is gross, typical and really cheap of the big corporations to do that. If the first few ingredients are not MEAT then don't buy it. No wonder animals get diabetes and get fat. Most the first ingredients are MEAL. 
I buy Castor & Pollux which is made in the USA and family owned, but there are even better brands out there. My pup likes this so I will stick with it. A friend of mine has a finicky dog and she LOVES Evangers which ranks the highest on the dog analysis site. Forget the big corporate brand names unless you research what is in them.


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## Gingersmom (Mar 12, 2009)

I have California Natural Salmon and Sweet Potato...to make a mixture with rice, green beans, mango, banana....for when they need the extra calories..ie sick..


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