Picking the right diet for your canine companion boosts their health and well-being, so you might be wondering about dehydrated dog food and how it compares to kibble. With some dog foods containing potentially harmful substances, your choice is more important than ever.
Close in quality to a home-cooked diet but without the fuss, dehydrated foods are great but they aren't without issues. Learning more about your options and how these different types of dog food compare will help you come to the best decision for you and your pup.
Dehydrated dog food contains simple whole-food ingredients that are dried at low temperatures to remove the water. The dehydration process preserves the food to keep it fresh for longer. When you feed it to your dog, you can mix it with water to rehydrate it, so it's similar to wet food or fresh, home-cooked food.
Some can be fed as a complete meal, but others are designed as mixers or toppers only. Take a look at the packaging and if it states it's "complete and balanced," this means it contains a proper balance of all the nutrients your dog needs to stay healthy. On the other hand, mixers are designed to be mixed with meat to create a balanced diet, while toppers are for topping dry food to make it more interesting or palatable for dogs.
Are you asking yourself whether dehydrated food or kibble is right for your dog? You'll need to compare the two to find an answer. There's little doubt that dehydrated food has the better-quality ingredients, but it’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons and remember that you could mix the two together — there's no need to stick to just one.
The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Whole Grain Dog Food
With a blend of turkey, vegetables and heart-healthy whole grains, this complete and balanced food is a nutritious choice for any adult dog.
Dr. Harvey's Paradigm Green Superfood Dog Food
This vegetable-base mix needs meat and oil mixed in to make a complete food. It's a great choice for people who want to make their own dog food but need a helping hand.
Sold by Amazon
Containing around 95% whole meat, this is an excellent protein-rich choice that's especially great for active dogs. It's complete and balanced but you can also feed it with kibble as a topper.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Dry Dog Food
This high-quality kibble contains meat as its first ingredient and is mixed with whole grains for heart health.
Sold by Amazon, Chewy and PetSmart
Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Salmon Dry Dog Food
A blend of salmon, brown rice, ancient grains, fruit and vegetables makes this a nutritious choice, whether you feed it alone or mix it with a dehydrated food.
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Lauren Corona writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.