The Most Common Types of Pet Foods

Dogs and cats have been through an evolutionary process since the beginning of the domestication process, altering their social, reproductive and even feeding behavior, as human beings have become the only food provider without the possibility of hunting proudly. 

The owner thus has a direct impact on his own lifestyle on time, economic capacity and level of responsibility.

In addition to the other attributes such as: to be practical, cost-effective, to encourage the evacuation of solid feces, to maintain adequate health, and to be pleasant to the pet's palate, the animal food industry has changed alongside human habits to enhance product supply. 

Multiple food choices 

Wet food, dry food, B.A.R.F, homemade food, etc. With hundreds of different types of pet foods on the market, it can be difficult to figure out which food is best for our pets. 

If you just adopted a pet and you wonder what food options this article can offer you, it might be particularly interesting.

We have selected the most common kind of pet food and analyzed it below to assess which option appears more interesting or to learn more about feeding your pets. 

Dry Foods 

These foods are called kibbles or extruded foods. 

They are produced by an extrusion process, which usually covers raw materials to increase their flavor, subject to high temperatures and steam pressure for cooking. 

Most dry pet foods contain between 18% and 27% protein, between 7% and 15% fat, less than 12% moisture and between 35% and 50% carbohydrates. 

The main ingredients are usually meat (chicken, lamb, turkey, etc.) and then we have cereals, dairy products, vitamins and minerals. They can be even more substantial and include functional ingredients in the formulation that benefit the health and wellbeing of the animals. 

The majority of the dry diets are full and balanced. The downside of dry food is that they often contain fillers, preservatives and processed ingredients, so it is important to choose dry food very carefully. 

For example the dry food we offer here at BYMiT are free of added hormones, corn, wheat, soy and gluten free, has 43% animal ingredients 9% moisture 4% fiber and much more.

Semi-moist Foods

They're commonly referred to as treats. Because of their high palatability, they should be consumed in moderation to avoid our pet becoming overweight. 

These foods are made from frozen or fresh animal tissues, cereals, fats and simple sugars. They contain approximately 16% to 25% protein, 5% to 10% fat, about 25% to 35% carbohydrates and 60-65% water by weight.

Some owners prefer this type of food because it generally smells less than canned food, although it also has some disadvantages, such as that it cannot be left in the dish for a long time.

On the other hand, due to its lower fat content, the caloric density is also lower, so to cover its energetic needs, the dog will have to ingest large quantities, and this contributes to the fact that it is slightly more expensive than regular dry food.

Wet Foods

Wet food is a favorite of many pets because it is easy to eat and digest. To give you an idea: dogs digest dry food in approximately twelve hours, wet food, on the other hand, is digested in three to four hours.

It is important that the first ingredient on the label be a particular meat, such as chicken meat or beef. It is also a good idea to offer a treat to pets who are only fed dry food on special occasions.

Generally wet foods contain 8% to 15% protein in dog foods and 12% to 20% protein in cat foods. This type of food is often softer and easier to chew for dogs or cats with sensitive teeth and gums.

Wet food should not be the sole source of nutrition for any pet, according to experts, since it is not chewed and therefore leads to the accumulation of tartar, which can be harmful to your pet's health in the long run.

It differs from dry food in that it has a high degree of humidity, but it is similar in that its ingredients are heat treated at high temperatures, losing the majority of their nutrients.

Wet food can be used to make the transition from dry food to a BARF diet.

The B.A.R.F diet

The diet discussed earlier is a form of food for pets or feeding that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. The BARF diet consists of feeding dogs raw food that is biologically appropriate for them. BARF is the acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.

A raw-foods-based menu that includes beef, fish, bones, offal, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. This type of diet is also known as a natural diet. It is focused on preparing an exclusive meal for our pets every day, rather than feeding them our leftovers.

People who support this type of food for their pets argue that the BARF diet is the most safe and healthy for them because it is specifically tailored to their nutritional needs, but most importantly to their stomachs, resulting in much lighter digestions and a more efficient intestinal transit.

Homemade food

On the other side, there is the choice of making your pet’s meals from scratch every day or feeding them leftovers from your meals: meat, macaroni, bones, rice, etc.

 If you want to feed them homemade food, bear in mind that not everything that is good for humans is good for pets.

There are certain things that we should avoid feeding to our pets, such as garlic and onions. We should, on the other hand, feed them rice, pasta, potatoes, poultry, and even fish, as long as we avoid scrapes and splintering bones.

Many choices, one responsibility.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of pet foods available nowadays. Both of them have benefits in terms of animal nutrition and welfare; however, we must be aware of the potential disadvantages of their consumption.

As a result, we must note that, as animal health experts, veterinarians are responsible for communicating to pet owners the guidelines for achieving proper nutrition for their animals.