Switch to dry dog food?

buta4 wrote:

Pawz4me wrote:
I'll leave the brand suggestions to others.

In general I don't think free feeding is a good idea for dogs. It can work in a single dog household, but I still don't think it's ideal. I think leaving food out is an invitation to pests like ants and roaches. Plus it makes it a bit harder to gauge how much the dog is eating. It also makes it more difficult to keep the dog on a routine potty schedule.

For a dog who is finicky with canned food, I wouldn't be very optimistic that she would eat dry food well. If you want to try I suspect you'll have to take a tough love approach -- pick two set feeding times per day, offer the food for 20 minutes or so and then take it up. Don't offer again until the next feeding time. This relies on the theory that when the dog gets hungry enough he/she will eat. It's not a method I believe in for several reasons, the chief being that some dogs will refuse to eat to the point of causing health issues.

I would never feed a dog nothing but dry kibble. IMO it's incredibly unhealthy.

I agree with your last two lines at the end of your post. Cats and dogs are carnivores, not herbivores..

I NEVER saw a cat or a dog stalk and attack and devour wheat or grass.

On occasion, they may chew on a blade or two of grass to relieve some types of stomach discomfort.

Cats are obligate carnivores.

I don't believe that dogs are carnivores at all. IMO they're omnivores.

I've had multiple dogs of my own who would run into a neighboring cornfield, pull stalks out of the ground, drag them back into the yard and eat the corn. Needless to say their love of fresh corn didn't make the farmer too happy. ;)

But that has nothing to do with the reasons why I wouldn't feed a diet of all dry kibble. My main objections to that are (1) the lack of moisture, and (2) I firmly believe all creatures do best with some fresh, "real" food in their diet.