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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / June 2007Canned cat food
I understand that one advantage of wet food for cats is that the moisture in it guarantees that the cat gets plenty of water, which is good for the urinary system. I put lots of water in the bowl with the dry food each time I feed my cats, and they lap up all the water as they eat the kibble. They are probably getting more water this way than when I fed them wet food. So I'm beginning to think there are no real reasons to continue with the wet food (which is way more expensive, messy, and inconvenient). Am I missing something? Are there other health benefits to canned food? (I feed my two 11 year old neutered, male, indoor-only cats Science Diet Senior dry food and Science Diet Senior canned food -- but I don't want to get into a discussion about brands right now. I simply mention this as background for my question about canned vs dry.) Thanks. JEP > I understand that one advantage of wet food for cats is that the moisture > in it guarantees that the cat gets plenty of water, which is good for the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > JEP > One advantage to more canned and less dry food is that canned food has more protein than dry. Dry food must be relatively high in carbs to allow it to pellet, however cats have no carbohydrate requirement. They do have a high protein requirement, though. So one theory of why we're seeing so many overweight and diabetic cats (besides them being overfed) is that they're getting too many carbs and not enough protein. So, in response to your question, I think it's good you're getting water into the kitties, but there are some advantages to feeding canned food (you can mix water in that, too, or instead of the dry) instead of just dry or watered-down dry. Sandy, DVM > One advantage to more canned and less dry food is that canned food has > more protein than dry. Dry food must be relatively high in carbs to > allow it to pellet, however cats have no carbohydrate requirement. They > do have a high protein requirement, though. So one theory of why we're > seeing so many overweight and diabetic cats (besides them being overfed) > is that they're getting too many carbs and not enough protein. ........and thank you for saying that Dr. Sandy! buglady take out the dog before replying >> One advantage to more canned and less dry food is that canned food has > more protein than dry. Dry food must be relatively high in carbs to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > feeding canned food (you can mix water in that, too, or instead of the > dry) instead of just dry or watered-down dry. Sandy and others who responded, Thanks for pointing this out to me. Certainly something to take seriously, so I looked up the nutritional content of the food I am currently giving my cats. Here is a comparison - on a dry matter basis - of the Science Diet Senior dry food to the Science Diet Senior canned food (taken from their web site): Protein: 33.7% dry vs 39.2% canned Carbs: 38.2% dry vs 27.3% canned Fat: 19.9% dry vs 23.3% canned Crude fiber: 2.2% dry vs 3.7% canned Are the differences in protein and carbs really that significant (i.e., big enough to cause diabetes or other health problems)? I'm not doubting what you say; just trying to better understand how to ensure I give my guys the best nutrition I can. Thanks again for any thoughts. JEP On Jun 24, 7:31 pm, jpear...@stanford.edu wrote: > >> One advantage to more canned and less dry food is that canned food has > > more protein than dry. Dry food must be relatively high in carbs to [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > JEP Well no the carb difference is not statistically significant to be alarming for diabetes. The point that Sandy makes is that in the natural state, cats are carnivores, and typically near the top of the food chain (think African lions), and thus are evolutionally situated to eat the meats, tendons, ligaments, and blood of the prey animal. Dogs however are thought to evolutionally be more of a scavenger in that they are situated to eat not only meats, but any bones, scraps, or intestinal contents that are available (think hyenas, foxes, etc.). The digestion then of the cat is made for infrequent meals (not the daily like we feed them), high protein (not the carbs we feed them), and the breaking down of large chunks of food (meat boluses versus the processed and fine grains we feed them). Diabetes that is related to carbohydrates (read "sugar" in man) is thought to be of two types, one that is congential (type 1) and one that is acquired through diet indiscretions (type 2). There is also the diabetes that is directly related to water loss (diabetes insipidus) that is not the diabetes being discussed. Since diet is believed to affect the type 2, and most cats that get diagnosed with diabetes are believed to "acquire" this disease with advanced age, the correlation is that this is similar to type 2 in people which is now recognized to be initiated by high carbohydrate diets (processed easily digestible foods such as white sugar, white rice, white bread, etc.). If cats are thought of as obligate carnivores (some think they are), then theory would play out in practice as a high protein, lo carbohydrate, mixed fat diet. Definitely not what we are feeding most of the cats in the world. Especially, when some of the best selling (pounds sold) foods are the cheapest cost foods out there, which are cheaper by substituting in easily digestible-processed-lower cost ingredients. My two cents for higher quality (higher priced) foods. > If cats are thought of as obligate carnivores (some think they are), ..........I don't think there's any doubt that cats are obligate carnivores, and nutritionally, have zero need for carbohydrates. buglady take out the dog before replying I routinely do the same thing. If water is all you are after, then I agree that mixing water with the food tends to get them to drink more because of the dissolved solids in the water. As long as they clean it up relatively soon, I prefer this method for those urinary cats. I also will sometimes warm it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to promote eating and drinking the mixture. The wet food has the moisture added uniformly throughout the puree, while crunchies has hard chunks, soft chunks, and the liquid interspersed, which means that every bite is not the same as the next. If the cats are picky and leave some behind, then yes the canned food may provide some benefits over the dry. The disadvantage I see to the canned food is when it is fed sparingly there will be quick buildup of fungal growth on the surface of the food. Compare this to fats becoming rancid in the dry food, but at a much slower rate. Because the cat uses the molar teeth to shear its food, it is thought that only canned foods in the diet may promote tartar and calculus buildup on the teeth. Using a hard dry food is supposed to promote a mechanical cleaning of the outer surface of the teeth, and thus retard some dental problems. Dry food will require binders added to the final ration to allow kibbling or pelleting of the final product. Thus comparing labels between (dry C/D to canned C/D) may show some variation in fat, protein, and carbohydrate levels. jpear...@stanford.edu wrote: > I understand that one advantage of wet food for cats is that the moisture > in it guarantees that the cat gets plenty of water, which is good for the [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > JEP The disadvantage > I see to the canned food is when it is fed sparingly there will be > quick buildup of fungal growth on the surface of the food. .........good gravy! If a cat doesn't clean up their food in 30 minutes it goes in the fridge. And dry food that has been soaked is going to go bad just as quickly as canned food. I don't see this objection as valid - canned food comes in all sizes. If you have one cat you shouldn't be buying the largest size as it will take longer to get rid of it. Using a hard dry food is supposed to promote a > mechanical cleaning of the outer surface of the teeth, and thus retard > some dental problems. ..........basically that's a fallacy. buglady tgake out the dogt before replying To clarify my previous posting. When I feed canned food it is fed at only one spoonful at a time and then only infrequently. The small cans that I use are then put in the refrigerator where they of course dry out, or grow mold within three days (one of the inherent defects of processing wet foods is that they are not irradiated to kill off fungal organisms). The use of hard foods for dental tartar prevention is scientifically valid in that this is the mechanism behind brushing teeth (mechanical), and the basis for the large hard briquets of dog food in the tartar control form (Hills T/D for instance). Additionally, soft foods are more adherent to the rough surfaces of teeth that have some gum recession. jpear...@stanford.edu wrote: > I understand that one advantage of wet food for cats is that the moisture > in it guarantees that the cat gets plenty of water, which is good for the [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > JEP > The use of hard foods for dental tartar prevention is scientifically > valid in that this is the mechanism behind brushing teeth > (mechanical), and the basis for the large hard briquets of dog food in > the tartar control form (Hills T/D for instance). Additionally, soft > foods are more adherent to the rough surfaces of teeth that have some > gum recession. No, actually dry food has little to no effect on cat dental health. For the most part, cats don't chew their kibble - onstead they swallow it whole. And even for those that do chew, their dental health is not improved. Really, only the tips of the teeth have relevant contact with the kibble anyway since the kibble is shattered. Dry food was once thought to help with tartar prevention, but (especialy in cats) there has been no proof of long term improved dental health from dry food. However, canned food does have more moisture which is beneficial for cats who get blocked and/or have issues with crystals. And for cats who are picky eaters, it's good to at least let them get used to a good quality canned food as a treat so that if in the future they have to switch to canned food for medical reasons, it won't be a huge issue. Here are some studies: Logan, et al., Dental Disease, in: Hand et al., eds., Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, Fourth Edition. Topeka, KS: Mark Morris Institute, 2000, p. 487. "Although consumption of soft foods may promote plaque accumulation, the general belief that dry foods provide significant oral cleansing should be regarded with skepticism. A moist food may perform similarly to a typical dry food in affecting plaque, stain and calculus accumulation...Typical dry dog and cat foods contribute little dental cleansing. As a tooth penetrates a kibble or treat the initial contact causes the food to shatter and crumble with contact only at the coronal tip of the tooth surface...The kibble crumbles...providing little or no mechanical cleansing...." Harvey et al., Correlation of diet, other chewing activities and periodontal disease in North American client-owned dogs. J Vet Dent. 1996 Sept;13(3):101-105. "In a large epidemiologic survey, dogs consuming dry food alone did not consistently demonstrate improved periodontal health when compared with dogs eating moist foods." And there are many more. -Sharon |
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