My dog eats Nutrish wet and Wholehearted dry. Is this healthy?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Both foods are good! Personally I would save the novel protein (trout) for animals with GI or skin disease. My only requirements for food brands for my clients are: the dog likes the food and eats it well, has a good coat, defecates normal stool regularly and isn't too thin or overweight. Most of the dog foods on the market are aimed at making the owner happy and use marketing ploys to get owners to feed foods for incorrect reasons (grain free, listing ingredients on the bag in differnet orders making owners think that it is better than another brand). Expensive food doesn't equal better. I like Purina, Royal Canin and Hill's Science diet. I hope this helps!

You have a lot of flexibility since she's a young/middle age adult, and I'm assuming she's healthy. Basically any food made by a reputable company is going to be fine for her. There has been more and more evidence coming out recently that grain-free diets aren't healthy for dogs (linked to a particular type of heart failure called Dilated Cardiomyopathy) and raw food also presents risk of salmonella and e.coli to both the dog and family around the dog, so I'd generally recommend staying away from both of those options. The brands I like are Hills, Purina, and Royal Canin because they have veterinary nutritionists on staff, have good quality control, and generally make solid products. I hope that helps a bit!

Hello and thank you for your post! In regards to these types of meals, they are meant to be full meals. However, most of these are high in fat and can cause dietary indiscretion. I would be concerned about weight gain with these meals. I typically prefer more balanced foods such as Science Diet, Royal Canin, Eukanuba or natural balance.

It is very normal for a dog to refuse dry food, as the wet food has more flavor. My advise would be to mix both wet and dry food together for each meal. This way Willis will get the benefits of each, and should eat them both well. There are only three pet food brands which are approved by veterinarians. These are science diet, royal canin and purina pro plan. Only these three Have undergone research to ensure they provide an adequate and nutritious diet for pets. This research is approved by veterinarians. Any other food brands may not be regulated or researched as thoroughly. For this reason I would only advise feeding one of those three.

Hi there. No, this is not okay - Rio needs to be on a nutritionally complete and balanced diet designed for dogs. What you are describing is not healthy for him, and puts him at risk of developing a variety of different health problems due to nutritional imbalances and deficiencies. I would recommend feeding a good quality commercial dog food from a reputable company such as Purina, Hills, or Royal Canin. If you prefer to cook for your dog at home, that's fine - but it needs to be a diet formulated to meet his nutritional needs, not something you make up yourself. In that case, you can use the website www.balanceit.com to put together appropriate recipes using ingredients of your choosing, or consult with a veterinary nutritionist about formulating a custom diet for him. You can find more information on how to do this here: https://acvn.org/nutrition-consults/

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. Great question! I don't know what this "man's" background is but I don't suggest you take advice from someone who likely knows nothing about nutrition in dogs. This includes many pet stores employees, breeders and people that do internet research from sources with no factual background. Dry food is just fine for dogs and you don't have to use an expensive food. Just don't use a super cheap food (like Ol' Roy). If you are looking for a good dry food that is reasonably priced then I would use Purina One. I would use a weight control diet (it is fine to feed that to both dogs) and be sure you are feeding the correct amount based on their IDEAL weight (not the current weight). You really need to get some weight off the big dog. Minimize treats and it is suggested you not feed any people food when trying to get a dog to lose weight. This is going to be very bad for his joints as he gets older. ( https://www.purinaone.com/dogs/products/dry-dog-food/smartblend-healthy-weight ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I don't know what Science Diet formulation you are using but I would stick with that. Science Diet is an excellent company with a great reputation. All their diets are thoroughly balanced and tested. Wholehearted is grain-free and there is new evidence (scientific studies) that are showing a link between grain-free diets and heart disease in dogs. I would stay away from grain-free diets. Just my personal opinion. Best wishes.