Types of Dog Foods

The three main types of dog foods are dry, soft-moist and canned products. These vary in a number of characteristics including moisture, cost, palatability and amount of nutrition delivered per pound or ounce of food. Evaluating a dog food diet should include consideration of all these factors. In spite of these variations, with today's advanced technology, all types of dog food products can be formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition for dogs.
Canned Diets

These diets offer the highest palatability when compared to the dry and soft-moist products. Once a can is opened, unused food should be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for no longer than three days.
Dry Diets

Dry products consist of crunchy kibbles, which help reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar on a dog's teeth. Dry foods also have the advantage of staying fresh longer than soft-moist and canned products once the package is opened.
Soft-Moist Diets

Soft-moist dog foods generally offer higher palatability as compared to dry diets, are convenient to serve and store easily. They can be more expensive to feed than dry diets.
Targeted Nutrition

These foods are specially formulated and proportioned to meet the special nutritional needs of certain dogs.

Diets designed specifically for puppies usually contain higher levels of the nutrients puppies need during their period of rapid growth and development. Other dog foods are formulated to have higher levels of protein and calories to provide extra energy for puppies, working and hunting dogs. Other dog foods are formulated to be lower in calories and fat to help less active and older dogs maintain normal body weight.

Types of Cat Foods

The three main types of cat foods are dry, soft-moist and canned products. With today's advanced technology, all types of cat food products can be formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition for your cat.
Dry Diets

Dry products consist of crunchy kibbles, which help reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar on a cat's teeth. Dry foods also have the advantage of staying fresh longer than soft-moist and canned products once the package is opened.
Soft-Moist Diets

Soft-moist cat foods generally offer higher palatability as compared to dry diets, are convenient to serve and store easily.
Canned Diets

These diets generally offer the highest palatability when compared to the dry and soft-moist products. Once a can is opened, unused food should be stored in the refrigerator.
Comparing Label Guarantees

The difference in moisture content among the various types of cat food impacts the nutrient density of the products or the amount of nutrients per ounce or pound of food. As the water content of the diet increases, the amount of protein, fat and other essential nutrients decreases. That means the cat must consume a larger portion of the high moisture products to receive the nutrition they need.

This difference in moisture and energy content also prohibits a direct comparison of the nutrient content of one product type to another. For example, you cannot compare the 12% protein content of a canned cat food to the 21% protein level of a dry cat food and conclude the dry food will supply more protein. You can, however, make a fair comparison of the 21% protein content of one dry cat food to the 30% protein content of another dry cat food and conclude that the cat will receive more protein by eating the higher protein product. The higher protein product, however, is not necessarily superior; that depends on the life stage and lifestyle of the cat to whom the product is fed.