Whole Dog Journal’s 2020 Approved Wet Dog Foods

Were you aware that dogs don’t have a biological requirement for carbohydrates? The fact that this bit of trivia sounds so crazy is a testament to how thoroughly we all take carbohydrate-laden kibble for granted. But it’s true: Dogs require protein and fat, but they can live and thrive quite well without any carbs at all. 

Perhaps you’ve seen canned foods with labels indicating that meat makes up 93% or 95% (or sometimes even 96%!) of the product. This is possible because nearly all of a dog’s nutritional requirements can be met in a diet mainly comprised of meat; add some vitamins and minerals, and he’s all set! 

But dogs can eat and benefit from carbohydrates – and the foods that provide carbs are much less costly than the foods that provide just protein and fat, so pet food makers can provide adequate nutrition to dogs for a lower price by using a certain amount of carbohydrate-based ingredients in their food. Generally, the more carbs there are in the can, the less the food will cost.

Cost isn’t the only reason to add a non-meat ingredient to a diet for dogs, however. Some ingredients provide non-nutritive functions that benefit the dog. For example, some fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes provide fiber that can modify or improve the dog’s intestinal microflora, so he can better digest his food. Some foods can reduce inflammation or provide antioxidant action. Certain herbs and spices have been shown to improve mobility or cognition. 

All of the “complete and balanced” foods you can buy for your dog will meet his requirements – whether his requirements are just for the basic maintenance of life or the higher nutritional needs of a growing puppy. But, as you’ll see, each pet food maker will approach the task of meeting those needs in any number of ways, with any number of ingredients. 

YOU CAN DO THIS

Your task is to find foods that “perform well” in your dog – that improve or maintain his digestion (helping build a nice stool, not too hard and not too soft, and reducing or eliminating excessive gas); maintain or improve his health, appetite, and energy; and, if he’s a puppy, provide for an appropriate rate of growth (not too fast, not too slow). 

How the heck are you supposed to find the foods that perform like this in your dog? Well, like everything: It takes a little bit of economics (buy what’s in your budget), a little bit of science (keep track of what you are feeding and observe and record the results) – and more than a little luck. 

Does this sound daunting? C’mon, you can do this. You’re already doing it – you’re currently feeding your dog something, right? 

1. Check the “nutritional adequacy statement.” Some foods are not complete and balanced! If they are not, they must indicate that they are “for intermittent or supplemental use only.” These products are fine for short-term use, but they will not provide everything your dog needs over time.

Growing puppies have higher requirements for a number of nutrients than adult dogs. Complete and balanced dog foods must state whether they have been formulated to meet the nutritional standards for “growth” (puppies) or “adult maintenance.” If the label says the food is for “all life stages,” it has met the “growth” standards. 

If you are feeding a dog who is still growing, you must check to see if the nutritional adequacy statement indicates the food is meant for dogs who are expected to mature to more than 70 pounds or less. For more information about these statements and feeding puppies, see “Puppy Needs New Food,” WDJ September 2020.

2  Note the amount of protein and fat in the food. You should have an idea of how much protein and fat you are already feeding your dog and whether that’s too much (is he overweight?), too little (is he underweight?), or about right. Look for products with protein and fat levels that are appropriate for your dog. 

Be aware that these values range very widely in pet food; one can of food might contain three times as much protein or fat as another. Check the “guaranteed analysis” on the label of the food you have at home, and check it on any food you are considering. 

3. Now look at the ingredient list for hallmarks of quality. Look for things you can readily identify as food – real food. Chicken is chicken, but do you know what poultry by-product meal is? No? Then don’t buy it for your dog. (This sounds simplistic, but it’s a good guide when it comes to sorting out the higher-quality ingredients from the highly processed and not scrupulously managed waste products from the human food industry.)

For more guidance on what ingredients are acceptable and appropriate, see “Dog Food Selection Criteria: Ingredients” below.

4. Look at the ingredient list for what suits your dog – and what disagrees with him. If your dog is allergic to beef, don’t trust that a food manufacturer hasn’t changed its formula and added beef to that stew; check the ingredients every time you buy a food. 

If you have observed that grains exacerbate your dog’s gas production, look for grain-free – or perhaps even carbohydrate-free foods. (Many grain-free foods are chock-full of alternative carbohydrate sources, such as peas, lentils, chickpeas, and other legumes; pumpkin; sweet potatoes, potatoes, and various byproducts of these ingredients (i.e., pea flour, pumpkin powder, etc.).

5. Any time your dog displays a change in his health, energy, appetite, or elimination habits, write it down somewhere. Note what you were feeding him. Keep track of when you change foods. Look for patterns in his response to various ingredients, protein or fat levels, or even different manufacturers’ products. Change accordingly!

COVID-19 Being Unfairly Blamed for Poor Customer Service

Reaching the pet food manufacturers with questions or concerns
right now is difficult – and that’s ridiculous. 

We’ve long advised readers to reach out to the makers of their dogs’ food if they have questions or concerns about the products – and to decline to buy food from companies who are not attentive to consumers or who can’t seem to provide basic information about the company’s products, such as a complete nutritional profile for any of its foods.

That advice stands today, even with the pandemic going on. Many people are working from home today; there is a wealth of technology available that should enable any customer service team to continue to communicate with consumers. But in the course of compiling information about the products featured on our “Approved Canned Foods” list, we had to call quite a few companies for information – and we heard an unprecedented number of recordings that stated no one was available to take our calls. 

We understand that having someone available to provide knowledgeable support to consumers can be costly and difficult at times. But given the fact that our dogs’ lives depend on these foods, it seems like the least a pet food company can do is to equip some employee or the owner of the company with a cell phone so they can respond to consumer inquiries.

If you can’t reach anyone at a pet food company to ask a question about their products, our advice would be to avoid buying that company’s food. Period. 

APPROVED FOODS

Below, you’ll find a list of pet food companies that make the kind of foods that meet our selection criteria. You should notice that even among these better- and best-quality products, there is quite a wide price range. All of the products made by these companies are better than most of the products on the market. But some companies take food production to an art form, with certified humanely raised meats, organic ingredients, functional ingredients such as glucosamine, prebiotics, and probiotics, etc. Some of these products – more all the time! – are actually made in human food manufacturing facilities, which means they contain only human-edible ingredients. Wow!

But what’s most important is that you find products at the price point that you can afford and that suit your dog. So, to that end, we’ve included the price range of each manufacturer’s offerings, expressed by “price per ounce” (since can/carton/tub sizes are all different). 

Using the steps described above, choose some foods that are new to you and your dog and give them a try! If your local pet supply store doesn’t carry them, try online. If the products really work for your dog, ask your local store manager if she can carry them for you. 

And don’t forget: One-size-fits-all recommendations don’t work when it comes to diet. You have to feed the individual what works for him. It’s wonderful when you have more than one dog and they can both digest and thrive on the same variety of food, but we wouldn’t take it for granted that any two dogs can. 

Whole Dog Journal’s Approved Canned Dog Foods for 2020