[Lizzie07]

I personally have never fed a dry only diet. I remember reading, quite a few years ago that wet food is actually close to a more natural food than dry food. I also don't feed only one brand of food. You never know, there could be beneficial trace minerals in one food that isn't in another. I also rotate foods, I don't feed one brand forever. The big, really big mistake I've made is feeding the same protein source. For some reason, I would always pick chicken to feed the dogs, only very ocassionaly
feeding a different protein source, such as beef. I have come to learn that most dog allergies are to a particular protein and that as dogs age, feeding them the same protein over time can lead to developing an allergy to it. I think this is what has happened to my IBD dog, who is 15 yrs old.

Back on topic, I subscribe to the whole dog journal and in their latest booklet, "Top Dog Foods for Total Wellness," there is an article "All Wet? Alright! These products may be healthier than their kibbled counterparts." The article states, "Wet foods are frequently made with higher quality ingredients that their dry counterparts, most significantly, fresh, whole meats. They also contain a higher percentage of meat than dry foods; most dry food extruders can't handle foods that contain more than 50% meat. Wet food usually contains way fewer chemical additives than dry foods. Artificial colors and flavors are actually uncommon in wet products; because of the moist, fragrant nature of the meat-based contents, artificial flavoring and other palatants are rarely needed to attract dogs to otherwise unappealing food."

The article goes on to discuss how they approve wet foods and which foods WDJ approves. Petco carries Wellness, Organix, and Natural Balance, all on the list. Merrick is on the list, which I've seen at Pet Supermarkets. Nature's Variety is on the list too, but I don't think that is being carried at the above places.

I know a lot of people think dogs' should get all the nutrition they need from their dog food, but that kind of doesn't make sense to me. It seems like even our own nutrition is evolving and if the foods are so complete, why the continuing research? And wouldn't they benefit from a variety of foods. Heck, at one time, cats were dying from a lack of taurine in the processed diets that people where feeding them. Also, wet food is starting to look preferable to dry food for cats and may ward off diabetes and heart disease. Dog food, too, has evolved, and continues to evolve.
At one time, most people never considered giving their dogs any raw food. Bones, even raw bones were considered dangerous. Many, many people believe otherwise now.