Mixed feeding

There are many types of feed in all possible variations on the market. It is often difficult to decide which feed is suitable. Some people therefore choose to mix feed, but does this have an effect on the health of your pet?

In order to answer this question, we need to take a closer look at the manufacturing variants of the individual feeds.

Extruded dry feed

Extruded (hot-pressed) dried feed, which makes up the majority of the dried feed market, is digested quite differently than, for example, wet feed or meat (barf) due to its production.

However, there are also dried feeds that are produced differently, such as cold-pressed or baked dried feed.

Cold pressed dry feed

Cold pressing has been used in the production of animal feed for a very long time. Pellets for horses, rabbits etc. are produced in this way. Here the ingredients are also pressed together, but with much less heat and therefore the production is much gentler, the ingredients are preserved and the digestion time is similar to meat or wet feed.

Baked dry food can be compared to baking biscuits. Here too, the digestion time is similar to that of meat or wet food.

What does this mean for our animals?

Extruded dry food behaves like a sponge in the stomach due to the pressing process and the heat applied. It quivers strongly and takes a very long time to digest, up to 12 hours. Meat or wet food, on the other hand, is much easier to digest, namely in about 6 hours. Now you can perhaps imagine that this can lead to digestion problems if these different foods are together in the stomach.

Especially for overweight animals, it can be difficult to lose weight with dry food. Because many more calories are hidden in a small amount, the animals often feel hungry after eating.

Sensitive animal stomachs also do not tolerate the swelling of extruded food well. In addition, animals fed on dry food need to drink much more, as the dry food has been dehydrated to compensate for their fluid balance. Cats in particular usually drink far too little, which in the long run can lead to kidney disease, for example.

Tip

If you feed wet food, you can offer cold pressed or baked dry food as high-quality treats during training. Pay attention to the daily requirement. Treats must be deducted from the main food, i.e. less wet food must be given.