Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

Is a dry food and organ diet sufficient for my adult dog's health?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 2 years and 8 months old | 62 lbs

My dog Frankie is a bull arab and is nearly 3. We are a little stuck with nutrition and wanted to advice please. At the moment we are giving her a cup of dry food (grain free) and a can of wet food (not grain free). Recently I've been wanting to change out the wet food because it's just one from the supermarket that I don't believe is very good for her. She also eats organs and bones. Could I change it for dry food and an organ everyday? I don't know if this is sufficient or good for her? Thanks

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 18th, 2019

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!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 23rd, 2018

    I wouldn't worry about blood sugar is not eating, that's only a concern if she is diabetic. I would not add yogurt and cottage cheese to her food, it's extra calories she doesn't need and dairy causes GI upset in dogs. I would also strongly urge you to switch her to a diet with grains in it. Vets are see a rise in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) who are fed grain free diets. It is believed there is something in the grain free diet that is causing more dogs to develop DCM, and the FDA is now investigating that link. Grain free diets are a fad, and now it looks like it's a dangerous fad. I'd consider feeding her a food such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I hope this helps! https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 8th, 2019

    Pepper may like the taste of grass, but it may be she has intestinal worms. Make sure she is dewormed. Having intestinal worms would make her hungry a lot too. Please do not feed her a grain free food. Grain free is a very dangerous fad. Vets are seeing an increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy who are fed grain free diets. The FDA is investigating that link and has named Merrick as a brand linked to it. Please put her on a puppy food that contains grains. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I'm trying to find a good nutritional dog food to feed my pet ! I don't want all that garbage food !! My friend gave me some of her food that she feeds her dig , it's call Bill Jac, it says it's made with 5lbs of chicken for a 6lb bag !! But it's all
Bill Jac is not my favorite. Natural balance limited ingredient diet is a good food which is grain free. But also the commercial diets that have been around for years like science diet, iams, and royal canine are all great foods. These foods do have grains in them but grains are okay for dogs as long as they do not have a grain allergy. Also, these foods have a lot of research to back them up which some of these newer "fancier" foods do not have that same amount of research. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
What the best dry dog for food match my dog
Thank you for using Boop by Petco! In the United States, Pet foods are regulated by a nongovernmental organization called AAFCO. They set standards for what makes a complete pet food. Due to these high standards, most pet foods for sale are adequate to provide complete nutrition for pet dogs. What you want is a food that has an AAFCO statement on the package that the food has been used in FEEDING TRIALS. You will find some food that have a statement that they are FORMULATED to meet requirements. Your family veterinarian may have specific preferences for food types. In general, food made by Hills, Purina, Eukanuba, and Royal Canin will have excellent nutrient profiles for your pet. If your dog has specific medical requirements, your family veterinarian can make recommendations for a prescription food.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Have a question on what dog dry food you would recommend? Wellness core ? Wellness complete health ? Blue wilderness high protein grain free ? Taste of the wild ?
Personally I recommend Purina Pro Plan, Royal Canin, or Hills Science Diet. I personally feed my dogs Purina Pro Plan. The reason for choosing these foods over other brands are numerous, including the fact that these companies have actual board certified veterinary nutritionists on staff formulating their diets, these companies are the only ones that do actual studies/feeding trials with their diets to ensure that they do provide adequate and optimal nutrition (while all diets that are sold in stores are requierd to meet certain nutritional requirements within the diet, it does not mean the diets are safe and effective, just that they contain the correct amount of protein, etc.), and these companies do extensive quality control/safety screening of their foods. Basically they spend much more of their money on ensuring their food is the best for a dog versus spending their money on extensive marketing to convince pet owners that their food is best!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is a high quality kibble bad for my dog? I've been told that I should only feed fresh food and that kibble is poor quality nutrition. I've always used top quality brands such as Acana Orijen and Fromm. Is what I'm doing healthy? I think raw and home
There are many varied and strong opinions on this subject. A good quality, complete kibble is an appropriate diet for your dog and avoids the risks of under or over supplying essential nutrients as well as the risks of food poisoning type issues with raw food. Not all brands will suit all dogs and it may take a little time to find the best diet for your dog, which may change as he gets older or develops any health concerns
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
We have a lab/Vizsla mix who will turn one year old in 2 weeks, I am currently feeding her Taste of the Wild Grain-free puppy food (repeat monthly delivery from PetCo). When can I feed her adult food? What is your recommendation for dry food, less e
You can start feeding her an adult food in two weeks, but you can start making the transition to it now. Dogs need to be transitioned slowly to a new food to prevent GI upset. I strongly recommend not feeding a grain free diet to Panay. Vets are seeing an increase in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets, and the FDA is now investigating that link. Grain free food has been a fad, grains are actually beneficial to dogs. Less than 1% of dogs have a grain allergy, so it's actually very rare, and now we are seeing that it could be quite detrimental to their health. I recommend feeding her Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
When we rescued Vinny he was fed Rachael Ray Nutrish, so we kept with it. A new study just came out in regards of what dry dog foods have been linked to heart failure and Rachael Ray was the last one on the list. With so many foods that contain so ma
In general, it is not recommended to feed dogs a grain free diet unless they are known to have a grain allergy (which is very uncommon). There are many misconceptions about pet nutrition circulating. While the link is not yet understood and has multiple factors, something about the grain free diets may be allowing heart disease to develop in certain dogs. I recommend to feed a high quality brand with a good reputation and minimal problems with food recalls. The brand I like the most is Royal Canin. They conduct feeding trials to measure the digestibility of their diets. Most pets who eat this brand have excellent coat and stool quality. They also tend to produce minimal stool which is a sign the diet does not contain fillers and is highly digestible. I also recommend Nutro and Purina Pro Plan. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, why you dont recommend for all pet owners to feed their cats and dogs raw food?. Since dry food and canned food are not healthy at all, containing carbs and starch, which leads to cancer. Today i made a research about Gluconeogenesis, which is th
Thank you for you post on Boop by Petco. I do agree that some canned and dry pet foods can have less then desirable ingredients. Therefore I only recommend those which have been tested. There are only three pet food brands which are fully approved by veterinarians. These are Hill's science diet, royal canin and purina pro plan. Only these three Have undergone detailed 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 as regulated or researched as thoroughly. For this reason I would only advise feeding one of those three. In regards to raw food diets, there are undeniably benefits to this type of fresh, less processed food. The issue can be obtaining, and preparing quality enough meat to prevent infections from food borne pathogens. An alternative to consider to raw food diets are home prepared diets. This is what I serve to my own pets, and what I recommend to clients who have
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
I have a 12-yr. old Jack Russell Terrier who apparently has some digestive issues. Her stomach gurgles loudly at times - not frequently but occasionally. When this happens, she eats grass. I just heard that no grain foods may cause heart disease. Wha
Yes, you are correct that there is concern that no grain foods may potentially linked to heart disease, and the FDA is now investigating that. Personally, I recommend feeding Gypsy Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I am concerned about the new FDA alert regarding grain free dog food. I feed both my dogs the Wellness TruFood Baked Nuggets Adult Dog Food - Natural, Grain Free, Chicken and Chicken Liver. Should I switch their food? And which dog food brands are be
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dogs. Until more is known, I recommend avoiding grain free diets. Aside from the recent association found linking these diets to heart disease, they are typically higher in carbohydrates and calories than standard diets. This leads to weight gain. I recommend diets from Hill's, Purina and Royal Canin. These are large trust worthy pet food companies. They have veterinarians on staff to research and formulate their diets. Smaller companies just do not have these resources available. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My parents have a 15 yr old Lab & a 7yr old German Shepard/Pit mix. Both have been used to table scraps mixed with their dry food. Mom's idea. I'm trying to feed them strictly DRY food now. They don't want to eat. Plse give me at least 2-3 choices of
Hello. Grain free labeling is more of a marketing to rather than an indication of a good food. I encourage brands that have passed the AAFCO food standards (it would say that on the bag usually by the nutritional information). These brands include Purina, Science Diet, Pedigree, Eukanuba, Blue Buffalo- In changing diets remember that sudden changes can be hard on the GI tract so gradually mixing in the new food is best.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Food Dry Dog Food Wet Dog Food Dog Food With Grain Dry Dog Food with Grain Premium Dog Food Cat Food Grain Free Dog Food Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food Wet Dog Food with Grain Healthy Aging Dry Dog Food Healthy Grains Freeze Dried Dog Food Healthy Grains Dry Dog Food Healthy Aging Dog Food With Grain Healthy Aging Dry Dog Food with Grain Advanced Health Dry Dog Food Healthy Aging Dog Food Wholesome Grains Dry Dog Food Holistic Dry Dog Food Healthy Grains Wet Dog Food
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored