Semi-Moist Dog Food: Is It Right For Your Dog?

If you have a little one with sensitive teeth, you may be concerned about how their food may be affecting his or her dental health. Semi-moist dog food is commonly recommended to dogs appearing to have difficulties with chewing dry kibble for a variety of reasons.

In this article, we will explore what you need to know about semi-moist dog food and what ingredients it should contain to keep your best friend healthy as they grow and age.

What is semi-moist dog food?

Semi-moist dog food is a relatively new type of dog food that's 'soft and chewy' in its texture and does not have to be refrigerated. In other words, it's shelf-stable.

This natural kind of dog food has the appearance of a fresh dog food, while maintaing the pantry-safe storage of dry kibble. For that reason, many pet parents choose it because it gives their dog the healthy ingredients of fresh food with more convenience.

Products in the semi-moist dog food genre are labeled differently across brands. At Yumwoof, we call ours a 'soft and chewy' kibble or sometimes simply soft kibble.

One reason veterinarians recommend semi-moist dog food is because it's cooked in a healthier way in comparison to the dry kibble commonly found in stores.

The low heat, slow baking method used to produce semi-moist dog food helps prevent the degredation of vitamins and minerals inside your dog's food so they consume the right amounts of each nutrient. It is not degraded in the cooking process.

Is semi-moist dog food healthier than dry kibble?

In a single word: yes.

Dry kibble is an ultraprocessed food cooked at temperatures that can exceed 500° F. Highly processed foods have been linked to increased rates of diabetes and heart disease across many NIH research studies.

When ingredients are cooked at these high temperature levels, the beneficial nutrients they contain are degraded to the point where they aren't able to be used by your dog's body to enhance their nutrition.

It helps to understand how dry kibble is actually manufactured. 

The machine used to produce it, which is called an extruder, uses a screw to grind ingredients at extremely high pressure and intense heat—which together have the effect of crumbling the ingredients so much that they're even processed differently by your dog's body.

Semi-moist dog food is cooked in a healthier way. Rather than processing your dog's food using the aforementioned grinding at high heat, semi-moist dog food is gently baked in an oven.

While brands have differing ways of producing semi-moist dog food, at Yumwoof, our cooking temperatures never exceed 170° F. We do this to ensure the nutrients inside your dog's food are bioavilable and can be used to maximize your dog's health.

When is a semi-moist dog food ideal for my dog?

There are many reasons vets recommend a semi-moist dog food. Besides the higher quality nutrition, many vets recommend it when a dog has sensitive teeth.

If your dog is 7+ years old or even a senior in age now, it may be time to consider switching their food from hard kibble to semi-moist dog food.

There are some common signs that a dog is having dental issues and/or pain while eating dry kibble. The most common signals to look out for in your own dog are:

• Decreased appetite
• Drooling 
• Bad breath
• Dropping food
• Whimpering
• Reduced activity level
• Red or swollen gums

If you notice your dog has any of these symptoms, take your dog to your trusted veterinarian to find out if they might have dental issues that need to be addressed.

Dogs diagnosed with dental problems causing tooth pain are often prescribed semi-moist dog food to alleviate their pain while eating. Even if your veterinarian has not prescribed semi-moist dog food to you, there is no reason why you shouldn't feed it to your dog. It will provide them much needed pain relief during their meals.

What ingredients should I look for in semi-moist dog food?

This goes for all dogs: clean, high quality ingredients in line with the canine's ancestral diet is always the healthiest option from a nutrition perspective.

The canine ancestral diet, also known as the <a href="https://yumwoof.com/blogs/nutrition/wolf-diet-for-dog-science">wolf diet</a>, includes fresh meat as the primary food in their diet. Natural meat (no meat meals or by-products) should always be the first ingredient in semi-moist dog food in order to ensure your dog receives the highest quality protein and amino acids.

That gets us to another benefit of semi-moist dog food. Harder dry kibble usually includes low quality meat meals and other ultraprocessed proteins that are not human grade. Only semi-moist dog food is made in a way that can maintain the benefits of fresh meat with minimal processing. 

The next ingredient you should seek out in semi-moist dog food is coconut oil, particularly if you have an aging dog.

While canines are carnivores according to their biological ancestral diet, the scientific benefits to coconut oil for dogs are numerous, and they include dental health. A compound called lauric acid is a primary substance contained in coconut oil, and its antibacterial properties have been shown across studies to help protect against gingivitis and dental disease affecting their teeth and gums[*].

Furthermore, coconut oil has many other scientifically proven benefits for older dogs. Many studies have consistently demonstrated that the Medium-Chain Tryglycerides (MCTs) in coconut oil help advance canine brain function, particularly dimentia[*].

Here is a semi-moist dog food with coconut oil we recommend.

Semi-moist dog food: ideal for all ages

While semi-moist dog food is a fairly new and growing variety of dog food, it has become wildly popular with health-conscious pet parents.

The soft, easy-to-chew form factor is perfect for dogs getting older or those experiencing oral pain while eating dry kibble.

But even if your dog is in perfect physical shape, semi-moist dog food may be worth considering due to its superior low temperature cooking style used to produce it. Your dog will be able to absorb more nutrients to keep them healthy over the long term with minimally processed food.

Bottom line, semi-moist dog food is a high quality style of food for pet parents who'd like to feed their pup softer food and promote dental health. It does not need refrigeration and can be kept in the pantry.

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