Neither is better by default. A complete wet food and a complete dry food have to meet the same nutrient requirements, so the real choice comes down to your dog, your routine and your budget. As PDSA puts it, "unless your vet has said otherwise, your dog can have wet food, dry food, or a combination of the two" (PDSA, 2026a).
So the useful question isn't which format wins. It's how to compare two specific packs fairly, and which of the usual claims about them actually hold up. That's what the rest of this covers.
How are wet and dry food actually made?
A big part of the difference comes down to moisture content, and there are recognised definitions that help distinguish different types of pet food.
Under the guidelines set by FEDIAF, the European pet food body whose standards UK manufacturers work to, dry food contains 14% moisture or less and wet food contains 60% or more (FEDIAF, 2025). Anything in between counts as semi-moist, which is where some softer foods and treats sit.
How they’re made is different too. Dry dog food, or kibble, is typically made using a process called extrusion, where the ingredients are mixed, cooked and shaped before being dried.
Wet dog food keeps much more of its moisture. Our trays are freshly prepared using FreshCook®, which gently cooks the ingredients in the same tray they’re sealed in. The result is the soft, naturally juicy texture you’d expect from wet food.
A complete food has to meet the same nutrient recommendations, whichever format it comes in (FEDIAF, 2025). "Complete" means it's designed to be fed as the only food in the bowl, rather than alongside something else.
Why the numbers on a wet pack and a dry pack aren't comparable
At first glance, the numbers on the back of the pack can make wet and dry dog food look very different. Our Just 6 Chicken tray, for example, contains 9.5% protein, while a dry dog food might show around 24%. But it’s not a straight comparison. Wet food naturally contains much more moisture, which makes nutrients like protein look lower when you compare the percentages on the pack.
Want to compare wet and dry food like for like? You can take the moisture out of the equation by looking at the nutrients on a dry matter basis. It sounds technical, but the maths is actually pretty simple:
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Subtract the moisture percentage from 100. What’s left is the dry matter.
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Divide the nutrient percentage by the dry matter figure, then multiply by 100.
Take our Just 6 Chicken tray. It contains 77% moisture, leaving 23% dry matter. Its 9.5% protein works out at around 41% protein on a dry matter basis.
Same food, same protein. You’re simply taking the water out of the comparison.
Can’t find the moisture percentage on your bag of dry dog food? That’s not unusual. Under FEDIAF’s labelling code, it only needs to be declared for most dry foods when it’s above 14%. For a rough comparison, you can use 14% moisture, or 86% dry matter, as your starting point.
If you'd rather think in calories, compare per 100 kcal instead. Divide the nutrient figure by the food's calories, then scale to 100 kcal. That's the fairer comparison when two foods differ a lot in fat, because fat carries more calories per gram than protein does.
Three figures to put side by side once you've done the sum:
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Protein on a dry matter basis
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Fat on a dry matter basis
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Calories per day, not per pack, since a 15kg bag and a 380g tray hold wildly different amounts
Do this once, and you'll never be fooled by a percentage panel again. It works on any two packs, in any shop.
Does wet food really keep dogs fuller for longer?
You'll see this claim everywhere. More water means fewer calories in each mouthful, so the dog gets a bigger bowl for the same energy and feels fuller on less.
It's a sensible idea, and researchers put it to the test. In a study of 46 miniature schnauzers, the same dry food was fed either as normal or hydrated to 72% moisture. The dogs "completely compensated for the reduction of dietary energy content" (Alexander, Colyer, & Morris, 2017). They simply ate more to make up the difference. When both groups were offered food in excess, the hydrated group gained weight faster, not slower.
For dogs, then, what counts is the total calories going into the bowl across the day, whichever format they arrive in. Watering food down doesn't do the work for you.
Two honest caveats. Cats don't compensate in the same way, so cat advice doesn't transfer across. And this was one study in one breed, so take it as a useful correction rather than the final word.
If your dog needs to lose a meaningful amount of weight, that's a conversation to start with your vet and keep having, rather than something to fix by switching format. Weigh what goes in the bowl in grams, and let your vet guide the pace.
What changes about hydration, and what doesn't
Hydration is the wet food benefit that does stand up to scrutiny. In a 2025 crossover study, dogs eating a high-moisture food took in 141% of their calculated daily water requirement, against 102% on dry kibble (Sires, Yamka, & Wakshlag, 2025). They also drank far less from the bowl, around 147g against 423g, while still taking in more water overall.
The practical reading matters more than the numbers. If you move your dog onto wet food and they stop emptying their water bowl, that's usually the food doing the job, not a warning sign.
Fresh water goes down either way, changed daily and topped up in hot weather. A sudden change in how much your dog drinks, in either direction, isn't something to sit on. Your vet can help you get to the bottom of it.
One note on that research: it was funded by a pet food company. That doesn't make the findings wrong, but it does mean reading them as one piece of evidence among several.
Which one suits your dog?
Most articles sort this by format. It's more useful sorted by dog, because that's the bit you actually know about.
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Fussy eaters, or a dog off their food. Wet food smells stronger, and aroma does a lot of the persuading. Our guide to feeding a fussy dog goes further on this.
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Dogs with fewer teeth, or recovering from dental work. A softer texture may simply be easier to manage.
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Dogs who bolt their dinner. Dry food works in a slow feeder, which can help pace things.
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Dogs who need something to do. Kibble suits puzzle toys, scatter feeding and training rewards in a way trays don't.
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Hot weather. Some dogs eat better from a cool tray when it's warm out.
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Storage. Bags sit happily in a cool, dry cupboard. Opened trays need fridge space, so that's a real consideration in a small kitchen.
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Cost per meal, not per kilo. Compare what a day's food costs, since shelf prices for a 15kg bag and an eight-pack of trays tell you very little on their own.
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Mess and smell. Only you know how much of either you can live with.
None of these are rules. They're tendencies, and some dogs cheerfully ignore all of them. The best food is the complete one your dog eats happily and does well on.
What we don't claim about dry food and teeth
Does kibble clean your dog’s teeth? You might have heard that one before, but it’s not a claim we make at Harringtons. We like to keep things simple and stick to the benefits we can confidently stand behind.
What does help is brushing. PDSA is clear that "brushing your dog's teeth is the best way to keep their mouth healthy", a few times a week, alongside regular dental checks.
If you've noticed bad breath, sore gums or a change in how your dog chews, that's a trip to the vet rather than a change of food.
Feeding both, and switching without an upset tummy
Plenty of owners feed both, usually for simple reasons. A spoon of wet food gets a picky dog started, dry food suits busy mornings, and a bit of variety keeps mealtimes interesting.
We've covered the detail elsewhere rather than repeat it here. How to mix feed dogs and cats of all ages walks through combining the two properly, and should I feed my dog wet food? covers wet food on its own.
Whichever way you go, change things slowly. PDSA advises switching gradually over a couple of weeks to avoid digestive upset (PDSA, 2026a).
A few practical points:
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Weigh portions in grams using kitchen scales. Scoops and cups aren't reliable, because bulk density can differ between batches.
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We can't give amounts here, as they depend on your dog's size, age and how active they are. Our guide to feeding your pet has more.
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Once a tray is open, move the leftovers into an airtight container, keep it in the fridge and use within two to three days. Clean spoon each time, and bin it if it looks or smells off. There's more in how to store wet dog food after opening.
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If appetite or digestion changes while you're switching, a quick chat with your vet can help put your mind at ease.
Harringtons wet and dry recipes
Our dry dog food recipes lead with freshly prepared meat and fish ingredients, with no artificial colours or flavours. Bags keep well in a cool cupboard, which suits households feeding more than one dog.
Our wet dog food comes in trays, freshly prepared using our FreshCook® process. Trays suit dogs who eat better with a bit of aroma in the bowl.
Neither is better than the other. They're different answers to different routines, and plenty of dogs do well on a bit of both.
If your dog has sensitivities, our Just 6 recipes keep things simple with six key ingredients, and come as both dry food and 380g trays.
Cat owners, the same sums work just as well on dry cat food and wet cat food.
All our recipes are developed with veterinary and nutritionist input. For anything specific to your dog, your vet knows them and we don't.
References
Alexander, J. E., Colyer, A., & Morris, P. J. (2017). The effect of reducing energy density, via the addition of water to dry diet, on body weight and activity in dogs. Journal of Nutritional Science, 6, e42. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2017.43
FEDIAF. (2019). Code of good labelling practice for pet food. European Pet Food Industry Federation. https://europeanpetfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/FEDIAF_labeling_code_2019_onlineOctober2019.pdf
FEDIAF. (2025). Nutritional guidelines for complete and complementary pet food for cats and dogs. European Pet Food Industry Federation. https://europeanpetfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FEDIAF-Nutritional-Guidelines_2025-ONLINE.pdf
PDSA. (2026a). Your dog's diet. People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/your-dogs-diet
PDSA. (2026b). Dental care for dogs. People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/dental-care-for-dogs
Sires, R., Yamka, R., & Wakshlag, J. (2025). Feeding fresh food and providing water ad libitum is clinically proven to exceed calculated daily water requirements and impact urine relative supersaturation in dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 12, 1675990. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1675990
