Improve your dog’s diet with Mixer Crocc, ask the nutritionist how to do it!

There are no scientific studies to support this theory. A “mix feeding” meal, meaning one made by mixing dry and wet foods, consists of elements with different moisture contents that blend together in the stomach, producing a unique response to the resulting mix, which will form the substrate to be digested. Thus, a healthy, functioning stomach ensures adequate production of gastric juices suitable for processing the entire food. The passage into the intestine will then handle the absorption and utilization of nutrients from the diet made up of both types of food. Additionally, pepsin and gastric lipase act in the dog’s stomach; these are important digestive enzymes responsible for properly digesting protein foods and more, and both are activated by low gastric pH levels, resulting from the release of hydrochloric acid in varying concentrations. Factors that influence this secretion are: the dietary protein content, meal volume, and hormonal fluctuations. This ensures proper digestion and subsequent absorption of all nutrients, regardless of the initial moisture content of the food.

The gastric pH of a healthy dog ranges between 1 and 2. Compared to that of humans, which varies between 4 and 5, it is a much more acidic environment and suited to digesting diets primarily made up of animal-derived ingredients. The dog’s stomach pH is perfectly capable of digesting both wet food (H2O content 60-80%) and dry food (H2O content 7-10%), and correctly absorb all nutrients from them, regardless of the moisture content of the original food.

The so-called "mix feeding" diet, when properly balanced, is able to provide the dog with the benefits of a complete diet like dry food and those of wet food. Dry food, in fact, is: complete, very practical, and convenient. However, it has numerous limits: raw materials are subjected to intense high-temperature cooking processes that compromise their nutrients; often, kibble is high in grains, leading to excessive carbohydrate intake and low moisture levels. Wet food, if it is high quality, corrects these limits. Indeed: it is rich in higher-quality proteins; raw materials are processed gently; it has plenty of moisture needed to keep the dog hydrated; and it is more palatable.

Wet food provides a higher proportion of fluid with the diet: water is the substance absorbed in the final part of the colon, which determines stool firmness. A healthy intestine respects the timing and motility of food passage, so it is able to process all nutrients, including water. It is always important to choose food formulas suited to the individual to avoid secondary gastrointestinal problems.

They are chains of amino acids that perform many organic functions, including: proper growth and development in puppies, healthy muscle building and maintenance, indispensable for biochemical processes in various body systems, and they enable the proper production of blood cells. Last but not least, proteins add flavor and taste to food. Naturally, the food source from which proteins come affects their quantity and quality. Those with a high biological value are preferable, meaning they can meet the largest number of nutritional needs in terms of amino acids and micronutrients, such as meat and fish, first and foremost, and eggs.

Dogs are carnivorous animals (adapted omnivores), so their diet must consist of AT LEAST 18% protein. The need for these nutrients is highly personalized and determined by various factors, related to the subject being fed and the food provided respectively. Proteins are initially partially broken down in the stomach thanks to the presence of hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen, one of the enzymes responsible for processing proteins, which activates more easily when a dog ingests collagen (a component of animal-derived protein sources). This step prepares the food for further digestion that takes place in the intestines: in the small intestine, the action of additional enzymes (from the pancreas and the intestinal mucosa itself) supports the absorption of small nutrient molecules, vitamins, and minerals, and in the large intestine, bacterial activity from the microbiota ferments the residues and promotes the absorption of water and electrolytes. The digestive process always results in the production of molecules responsible for providing energy, tissue synthesis, and cellular renewal, metabolic processes, growth, and, last but not least, "work" or production (e.g., working dog, lactating dog).