What is kibble?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Kibble is dry pet food: dough cooked and shaped under pressure, then dried to about 10% water. It is the cheapest and easiest way to feed a dog or cat a complete diet, keeps at room temperature, and can be measured exactly. Choose one labelled complete and balanced for your pet's life stage.
Also called dry dog food, dry cat food, dry food, biscuits.
Key facts
- Dry dog and cat foods are about 90% dry matter and 10% water, and about 95% of them are made by extrusion. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Dry food is cheaper than canned or semi-moist food, and unused portions can be kept at room temperature. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Dry cat food holds 6 to 10% water against at least 75% for canned food. Cornell Feline Health Center
- Feeding amounts on the label are only a starting point: individual pets can need up to 50% more or less, so adjust every 2 weeks at first. WSAVA
- Keep dry food in its original bag: it is designed to keep the food fresh and lets the food be traced if there is a problem. WSAVA
How is kibble made, and is it good for pets?
Kibble is a cooked food. What makes one good is not its shape or its marketing but whether it is complete and balanced and made by a company with real nutrition expertise.
Most kibble is made by extrusion: a dough of meat, grains or other starches, fats, vitamins and minerals is cooked under heat and pressure, pushed through a die to shape it, then dried. The drying is what lets an opened bag sit on a shelf instead of in the fridge.
Vets do not rank dry food above or below wet food for a healthy pet. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) says many cats eat mainly dry food and live long, healthy lives. Its advice is to look past words like premium or holistic, which are unregulated, and ask whether the maker employs a qualified nutritionist, what quality control it runs, and whether the label says the food is complete for your pet's species and life stage.
Some kibbles carry dental claims and may help reduce tartar, but kibble is not a substitute for brushing or a vet's dental check.
What should you check on a bag of kibble?
Turn the bag over. The useful information is on the back, not the front.
- A nutritional adequacy statement that says complete (or complete and balanced) for dogs or cats, and for which life stage: growth, adult maintenance or all life stages. Association of American Feed Control Officials
- Whether adequacy was shown by feeding trials or by formulation to a nutrient profile such as AAFCO or FEDIAF. WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
- The calorie content per cup or per kilogram, so you can measure portions. If it is missing, ask the maker. WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
- A phone number or email for the maker, who should be able to give a typical nutrient analysis. WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
- A food for all life stages is formulated for growth, so it may be richer than an adult or senior dog needs. WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
Kibble or wet food: how do they compare?
| Kibble | Wet food | |
|---|---|---|
| Water content Merck Veterinary Manual | About 10% | 68 to 78% |
| Cost VCA Animal Hospitals (Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition) | Cheaper | More expensive per calorie |
| Once opened WSAVA | Keeps at room temperature in a sealed bag | Refrigerate and use within 48 to 72 hours |
| Left in the bowl VCA Animal Hospitals (Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition) | Can be left out for pets that keep a healthy weight | Throw away uneaten food after about 30 minutes |
| Calories per bowlful VCA Animal Hospitals (Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition) | Dense: small portions | Lower, so a larger portion for the same calories |
Both can be complete and balanced. Many owners mix the two; count the calories of both.
How do you store kibble in Indian heat and monsoon?
Keep the food in its original bag, rolled shut and clipped, and if you like, put the whole bag inside a clean airtight bin. WSAVA warns that tipping kibble loose into a container can shorten its shelf life and invite infestation unless the container is washed thoroughly and often. Cornell's Feline Health Center adds that long storage weakens vitamins and can turn the fats rancid, so check the date and buy a bag size you will finish.
In Indian kitchens that means a cool, dry cupboard away from the stove and from walls that turn damp in the monsoon. If kibble smells sour or shows mould or insects, throw it away. Measure meals with a cup or scale, not by eye.
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Questions owners ask
Is kibble bad for dogs?
- No. A kibble labelled complete and balanced for the dog's life stage, from a maker with qualified nutritionists and quality control, is a sound diet. Vets do not rank dry above wet for a healthy pet. Problems usually come from overfeeding, poor storage or a sudden switch of food, not from kibble itself.
Should I soak kibble in water or milk?
- Soaking kibble in water is fine if your dog prefers it or has trouble chewing, but soaked food should be eaten promptly and not left to sit in the heat. Milk and gravy add calories that count towards the day's total. Ask your vet if a puppy, senior or a dog with dental problems struggles with dry food.
How long does an open bag of kibble last?
- If it is kept sealed in its original bag, dry food stays fresh for several weeks after opening. Check the use-by date, keep it cool and dry, and throw it away if it smells sour or rancid or shows mould or insects, which is more likely in the monsoon.
How do I switch my dog to a new kibble?
- Change gradually over at least 3 to 4 days in a healthy pet, mixing a growing share of the new food with the old: about a quarter new on day one, half on day two, three quarters on day three. Go slower for a pet with a health problem, and offer cats the new food in a separate bowl.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in nutrition
- BARF dietA BARF diet, short for bones and raw food or biologically appropriate raw food, feeds a dog or cat uncooked meat, organs and bones, sometimes with vegetables. Vets warn that the claimed benefits are not backed by science, while the risks are well documented: germs such as Salmonella and Listeria, bone injuries and unbalanced nutrition.
- Complete and balancedComplete and balanced is a pet food label claim that the food contains every nutrient a dog or cat needs, in the right amounts and ratios, so it can be fed as the whole diet for a stated life stage. Foods without it, labelled complementary or for intermittent feeding, are treats or toppers, not meals.
- Grain-free dietA grain-free diet is pet food made without cereals such as rice, wheat or maize, usually using peas, lentils, other pulses or potatoes instead. Grains are not fillers and most pets digest them well. Since 2018 the US FDA has looked into reports of heart disease, called DCM, in dogs on such foods, without proving a cause.
- Home-cooked dog foodHome-cooked dog food is a dog's main diet made in the family kitchen, such as rice, dal, eggs, chicken and vegetables, instead of a commercial food. It can be healthy if it is complete and balanced, but most generic recipes are not: a UC Davis study found 95% of 200 recipes short of at least one essential nutrient.
- Resting energy requirement (RER)The resting energy requirement, or RER, is the number of calories a healthy pet needs in a day lying at rest in comfortable surroundings. Vets calculate it from body weight as 70 times the weight in kilograms to the power 0.75, then multiply it by a factor for life stage and neutering to estimate daily food.
- TheobromineTheobromine is a bitter natural chemical in cocoa, from the same family as caffeine. Dogs clear it slowly, so a chocolate snack can build up to a poisonous level, causing vomiting, restlessness, a racing heart, tremors and seizures. Cocoa powder and dark chocolate carry the most. If a dog eats chocolate, call a vet straight away.
- Treat allowanceA treat allowance is the share of a pet's daily calories that can come from treats, chews, toppers and table food without unbalancing its diet or causing weight gain. Vets' nutrition guidance puts it at no more than about 10% of the day's calories, with the other 90% from a complete and balanced food.
- Wet foodWet food is canned, pouch or tray pet food, sealed and then heat-sterilised, and roughly 68 to 78% water. It is tasty, filling and adds water to a pet's day, which can help cats with urinary problems, but it costs more per calorie than kibble and spoils quickly once opened, especially in Indian heat.
- XylitolXylitol is a sugar alcohol used to sweeten sugar-free gum, mints, sweets, some nut butters, toothpaste and medicines. In dogs it triggers a large release of insulin, so blood sugar can fall sharply within 10 to 60 minutes, and some dogs go on to liver damage. Any amount eaten is a reason to call a vet straight away.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Dog and cat foods (full review November 2023, updated June 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell Feline Health Center: Feeding your cat (updated 30 April 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: Frequently asked questions and myths (Global Nutrition Committee) (opens in a new tab)
- Association of American Feed Control Officials: Reading labels (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee: Guidelines on selecting pet foods (updated 10 March 2021) (opens in a new tab)
- VCA Animal Hospitals (Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition): Dry, canned, or semi-moist: food choices for dogs (updated 20 March 2024) (opens in a new tab)