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Feeding Your Labrador
Retriever Semi Moist Dog Foods
Many dog owners feed their pet
semi-moist foods because they are easier to prepare than canned food
and usually more delectable than regular dry food. Semi-moist foods are
usually packaged in easy-open pouches or as "hamburger patties."
The semi-moist foods contain much less water than canned foods, but
they are expensive and loaded with sugar, preservatives, and additives.
These materials can sometimes produce allergic reactions that commonly
result in skin biting or scratching by the sensitive dog.
Though there are some semi-moist foods that are more nutritious than
others, it is best to limit their intake to no more than ¼ of the dog's
diet, with the remaining ¾ being a quality dry food.
The dry-food category spans a large spectrum of quality, mostly
commercial and professional. Most of the popular brands that are seen
in supermarkets fall into the first category. The main problem with
these is the amount the dog needs to consume daily in order to attain
proper nutrition. Often, it is just too much, and leads to excessive
elimination.
Check the recommended feeding amounts on the bag and apply it to your
dog's weight. If the suggested amount turns out to be more than your
dog can easily eat in one meal, choose another brand. A second drawback
of this type of dry food is that the mixture of ingredients often
varies from batch to batch, due to fluctuations in which crop such as
soy, wheat, oats, etc. is available at what time. Therefore, the
nutritional value may differ somewhat from bag to bag.
The "professional" meat-meal blends offer some improvement. These are
the high-quality dry foods that are sold primarily in pet shops,
specialty stores, and online catalogs. They offer a nutritious,
balanced diet in an easily digestible form. The makers retain a
standard blending procedure from batch to batch to insure a uniform
product.
The suggested feeding amounts are adequate to fill a dog up without
overfeeding him. Although such products may cost a little more than the
regular dry food, in the long run they are no more expensive than
brands that require more to be eaten. A quality meat-meal-based dry
food has also been shown to aid in the housebreaking process because
this type of mixture usually contains bran or fiber in amounts that
help to produce firmer stools.
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