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Feeding Your Labrador Retriever: Part 2
from: The Complete DogThe routine of many dog owners is to feed their pet semi-moist foods because they're 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" and contain much less water than canned foods. However, they're expensive and, unfortunately, loaded with sugar, preservatives and additives.
These substances sometimes produce allergic reactions that quite often cause skin biting or scratching by the sensitive dog. Some semi-moist foods are more nutritious than others, however, it's a good idea to limit intake to no more than 1/4 of a dog's diet, with the remaining 3/4 being made up with a quality dry food.
The dry-food category spans a large range of quality, mostly commercial and professional. The popular brands seen in supermarkets usually fall into the first category. The main problem here is with the amount a dog should consume each day to reach the proper amount of nutrition. Often, it's just too much, and leads to excessive elimination.
You shoud check the recommended feeding quantity as outline on the bag and apply it to your dog's weight. If the suggested amount ends up being more than your dog can easily eat in one meal, find a different brand. Another drawback of this type of dry food is that the mixture of ingredients often varies from batch to batch because of fluctuations in which crops, such as soy, wheat, oats, etc. is available at a given time. Thus the nutritional value tends to vary from one bag to another.
The good news is that "professional" meat-meal blends do offer some improvement. These are the high-quality dry foods available mainly at pet shops, specialty stores and online. They provide a more nutritious, balanced diet in a form that is easily digestible. Manufacturers of these higher quality dry foods retain a standard blending procedure from batch to batch to insure the product remains uniform. Thus recommended feeding quantity is usually enough to fill up a dog without overfeeding him.
Although these products likely cost a bit more than regular dry food, overall they're no more expensive than brands that require more to be eaten in order to receive the nutitional benefits. A quality meat-meal-based dry food also aids with the housebreaking process because this type of mixture typically contains bran or fiber in high enough amounts that help produce firmer stools.
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