Buying the right pre packed food for your dog can be quite confusing. Grocery store shelves are filled with countless variety of commercial dog foods. They are either sold in packets, cans, or large bags. Commercially prepared or pre packed foods are usually high in quality and well balanced. Many large dog food companies come with their own testing laboratories that check for suitability and palatability for all dog sizes as well as different phases in their lives.
There are three basic types of prepared, pre-packed dog food. They are dry food, semi moist food, and canned food. Below is a brief description of each one.
Dry Foods: Despite of what the name suggests, dry foods contain about ten percent water. But while all brands of dry foods share the same nutritional analysis, raw materials that are used to make it vary, which makes some dry foods more digestible or more palatable than others.
Dry foods are usually cheaper in cost compared to canned and semi-moist food. This is especially beneficial if you own several dogs or if you have a large one. You can also buy dry foods in bulk amounts and store them for several weeks. Keeping dry foods too long, however, may reduce or lose their vitamin content.
Dry foods are also high in bulk which is helpful for dogs that suffer from dietary upsets. The amount of feces is more but has fewer odors. One important thing to keep in mind in feeding your dog dry foods is that it’s very easy to give them large amount which can cause obesity.
Semi-moist Foods: Also referred to as soft-moist, these types of foods contain about 25 percent water. Semi moist foods are generally offered in the form of chunks of meat or simulated hamburger. More dog owners prefer semi moist foods than dry foods because semi moist foods usually look more like meat. .
Although semi moist foods are more expensive than dry foods, they provide a better alternative for your dog’s diet. This is especially true if your dog is used to eating fresh meat. Many small breeds that are fussy eaters also prefer semi moist foods. A word of warning when feeding your dog semi-moist foods - they usually have high amount of sugar which may not be suitable for dogs that are diabetic.
Canned Foods: This is considered to be the most popular form of dog food for most dog owners. There are two different types of canned food. The first type has a cereal component that makes it a complete diet. The other type has a meat only component and does not provide for a balanced diet unless a biscuit is added.
Check for the method of feeding a specific food. Giving your dog a diet of all meat and no biscuit is not only expensive but it does not provide a nutritionally balanced diet. Each brand of food has a different formula and requires different amount of biscuit for each can. If your dog refuses to eat biscuit, give him one that offers complete meal.
