Your Dog’s Food Could Be
Killing Your Dog!

The good news is that most dog owners are becoming more educated about providing wholesome, nutritionally balanced meals for their dogs. This sudden awareness is mainly because of the recent dog food recall of 2007 and 2008. Every since the spotlight has been on the major dog food companies dog owners all around the world have began to educate themselves on this matter.

The question that many of us dog owners are currently faced with is which dog foods do we choose? Should you go with the Premium Dog Food or the Natural Dog Food or maybe you should select the Holistic, Organic or even the Lite type of dog food. Oh and we cannot forget about the Human Grade All Natural. I would imagine that you are now pondering the question… What does these fancy terms actually mean? I have received emails from some dog owners who actually prepare their dogs food from scratch!

If you provide your dog with a good wholesome diet it will promote – healthy skin and coat, strong well developed bones, bright clear eyes, firmer stools not to mention less stools, it also provides a well defined muscle tone, as well as a higher quality of life and longevity, healthy teeth and gums, fewer trips to the Vet, no bad odor, fewer digestive problems, energy, vitality, fewer behavior problems and over-all health.

Since I provided you with all of the positive attributes of a good diet I thought it was only fair that I provide you with the other end of the spectrum. A poor diet leads to an increase in: Cancers, weakened immune system, liver failure, sluggish behavior or hyperactive, putrid gas, diarrhea, dull coat and heavy shedding, epilepsy, vomiting, ear infections, compromised heart and kidneys, stunted growth and weakened bones, bad breath, bowel disease, diabetes, cystitis, cataracts, hypertension, build up in the eyes, arthritis, countless allergies and who knows what else…

After personally gaining the knowledge that I have just shared with you – I decided to set out on a quest to find the best dog food available. In order to do this I had to first narrow down the options to three broad groups. In order to make things a little easier for you I have taken the liberty of providing you with a brief but necessary explanation of each of the three groups.

1. Commercial Brand Dog Food – this includes the cute little packaged dog foods that you find at your local grocery store, pet store or veterinarian. Commercial dog food is available in dry, semi dry and wet canned. All the big names that we know so well are represented in this group, such as Diamond dog food, pedigree, Iams and Science Diet. Those are the best dog foods located in this group??? Ummm I think not!
   
   
2. Raw Dog Food – This is the group growing in popularity. It includes the raw dog food and bones you prepare yourself or prepackaged diets like BARF and Steve’s Real Food 100% natural dog food diet.
   
   
3. Homemade Dog Food – This category is anything you put together yourself at home.
   Now that we are on the same page as far as how I have defined the three main categories of dog foods – less breakdown each of those three main categories.

Commercial Dog Food
This category of dog food is by far the most popular choice do to it’s convenience and the fact that it is reasonably priced. Besides the convenience and the affordable price one must ask themselves what are the long term implications of feeding commercial dog food to your dog(s)? The second question is – is it really worth the money?

The down right sad truth is that most of these commercial dog food products regardless of what fancy name is printed on the label, are pretty much a bunch of bull crap. Most people do not what to admit it these big commercial dog food companies are taking us for a ride. It’s not bad enough that they have no problem ripping the consumer off by robbing us blind, but they have no regard whatsoever for the health or wellbeing for dogs.

The good news is not all commercial dog foods are killing our beloved dogs – just some of them. Most of these products are woefully deficient in key nutrients and are chock full of toxic rubbish and fillers (like grain) that provide no nutritional benefit to our dogs. Most of the commercial dog foods are deficient in key nutrients and are chock full of toxic garbage and fillers such as grain that provide no nutritional benefit to our dogs. Some of the ingredients hiding behind the laughably inept labeling laws and fuzzy feel good marketing tactics are: Indigestible waste products, colors, dyes, toxins, pesticides, chemicals, harmful preservatives (BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin) and antibiotics. Most would think that the above is bad enough… But it doesn’t stop there my friend. Believe it or not it gets worse. You then have a wide range of dead, diseased, disabled or dying animals prior to their visit to the slaughter house added to the mix. In most cases you will even find what is called animal “by-products” and some recently euthanized pet cats or dogs. To put it simply all of the garbage that other industries can’t or won’t use can end up in your dog’s dinner bowl. To put the icing on the cake any remnants of nutrition that is present in this toxic cocktail is then ruined by the cooking processes used.

Raw Dog Food
The Raw Dog Food dog diet is one of the fastest growing sectors within the dog food marketplace. This category includes the raw food you source and prepare yourself or the pre-made and packaged products like Dr. Billinghurst’s BARF Raw Food Diet and Steve’s Real Food for dogs.

Although a growing method the term Raw Dog Food is a rather broad term as there are many variations. The most common thread with Raw Dog Food followers is that they believe that feeding their dog(s) raw dog foods is the most natural way to feed a dog. These enthusiast believe that this is the way that dogs have successfully evolved and that eating a raw diet is the way that nature intended dogs to get their nutrition. According to the raw food experts the raw food diet is said to replicate how a dog would eat in the wild. A raw dog food diet is sometimes referred to as an “all natural” diet as ingredients are generally free from chemicals, preservatives, additives, by-products and fillers.

Some raw food advocates like to give big meaty bones and others won’t. The same applies with fruit and vegetables – some people say that vegetable matter is a natural part of a wild dogs diet, gathered from the stomach of their prey. The following is an example of the real whole foods that are included in a raw dog food diet These ingredients are usually organic or all-natural produce: Chicken, lamb, pork, salmon, turkey, kangaroo, rabbit, quail and organ meat. You may also find raw meaty bones and a long list of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Plus you’ll find nutritious ingredients such as eggs, kelp, yogurt, flax seed meal and other supplements. Compare this list to what you read on a commercial dog food label – there’s no comparison.

Raw food enthusiast argue that a raw food diet provides the enzyme rich nutrients and amino acids in a perfect unaltered state – which is easily digested. They believe that the raw dog food diet leads to fewer visits to the Vet, strengthened immune systems and less allergy and disease. They also point to the over-all health and appearance of their dogs for proof that the raw diet is healthy teeth and gums and well developed jaws, neck and shoulder muscles.

On the other hand the negative aspects of feeding raw focus on the danger of foodborne illness through the threat of bacteria like salmonella and E. coli. Some also say that it is difficult to feed a nutritionally balanced meal the raw way.
One tip I would suggest if you are considering the raw feeding option for your dogs is to go out and visit a breeder or friend who already feeds a raw dog food diet. Have a chat with them and take a really good look at their dogs – the health of our dogs is always what matters most.

Homemade Dog Foods
With all of the recent bad press regarding the dog food recall and associated concerns with commercial dog foods, the homemade dog food option has really taken off.

Preparing your dog’s meals from scratch has many benefits, including the complete control of all meals served. You know exactly what goes into every meal (and where it was sourced) and you also know that it has been prepared in a clean environment.
I wouldn’t recommend that the average person attempt this method. It truly takes an organized person to set up a homemade feeding plan and then prepare all of the daily meals. The homemade dog food option also comes with the added responsibility of formulating nutritionally balanced meals (proteins, vitamins etc.) and meeting the calorie requirements for your individual dog. If you arm yourself with some good dog food recipes and get into a routine this process is not all that difficult to maintain.

Your typical homemade dog meals include big meaty stews, healthy soups, pies, vegetables and maybe some raw bones every now and then.