Quote:
Originally Posted by yorkiepuppie  things to consider:
1. What is the healthiest diet for the dog?
2. what is safest diet for the dog?
3. Time commitment
4. Ease - is it easy to prepare and feed?
5. Does your dog like eating this diet?
i am sorry this is so long! please tell me your thought on what the best dog diet is for you and your dog, and tell me why you made your decision. |
Great post
.
1. Not sure I can answer this one, but I like this
white paper on canine nutrition
2. Can't answer this one either, bc too many things I can't control
3. Very little, with pre-made raw, which is what I feed (Primal)
4. Easy!
5. They *love* it!
I like pre-made raw for my boys bc I think it is healthy for them, species-appropriate, they love it, and I think their poo tells me a lot about the fact that it is working for them (btw, I don't think the things I've just said are necessarily unique to what I'm feeding - I've just seen the best results with my boys eating raw). I have also previously fed kibble, canned, and homecooked - all of which I think dogs can do well on, but I do like raw best for my dogs. I like the freshness of the meat, and the fact that the natural enzymes are not cooked out of the meat, and I like the bone.
As for safety of dog food - I hear you. I don't feel food is all that well protected in general though.
Human food is also so vulnerable, as we can see 
:
Human Food - Current Recalls - Meat, Poultry, Eggs FDA, Human Food - 7 Pages of Recalls, Market Withdrawals, Safety Alerts CDC - Human Food, Foodborne Illness Outbreak Update Food Safety (.gov) - Salmonella outbreaks - Hydrol. Veg Protein, Italilan Sausage, and Crushed Red Pepper FDA - Consumer Advisories
So, my point in all those links is...I don't think feeding "human food" (ie, homecooked)
necessarily means the safest diet (
sadly...for both humans and dogs). I think there is risk no matter what we feed and that every brand stands a chance of being recalled (understanding some have better QC than others). Of course, it would be interesting to get into the nitty-gritty of it - ie, what is the "salmonella threshold" for meat in dog food vs. human food, ya know? That would really be an interesting comparison!
Honestly, you may be feeding one of the healthiest diets
, with good variety, and varying the sources of manufacturers (thereby lessening your chances of hitting a recall of some sort) (plus, you're still saving novel proteins in case of allergies). If your kiddos like variety, maybe you
have found the ideal diet for them
!!!
Oh! One more thought....as to "what is healthiest" -- I think most Vet Nutritionists might be able to agree upon (if nothing else?
) the fact that a diet balanced for a canine is very important (balancing the cal-phos etc etc), bc dogs really can get out of balance and it can be detrimental to their overall health.