My last dog lived to be 15 years old. He ate what I now consider to be "junk" for dogs. Oh, I bought him Science diet for mature dogs and it cost a bit more. The problem is that in his later years he did not enjoy good health. He was born with hip dysplasia. It did not bother him much until he got older. He developed arthritis and diabetes and also lost much of his vision. He finally started having strokes. He had the best medical care possible but the fact is his later years were not healthy years. I never thought to read the ingredient list of his dog food I just trusted the company blindly. I regret that greatly.
I don't think Diamond Naturals is the worst food. It's actually a pretty good food compared to many. They do make cheaper foods that are not as good as their Natural brand. I know there are some on this forum who have researched raw foods and know why it is better to feed raw. Kibble is cooked at least 3 times to get it to the kibble consistency. All that heat from cooking causes the meat to lose the nutrients and enzymes that a dogs body needs. I won't beat this subject to death. Everyone has to decide for themselves what to feed their animals. I know everyone here wants what is best for their dogs. Some dogs can exist pretty well on regular dog food for the first part of it's life. The fact is that the dog food industry is using ingredients that make it able to sell food that will last on a shelf for months at a time. Meat will not last for a year on a shelf. That is the rational for dog food, not what is actually the best diet for a dog or cat. We have had to take options that are not always the best in order to mass produce food and make it long lasting. Vitamins are often added to make up for what is taken out in processing. Various forms of glucose are added in order to get the dog to eat the food.
I don't know how long Gracie will live but I don't want to see her health fail like my last dog's did. I'm trying to do the best I can for Gracie and I'm sure everyone else is doing the same for their dogs. My dog would not eat dog food the first year of her life so I did a lot of research in order to find a food she would eat. I made her food for her until I found a dog food she would eat. Strangely enough she loves raw but refused kibble of any kind unless she was so hungry she had no choice but to eat it. Sometimes I think these animals still have inborn instinct as to what is good for them. |