Is it worth it? Dog food of course.....

[107barney]

Balanceit is not carb heavy. Their carnivore blends balance out an entire meat diet. One of my dogs eats a high meat-based protein diet with a decent amount of fat. I think some people here just don't understand what a consult involves for a medical issue. I just don't understand the chip on the shoulder about this. Why be defensive about what one feeds? It's your dog - feed what you want. I still am going to tell people what I think is correct.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by gracielove

Do you go to a physician to get recipes to cook for yourself or your family? Do you really think that dog nutrition requires a degree and special consultations in order to prepare a balance meal for a pet? Does it really take more preparation to feed a pet than a human? Maybe that is what you want to do but it not a rule to enforce on others.

Many people here do home cooking for their dogs without costly consultations and have found that their dog's health improves while doing so.

Yes, people have the right to feed their pets whatever they feel is best. I personally don't think that highly processed foods with synthetic vitamins added in order to meet the minimum nutritional requirement is a healthy choice for my pets. Many people feel that feeding fresh meats and vegetables is a better choice. That does not mean that I or others are feeding unbalance meals to our pets.

I don't tell people how to feed their pets and I would never tell you or anyone else that they must go to a nutritionist before preparing food for yourself or your family. We give suggestions and discuss options.

By the way, I feed my dog a commercial raw brand of food with occasional homemade meals. I did a lot of research before deciding for myself what was the best way to feed her. I feel I know a lot about the subject but I would not tell others that they must do what I do or insult others because they do not agree with me.

Dogs have much more specific nutritional requirements than humans. An unbalanced diet usually will make a dog sick fairly quickly. Long term effects can be devastating. There are always exceptions, but I'm not willing to test it on my dogs.

If my vet was concerned about my dog eating plain chicken and rice for a couple of weeks, I take him seriously.

Commercial kibble has been recalled and pulled from the shelves for making dogs very ill or killing them with unbalanced nutrients. Manufacturers spend lots of time and money, and ideally do feeding trials, for a reason.

Edit to add: yes, I would only trust a vet nutritionist to advise me on home cooking.

[mimimomo]

Oops Balance It does have the all meat diet...4got about that! If you go to their site (balance it.com), you can generate free recipes for a healthy dog. They even give you the option of using human supplements for some recipes.

I also think every individual has the right to feed what they want to their pets...As long as it's balanced.

[Maximo]

Aren't all commercial dog foods, whether kibble, wet, raw or freeze dried, made with supplements that would be the equivalent of BalanceIt?

Often "chelated minerals", usually from China.

I don't think anyone here tells anyone that they must feed a certain diet, other than a balanced diet. It's not any different than telling people not to feed toxic foods. Not intended as insulting. It's a safety and health issue.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Commercial kibble has been recalled and pulled from the shelves for making dogs very ill or killing them with unbalanced nutrients. Manufacturers spend lots of time and money, and ideally do feeding trials, for a reason.

Re-reading what I wrote and now see how ridiculous it sounds.

I meant to say that some dog food manufacturers are better than others about making sure that the nutritional balance is just right: safe for our dogs. This is why some people here are vocal advocates of companies who have a vet nutritionist on staff or central to the development process, and who do feeding trials.

[Teegy]

If you want to home cook then there are great pet nutrition books out there, I would do a bit of research on a carnivorous diet as you certainly don't want to be feeding too much plant protein over meat protein. I would recommend using Quinoa instead of rice. Also cooking does remove some of the essential enzymes needed so be sure you are supplementing it.
There is a wonderful food supplement out there called Feedsentials that I would recommend.
I feed my boys raw, consisting of ground meat (rabbit, lamb, duck, turkey, pork) bones and organs, as well as very meaty bones, such as pork ribs and brisket, lamb chops and flank, beef brisket, whole rabbit and smelts (fish). The key is to rotate your proteins and ensure your dog is getting a good balance as there are different minerals and vitamins in the meats that they need.

[Teegy]

I too chose the raw route after a lot of consultation with many raw feeding breeders and dog owners, discussions with my holistic and very experienced vet and a heck of a lot of research on my end.

I've managed to encourage many friends to come to the dark side and feed raw, much to their delight they see great improvements in their animals within a matter of weeks. It's not for everyone but I advocate it whenever I can.

[MarkFromSea]

This thread isn't bad at all. Recommending that Robyn reads it. "The importance of a balanced diet."

[Piddle Place]

Thank you all for the information. If I make my own food, how much and often do I feed her? She is about 2 lbs now

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Piddle Place

I am new to this site, thank you. I don't know anything about dog nutrition, and would love some feedback. I attend dog trade shows, and see so much hype about dog food, I wanted to know what you feed yours and what you do and don't recommend. Jaz just started on Blue Buffalo, but its a bit expensive, and I wanted to see if it was worth it.
Please, some feedback from those of you with healthy older dogs as to what you feed. I was recommend making my own from chicken and rice.
Jaz and I thank you for the communication

I feed a premade raw diet - by either Primal, Natures Variety, or a few others. I used to homecook and before that I fed kibble.

As far as what to feed, what is your long term goal...do you want to feed kibble, raw, or homecooked?

If interested in homecooking, just keep in mind that like us, dogs have RDAs (recommended daily allowances) that should be taken into consideration if you want a healthy kiddo. There are nutritionists (non-vet) and vet nutritionists who can provide custom recipes. One option is BalanceIT, which may have already been mentioned.

Here is a link to some homecooking formulations (by Dr. Terifaj, whom I greatly respect): Homecooked Diet by Dr. Paula Terifaj

One from Nature's Farmacy: http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/downlo...endly_Diet.pdf

And a little online mini-book regarding homecooking and recipes: A Quick Introduction To Natural Homemade Dog Food and Natural Homemade Cat Food

Some people like Dr. Pitcairn's dog, but I'm not the biggest fan...but it's an option you may want to look over: Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health...

[Teegy]

Puppies should be fed 6-10% of their body weight and adult dogs 2-3% of their body weight