So you’re just about ready to go out to dinner with friends at a fancy restaurant, you’re all dressed up and good-looking. But it's also time for your pooch to eat his dinner. He’s sitting there by his food bowl, staring at you as if to say, “Hello, food?” You quickly measure out some kibble into his bowl, spoon some canned food on top, pat him on the head and rush out to your car. Your pooch watches you leave, then returns to his bowl and gobbles up his meal.

All responsible pet owners feed their pets daily. But do they really think about what’s really in that can of dog food, or that bag of cat food? Do they actually read the ingredients on the bag of treats they throw into the grocery cart because they’re in a hurry?

Most people just feed whatever their vets recommend, because after all, aren’t you supposed to trust the person that spent years studying to take care of animals? Doesn’t he or she know what your pet needs and should eat? Some times yes, other times, no.

Veterinarian schools’ nutrition programs are usually sponsored by pet food brands that are not the best quality. So vets just assume that the food is good and recommend it to their clients without doing thorough research on pet nutrition. Or they ignore the fact that the food they are recommending is packed with fillers and by-products. So their clients listen and feed their beloved pets these foods.

Let’s just think about this. There is a pack of dogs. They are hungry; they’re ready to eat. Do they walk around asking each other, “Hey, did you go to the feed store and pick up some chow?” Dogs in the wild wouldn’t eat dog food! They wouldn’t scoop it into bowls and lug it around with them! They would hunt! They would eat rabbits, mice, etc.. Not dog food! Many years ago there never was “dog food” or “cat food”. Pets would eat the same things their owners ate—real food. They’d eat vegetables and meat, fruit and bread. They would eat the leftovers, and often they lived to ripe old ages. But then came pet food and they convinced everyone that that’s what your pet should eat. So people continue to feed their pets these kibbles, sometimes shaped like noodles or bones, basically to catch the eye of the owner, not the pet.
There are still people that feed their pets the leftovers from their meals, however. Those that intend to keep an animal healthy feed nutritious scraps, like vegetables and meat. Right from their own plate! Things like potato chips and sour cream should not be fed to an animal, but fruit like bananas and apples, vegetables like carrots and broccoli, and meat like beef and turkey are good for an animal. Make sure your pet does not have any food allergies if you are considering the “leftover diet”, and be sure to talk with your vet before starting a new food plan for your pet.

There is also the choice of feeding your dog a raw diet. I feed my three dogs a raw diet. A raw diet consists of raw meat and bones, raw shredded vegetables, organ meat, and vitamins. Some argue that meat should be cooked. In the wild dogs would not cook their meat, but then again the meat wouldn’t contain the things packaged meat contains today. Some argue that the vegetables should be cooked. A dog would not normally cook vegetables, either, but they would get their veggies from their prey, and the vegetables would then, in a way be cooked—the prey would have been warm; the prey would have digested the vegetables. I guess you could say that they vegetables would be half cooked J. But I feed my dogs RAW meat and RAW vegetables. Some say that feeding an animal a raw diet is “crazy” and “dangerous”. Sure, there is the danger of a bone getting stuck in the mouth, or some sickness, but it’s probably the best diet out there that you can feed your pet. If you’re squeamish about preparing a raw diet (Note: I wear plastic gloves when handling the meat), you can buy already-made raw diets. For more information on raw diets, check out http://www.willowglen.com/barf.htm and http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petfood.htm. To read some pros and cons of feeding a raw diet, read http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/.../pros_cons.html. Remember that vegetables must be shredded for the animal to digest them properly. I chop vegetables up and then put them in an electric power chopper and make it into a sort of mush. It is recommended that you change the type of vegetables weekly. Such as one week you feed carrots, the next week broccoli. And please also remember that the raw diet is not for everyone. While one animal may do wonderfully on it, another may refuse to eat, become sick, etc.. In these cases, the animal that does not do well on a raw diet should be slowly switched over to a high-quality kibble or wet food. Also please remember that while raw diets are healthy and natural for your pet, they can be hard to prepare and make sure your pet is receiving everything he needs, therefore thorough research is needed before starting a raw diet. Start with reading books and articles or raw diets, and talking with holistic veterinarians.

There are also some great kibbles and canned foods out there. These are usually more expensive than stopping off at the local pet shop and grabbing a bag of food, but with a higher-quality brand you feed less because the food does not contain a bunch of fillers (like corn) and dyes (have you ever walked through the grocery store’s pet aisle and seen the bags of food with pictures of red and green and yellow kibble?). Some kibbles are supposed to help clean the teeth by scraping away any plaque or tartar buildup, while canned foods supposedly weaken the teeth to the point that they could fall out or may have to be pulled. Many people feed canned food to older toothless pets, or puppies. In my opinion, as long as the food is high quality and the pet has no allergies towards any of the ingredients, canned and wet are both good. Relying on a kibble to clean your pet’s teeth is not a good idea. There should be a weekly brushing of the teeth with special animal toothpaste or a weekly feeding of raw meaty bones, which naturally scrape the plaque and tartar build-up off your pet’s teeth. The bone must be small enough for the animal to chew on but large enough that it cannot be swallowed. These bones can also be very messy, so feeding outside is a good idea. If you choose the tooth brushing, slowly introduce your pet to the brush and paste. Put some toothpaste on your finger and massage your pet’s gums and teeth with your fingers. After a few days of this, use the brush, brushing only a few teeth at a time, then gradually scrubbing all of the teeth.

No, there is nothing wrong with feeding kibble. No, a raw diet is not for everyone. And no, a kibble/wet diet is not for everyone. Find what’s best for you and your pet, whether it be the raw diet, the kibble/wet diet, or a mixture of the two! There are even vegetarian and vegan diets, though along with raw diets these require lots of research. To find a good kibble or wet food, it will take lots of research also. There are a lot of good brands out there, but its important to find the brand for your dog(s). If your dog doesn’t do well on one brand, you should try another. It may take a while to find the perfect kibble or wet food for your pet(s). Some people even end up mixing two foods together, sometimes both are dry, sometimes both are wet, and sometimes one is wet while the other is dry.

I am very passionate about raw diets, although there are some terrific kibbles out there that I really like and would feed my well-loved dogs if there was no way a raw diet was possible. But if you cannot feed a raw diet, I recommend adding a bit of shredded veggies and the occasional can of tuna with a little bit of raw egg mixed in. Many argue that raw egg is terrible for pets due to salmonella. However, my vet recommends feeding raw egg, along with crushed eggshells, which provide your pet with calcium, along with raw bones. There is also one kibble I know of that contains no grains, called Innova Evo (Natura Pet).

For more information and shocking details on commercial pet food, read Food Pets Die For By Ann N. Martin, and may you and your pet(s) enjoy good food!    

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