Our
Journey to the “Perfect” Dog Food
There was a time when my
fur babies were not enthused about their meals. They didn’t sit behind me
waiting for dinner. I had to coax them to their food bowls and many times they
choose not to eat. I tried the vet recommended brands and other too expensive
brands. I tried reasonably priced brands mixed with expensive brands. I tried
dry, wet, a mix of dry and wet and what I was left with were fed pups but not
happy ones. With three mouths to feed, I wanted happy pups at a price I could
afford.
I am always looking to see what’s going on in the world of dogs
and recently, I did some online research and asked some dog owners what they
were feeding their dogs. Raw and grain free diets were the recurring themes. Today’s
trending topics of ways to feed your dog healthy, nutritious meals. There was
also a never ending barrage of dry, canned, packaged, refrigerated and frozen
foods to choose from all professing its unique nutrient value. There are
celebrity endorsed brands, celebrity chef brands, make your own recipes online,
highly specialized diets for dogs with special needs and much more. It can be a daunting
task to find a healthy diet that your dog loves in the cut-throat,
billion-dollar pet industry.
Our journey did not take
us in today’s trending directions but for the sake of learning more, I did a
little research on the two diets I mention above:
The raw food diet may consist of raw meat, bones, fruits and vegetables. It is
a controversial idea still in debate today, proposed in 1993 by Australian
veterinarian Ian Billinghurst. He suggested that adult dogs would benefit from
a Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF), foods similar to a diet
pre-domestication. Billinghurst believed grain-based foods were harmful to a
dog’s health. Many mainstream veterinarians (including my dogs’ vet) and the
FDA disagree. Some potential benefits touted by supporters of the raw food diet
are a shiny coat, healthy skin, cleaner teeth, higher energy levels and smaller
stools. The risks include threats to dog and human from bacteria in raw meat,
unbalanced diet that may damage the health of a dog if fed for a prolonged
period of time, and the potential for choking, broken teeth and internal
punctures from bones or bone pieces. Other types of raw diets have emerged with
commercially sold raw frozen and freeze dried foods. Combo diets that include
grains, vegetables and vitamins mixed with raw meat are also being sold. There
are recipes online and in books and its popularity grows due in part to company
and FDA recalls and reports of failing health and deaths of dogs who have
consumed foods made in China.
The popular grain free diet is a product of consumer demand and not one of nutritional
need. One thing to remember is that grain free does not mean carb free. Many
grain free diets are replaced with potato. Allergies are a big factor for
choosing a grain free diet for your dog. Unfortunately, the most common
allergens in dogs are beef and dairy not grains. Corn, a grain most commonly
used in many dry dog foods, scores the lowest as an allergen to dogs. Important
to know is that your dog needs complete and balanced nutrition and to look at
nutrient profile over individual ingredients.
Though I did not choose
either method above to feed my dogs, like any parent feeding their family, I
chose a course that has made my family very happy. I finally found a dry dog
food with sweet potato and fish that everyone enjoys. I also make my own
mixtures using a variety of different ground meats and organs, vegetables
(broccoli, carrots, kale, spinach, peas, green beans) and grains or potato that
I prepare each week as a side at dinner.
Now I can’t tell you if
my kids are receiving complete and balanced nutrition but, hell I don’t even
get complete and balanced nutrition most days. What I do have are happy dogs.
They hover around when I am preparing the week’s meal hoping for a little
preview. At dinner time, they lay behind me patiently waiting for me to serve
them. As I take each bowl to its designated spot, each of my dog’s has a
different ritual. My little one walks really fast with her wiggly butt, my
female pittie walks in circles until I put the bowl down, and my male pittie
stands there all eyes on the bowl watching it descend to the ground.
I am a satisfied but
ever evolving pup parent of three that spoils her kids. I buy all kinds of cool
toys and treats to keep them happy and entertained. Each pup has their own
matching harness, leash and collar with a cute name tag. My grocery list is
filled with more food for them than me. Yes, I love my awesome trio and I think
we have completed our journey to the “perfect” dog food. For now...
