I have always cooked for my dogs and I do not recommend kibble (dry food) or wet food out of the can unless you know how to read ALL the ingredients and are totally educated on the terms the “pet food company’s” are allowed to use.
It takes very little time and if you are a healthy eater there is no reason why your dogs could not be eating the same things (with some exceptions of course).
They have the same digestive system as humans and we as a society have been brain washed to think they should not eat human food.
It’s time to wake up and feed them the good stuff like mother nature intended us to do.

I totally agree. I wish there were common brands out there that were organic…PC should make organic dog food, wouldn’t that be convenient?

One question i’ve always had was: Should you give your dogs bones? I’ve been told no chicken bones because they break and splinter and can cut your dog’s throat. What about the others, and what would be best? And what about raw bones or raw meat vs cooked?

I just switched Paddington and Corduroy’s food about 3 weeks ago to an organic blend available at Bark and Fitz. I’m going to write an article about dog food later on.

Thanks so much for your comments claudie and Xtina.

And as for the bone issue, that’s a good topic – I will research it and publish an article about it because I am sure you are not the only one wondering about that.

My new puppy is on a raw meat diet. To be honest, I didn’t know much about it before we had decided to get her. We found out when we found her breeder and read the information on their site about the BARF FAQ’s. I have done tons of reading since we decided to get her and I can honestly say that my opinion is that a healthier dog is a dog that eats what nature intended it to eat. Dogs don’t process carbs like humans, it just passes through and all the dry dog food you can get is all cooked at high temperature with minimal nutritional value. The reason why this is the majority of pet feeding is because of the word

CONVENIENT

Unfortunately, our society is so driven on this concept that whatever is easiest seems best. I’m not going to go into a longer diatribe about the benefits of raw meat. I know it may seem daunting, what about bacteria? what about cost? what about choking on bones? These are all fears many pet owners have and I certainly did as well. However, I read and read and it started to make sense. We’ve started feeding her with Posh Nosh meat from A guy, a girl, two dogs and a cat on Dalhousie, we also have gotten meat and bones from Global Ryan Pet store in Orleans but now we have found a breeder who gets her meat for .80/lbs.

It can take a bit more time then simply pouring the bag of Iams or whatever, but in the long run I believe your dog will have a longer, healthier life.

Wolves don’t cook their deer & caribou in the wild .. it doesn’t happen. Their acids and stomachs can process the meat, it’s what they have evolved to do. Dry food, even those that say they have ‘mostly’ meat, contains filler that is equivalent to us eating McDonals

-Anyone seen ‘Super Size Me’? That’s what started to get me reading.

Sarah – thanks for all that information. It’s definitely true about people leaning towards what is convenient – that’s why fast food places are in business. Kudos to you cooking your own dog’s food – I am happy with mine being on Orijen Dog Food as when I read the label I can understand 100% of everything that is in it. I also feed them a bit of Tripett every day.

In response to Xtina, re: feeding bones. Bones of small young animals must be RAW when fed to dogs, NEVER cooked. Raw bones can be chewed very well by dogs, almost to a pulp, whereas cooked bones are brittle and thus dangerous. Also, NEVER feed raw bones to a dog on an empty stomache.
For more information, Dr. Ian Billinghurst is the leading expert in raw diets for dogs. I highly recommend 2 of his books, 1) GIVE YOUR DOG A BONE http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DN138
2) THE BARF DIET
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DN202

Dogwise.com is a great site for books on all things dog.

I cook for my dogs. Lots of pototoes, supplements, tuna, trout, and chicken. It is easier and healthier to cook for your pets.
I do not trust dog food and worry even with the organic ones, about shelf life and stuff like that.

I am keeping the province of PEI in the black by buying potatoes!

Karine

We;ve been feeding Keymo Raw since April 2008. He has the cleanest gums and teeth you’ve ever seen, not to mention coat, nails, health etc.

Table scraps, human food is terrible for pets!
How much salt, etc do YOU use to season your food? And you weigh HOW much? Now imagine your 20lb dog eating that? It could realate to you eating 4 plates worth!
Just a note for those of you feeding your dogs pet food that has corn as an ingrediant: most dogs have a very hard time digesting corn. It’s used as a cheap filler. This also leads to alot of allergies in dogs. If you have to feed kibble, choose one that has no corn or PLEASE no “by-products”. You do NOT want to know what THOSE really are!

Raw feeders: what sources in Ottawa have you found for economical, healthy meat? I am switching my pets and I think there must be something better than Hartmanns…. Good for now, but over the long term there must be a less expensive option?

Hi everyone, I am a raw feeder (its sooooo good for the dogs, mine are in excellent shape and very healthy!!) and have a huge box of 50+ pigs feet I can sell because my greyhound can no longer eat pork. I am selling it for $25, or a fair trade of some kind would work too Email brandy834@hotmail.com

Check out PoshNosh.ca for Raw diets… lots of selection, supports local farmers, works with bulk amounts for more dogs/large breeds…

ps – no pork, ever!

I’ve recently switched my boxer, Zeus, to a raw diet, and he’s doing great on it! He never did well on any type of kibble, no matter how good, but he’s had no problems switching onto raw. And his breath is amazing, even after a few days I noticed a huge improvement.
I’ve been buying most of my meat at the Butchery, or Costco occasionnally. Does anyone know a good place to get good meat for a more reasonable price?

We have two rottweilers who of course LOVE to eat. One of them however, since he was a puppy was sensitive to a wet dog food we purchased at Petsmart called NutroMax. One day at the dog park another person with rottweilers suggested we buy Orijen and to our amazement his bowels are normal and has grown to be a healthy 135lbs!

I believe that if you love your pets like so many of us do, we choose the best according to their state and not our wallets. Their health will say so much about what they eat or don’t eat.