How to Feed a Dog: Choosing the Right Food Type for Your Dog Part 3 of 3

If you missed any of our previous series on How to Feed Your Dog you can visit part 1 here.

In order to understand the variety of dog food available today, it may help to first learn of the history of dog food and dogs.

The domestic dog is descended from Gray Wolves and possibly other species of wild canine. The process of domesticating and creating the breeds we know today took an estimated 35,000 years! That’s a very long time for any species to change, evolve, and adapt to new situations. As I’m sure you can imagine, dry kibble dog food was not for sale 35,000 years ago, or even 200 years ago. In fact, up until 1860, dogs ate table scraps, or whatever they could hunt or find themselves.

In 1860, an electrician by the name of James Spratt witnessed a group of stray dogs waiting to be fed scraps of rotten food and moldy, hardtack biscuits. Thinking he could do better than that, Spratt developed a dog food made of beef blood, beet root, vegetables, and wheat. Dog food was officially invented and other companies soon jumped on the bandwagon. Why anyone considered an electrician an expert on canine nutrition is beyond me.

As the decades rolled by, dry, processed, dog kibble became the norm, canned meat was introduced in the 1940s, and the idea of feeding table scraps or wild food to dogs went out the window. This was largely due to the cheaper cost and advertisements that claimed the processed stuff was a better, safer, healthier option. However, all things change with time and by the 1980s, people started to become more concerned with the nutritional value of food—both for people and for dogs—so, they started to read the labels and ask questions.

Thanks to their new-found interest in dog food ingredients, dangerous chemical preservatives were removed from many dog foods and replaced with vitamins C and E. Then, whole forms of meat like chicken, venison, and fish were added to the ingredients, as well as organic varieties of vegetables and grains. While this is all well and good, it doesn’t eliminate the fact that many of these standard kibble brands are still heavily processed and contain many forms of byproducts, fillers, additives, preservatives, dyes, and other potentially harmful ingredients.

As you can see, as dogs transitioned from wild to domestic, they lived on natural food—food they could find or hunt themselves, or food offered to them from the table—for thousands upon thousands of years. It wasn’t until the 1800s that one man’s idea changed all that and now, people are reverting back to the natural ways of feeding their canine friends—and with good reason.

Buyer Beware – Not All Kibble is Created Equally
Despite their recent rise to popularity, dry, standard kibble brands are not good at all for your canine friend. They contain a lot of extra flavors, chemicals, fillers, and other ingredients that can lead to kidney, liver, and other ongoing health issues. Many of the ingredients (such as the meats and grains) are typically of low quality and some may also be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Plus, how many of you actually bother to follow the feeding guidelines on a bag of kibble? Most of the time, a dog will get a cup of food in the morning and a cup of food at night (give or take). Although this is a common practice, since when did all dogs have the same feeding requirements? Surely a Great Dane will not eat the same amount of food as a Chihuahua, or even have the same nutritional requirements, so you can’t always depend on regular kibble.

Standard Kibble – Buyer Concerns May Include:

• It can be a lot more expensive than some of the more natural diets available.
• Benign, fatty tumors that live on the sugars provided by the food may develop.
• Bad dog breath and other body odors will happen, along with periodontal disease and stained, tartar-covered teeth or gum damage.
• Your dog will have an itchy, unhealthy skin and coat, which requires more bathing and grooming.
• Your dog will have less energy and a more sluggish attitude.
• Expect premature aging due to immune system overload and more frequent trips to the vet due to an overall increase in health issues.

There are many reasons to watch what type of kibble you feed your pet and what could effect the health of your pet.   Fortunately, there are 3 other diets available that are totally safe, healthy, and natural for your dog: holistic, organic, and RAW food.

Natural and Holistic Pet Nutrition

Holistic
The idea behind being holistic (or holism) is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When you apply this idea to dog food, it means each ingredient contributes to your dog’s health in a different way, but they work together to do so. When the right combination and portions of healthy, organic food is fed to your dog, it results in a balance between mind and body functions, increasing their health and overall well-being.

Holistic food will usually contain organic food (which will be explained next) and will either come pre-packaged, or can be cooked like organic food. However, unlike other types of dog food available, holistic food comes with a purpose. One ingredient may help with digestion, another may help clean the teeth, and a third ingredient may boost their immune system. As you can see, each ingredient serves a different purpose, but they also work together, in function and taste.

Ingredients contained in holistic food are safe, guaranteed fresh, and do not contain anything extra (like flavoring, preservatives, or artificial colors). While there is a noticeable price difference between holistic and standard dog food, I will remind you that holistic food serves a specific purpose, including boosting your dog’s immune system when they are sick, or slowing down a progressive illness considerably. Thus, the money saved on veterinary and medicine costs more than makes up the difference for money spent on holistic food. It should also be noted that holistic dog food has never been part of a recall, which is something to consider if you’re concerned about safety or nutritional value.

Organic
According to the Organic Trade Association, organic food sales for pets have grown 3 times greater than those for people! Like organic food for people, organic dog food is free of pesticides, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals or artificial ingredients that may otherwise be toxic (and typically found in regular kibble).

Unlike standard kibble, there are many advantages to feeding your dog organic food. It is easier for your dog to digest and will boost their immune system, plus there will be a noticeable decrease (or even disappearance) in allergies. Additional health issues that will decrease, or possibly disappear entirely (thanks to an organic diet) include: diabetes, digestive trouble, itching, skin conditions, and more. It also helps maintain and regulate their weight better, and comes with fewer calories. Like holistic food, the organic food option means fewer trips to the vet and also provides a longer, healthier, happier life for your canine friend.

This is personally my favorite option, as it comes with the most choices. You can buy it in a bag (like standard kibble), but it is a bit more expensive. However, you can validate the quality of the food by looking for the USDA Organic seal of approval, which means the food can be trusted as a certified organic source. The other thing is you can create meals for your dog. Many recipes are available online and there are also dog cookbooks available at stores. This is great for dogs with allergies, because you are aware of every single ingredient that goes into their food and can choose recipes just right for them. Plus, the food can be stored in the freezer to preserve freshness (usually for a week or 2, at most).

RAW
Formerly known as BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, Bones And Raw Food, or Born Again Raw Feeders), out of all the diet types, this is the most natural one available to dogs. The concept is that the food is anything the dog would eat if it still lived in the wild (in other words: if it was not domesticated). The RAW diet primarily consists of raw meat, bones, and organs. It does not contain any artificial flavors, carbohydrates, chemicals, coloring, or grains. There is some debate between RAW advocates on whether to include vegetables or not, or if the bones should be eaten whole or ground up first (some whole bones can splinter and cause internal damage).

However, despite all the debating, there are many advantages to a RAW diet. Like the holistic and organic diets, it boosts their immune system, gives them a healthy coat and skin, aids digestion, decreases or eliminates allergies, decreases itching/scratching, greatly reduces the number of trips to the vet, and provides a longer life span. In addition to all that, the RAW diet decreases chances of degenerative disease, provides great resistance to fleas and worms, increases their energy, detoxifies your dog’s body, significantly reduces or eliminates arthritis, and guarantees higher survival rates in puppies.

There are many other advantages to the RAW diet and it’s also one of the cheaper options available. However, I suggest you talk to an expert and research more about this particular diet first, because there are many things you need to know before switching your dog to a RAW diet. For more information, check out RawDogFoom.com.au.

For additional information on dog food, including brand comparisons and a calculator to determine servings (use as a guideline, not as your only source!), check out these links:

The Dog Food Project
Dog Food Analysis
Dog Food Advisor
Dog Food Calculator

I hope you found this 3 part series on How to Feed Your Dog – Tips to Choosing the Right Food for Your Dog helpful.  If you have any questions or would like to comment, please do not hesitate to drop me a line anytime.  We are always delighted you have stopped by and thank you for taking the time to visit.  To “Raising a Happy, Healthy, Dog”.

Natural Pet Grocer provides all natural dog and cat food with a Free Home Pet Food delivery service.  To find out how you can have free home pet food delivered to your door in Gilbertsville, PA and surrounding communities for your pets visit www.naturalpetgrocer.com today.