Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Recipes
Ken asks…
How do I get my cat off dry food and on to raw food?
My cat has chronic UTI problems and I think it is because of the dry Iams food she is addicted to. Sometomes she will eat a little canned Iams but not often enough to make her well. I hoe I can reverse her condition by changing her diet. I want to get her off the Iams completely and on to a raw food diet. How do I do this? How can I get her to eat the raw food? Where and what raw food should I get and how should she be fed? how often and how much? Should I give her other foods in addition to the raw meat?
Female cat, 8 years old. Medium sized.
admin answers:
Hi there… I want to apologize in advance for the length of this answer. I just have a lot of info to share with you and I don’t want to miss anything. : )
I too have a male cat with a similar condition. However his UTI’s led us to finding a Kidney Stone and he had to have surgery to have it removed. 🙁 The poor thing. Being a male it’s pretty rare from them to actually develop a stone. Usually they blow the stone/grain into their urethra and it blocks. But he didn’t. And from the looks and size of the stone, Doc is 100% convinced it’s been in there for years and years. 🙁 Phat Boy didn’t show symptoms though so we didn’t know until I caught him straining. I tell you all that so you know that I understand your situation with switching foods. Been there… done that. And it is the best thing you can do for her. Just also understand though that recent studies have shown diet to not be the cause of FLUTD/FUS. However you can make some changes that can help your cat for the better.
As for making homemade Cat food… it can be a huge ordeal and you could do more damage to your cat by feeding it an improperly prepared home meal. Especially a Cat that already has issues. Cats have very delicate dietary needs that must be researched thoroughly before feeding a RAW diet. There are NO “simple” homemade cat food recipes that work long term. I am not against RAW / BARF Diets for cats… I have tried it. I do know what is involved. It can be wonderful, but it can also be disastrous for your cat if you don’t know what you’re doing. Also know that Dog and Cat RAW diets are completely different. You will see that in your research. Be careful if you choose RAW, and know what you are getting into before you do it. If you feel you MUST go RAW, I recommend you start here http://www.catnutrition.org/. It’s a wonderful site with a lot of great information and recipes. Plan on spending a lot of time reading about this. No one here is going to give you the “simple” Answer to a RAW / BARF Diet for your cats.
With that said, my advice to you is this… Find a good high quality Human Grade Healthy, Holistic or Organic manufactured food instead.
Put her on a high quality human Grade Healthy, Holistic or Organic canned only diet of 5.5 ounces of wet food split up into three feedings or more a day. I know you say she won’t eat canned… but if you take away the dry she will be more apt to eat what you offer. Also try warming it in the microwave for a few seconds to make t smell yummy to her. If even after she boycotts you and starves for two days… go back to dry. Some cats just won’t eat wet food.
Let me give you a run down about foods…
It’s time for pet owners to wake up and take responsibility for what they feed their animals and quit trusting what those great big money hungry companies tell you. Research for yourself, learn, read the ingredients and make an informed decision for the health and safety of your beloved pet.
With the recall, wheat gluten is the big suspect in cat food that everyone is trying to avoid, and it SHOULD be avoided. It should have been avoided all along. It’s nothing more than a cheap protein source used as a binding agent by pet food companies.
Corn should always be avoided as well. It’s a huge filler worth NOTHING. Corn as an ingredient in cat food is a joke. Ever seen a cat chewing on a corn cob in a field? No, you haven’t.
Cats, despite thousands of years of domestication, remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!
As you search for your new pet food, be aware that there are three Categories of Pet Foods:
-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.
-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!
-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster and Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class – contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.
With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.
The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!!
Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁
So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that bag and move on to the next.
Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you on a per bag basis much more. Just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. Which in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their Geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are safer.
What are some good foods I recommend? I feed my cats Drs. Foster and Smith Holistic Adult Lite Dry cat food along with a mix of Wellness Dry. I also feed Merrick Canned.
I purchase Drs. Foster and Smith online and have it automatically delivered to my door so I never run out and never have to go get it. It’s one of the best foods on the market and has no “fillers” in it. It is also very reasonably priced compared to other holistic foods. And when you’re feeding as many cats as I am, price is as important as ingredients. If you can’t afford it, you can’t feed it. So buy the highest quality you can and feel good that you are doing the absolute best you can for your pet.
If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed stores. Old Mother Hubbard Wellness Brand is a great holistic food I feed. As is Eagle Pack Dry Cat food. Merrick canned is also a great source of nutrition and they will be coming out with a dry line this summer.
I highly recommend people take the time to research for themselves, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new food for your cats!
Side note… Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your cat in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. Http://www.iamscruelty.com to see the terror they create.
Drs. F&S Food Link – http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2002+6000
Wellness Food Link – http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/cat_index.html
Eagle Pack Holistic Select – http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Home.html
Merrick Foods: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
****DO NOT FEED IAMS!**** http://www.iamscruelty.com
*************************************
Ok, so now you’re on your way to choosing a better food. Your key thing because of your cats UTI issues is to get her onto a low ash, low magnesium diet. The lower the better on both of those percents.
You also want to encourage her water intake. Purchase a pet fountain. I bought a drinkwell from Drs Foster and Smith for my cats and they love it. Http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=1783 And give her only Distilled water. Many vets believe that the quality, or lack there of, in tap water leads to URI’s. Giving distilled water will not add any uneeded minerals to her system. And it will help clean her out just like it does for humans.
I hope that my suggestions help you help your kitty. UTI’s can be so frustrating. And sometimes… not matter what you do they still persist because of the cats body and how it reacts to things. I wish you luck in helping your kitty ward off the UTI’s!
Thomas asks…
What have you done to replace cat food since the recall?
Have your tried homemade cat foods? Or have you tried different brands?
admin answers:
Hi there… Making homemade Cat food can be a huge ordeal and you could do more damage to your cat by feeding it an improperly prepared home meal. Cats have very delicate dietary needs that must be researched thoroughly before feeding a RAW diet. There are NO “simple” homemade cat food recipes that work long term. I am not against RAW / BARF Diets for cats… I have tried it. I do know what is involved. It can be wonderful, but it can also be disastrous for your cat if you don’t know what your doing. Also know that Dog and Cat RAW diets are completely different. You will see that in your research. Be careful if you choose RAW, and know what you are getting into before you do it. If you feel you MUST go RAW, I recommend you start here http://www.catnutrition.org/. It’s a wonderful site with a lot of great information and recipes. Plan on spending a lot of time reading about this. No one here is going to give you the “simple” Answer to a RAW / BARF Diet for your cats.
With that said, my advice to you is this… Find a good high quality Human Grade Healthy, Holistic or Organic manufactured food instead.
It’s time for pet owners to wake up and take responsibility for what they feed their animals and quit trusting what those great big money hungry companies tell you. Research for yourself, learn, read the ingredients and make an informed decision for the health and safety of your beloved pet.
With the recall, wheat gluten is the big suspect in cat food that everyone is trying to avoid, and it SHOULD be avoided. It should have been avoided all along. It’s nothing more than a cheap protein source used as a binding agent by pet food companies.
Corn should always be avoided as well. It’s a huge filler worth NOTHING. Corn as an ingredient in cat food is a joke. Ever seen a cat chewing on a corn cob in a field? No, you haven’t.
Cats, despite thousands of years of domestication, remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!
As you search for your new pet food, be aware that there are three Categories of Pet Foods:
-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.
-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!
-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster and Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class – contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.
With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.
The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!!
Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁
So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading and put down that bag.
Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you on a per bag basis much more. Just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. Which in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their Geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are safer.
What are some good foods I recommend? I feed my cats Drs. Foster and Smith Holistic Adult Lite Dry cat food along with a mix of Wellness Dry. I also feed Merrick Canned.
I purchase Drs. Foster and Smith online and have it automatically delivered to my door so I never run out and never have to go get it. It’s one of the best foods on the market and has no “fillers” in it. It is also very reasonably priced compared to other holistic foods. And when you’re feeding as many cats as I am, price is as important as ingredients. If you can’t afford it, you can’t feed it. So buy the highest quality you can and feel good that you are doing the absolute best you can for your pet.
If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed stores. Old Mother Hubbard Wellness Brand is a great holistic food I feed. As is Eagle Pack Dry Cat food. Merrick canned is also a great source of nutrition and they will be coming out with a dry line this summer. Some brands, not all, of Nutro cat food are semi-ok if you want to spend less money, however I personally would never chose their food for nutritional value.
I highly recommend people take the time to research for themselves, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new food for your cats!
Side note… Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your cat in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. Http://www.iamscruelty.com to see the terror they create.
Drs. F&S Food Link – http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2002+6000
Wellness Food Link – http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/cat_index.html
Eagle Pack Holistic Select – http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Home.html
Merrick Foods: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
****DO NOT FEED IAMS!**** http://www.iamscruelty.com
Mandy asks…
Is it healthy to feed my dog homemade food?
Well, after watching so much youtube videos about homemade dog food, I just wanted to know if it is really nutritional and healthy for my dog. The ingredients are frozen carrots, chicken liver, frozen beans/peas, sweet potatoes, and white rice. Is that good or bad? Why? Thank you for helping me!!!
admin answers:
Hi Charlito,
Thank you for asking a great question. It shows you are a great pet parent with concerns for your pet’s long term health. Yes, it is very nutritional and healthy for your dog. Many dogs who are fed home cooked or raw diets live longer, healthier lives. “You are what you eat” pertains to dogs as well. I am a Canine Chef and have been home-cooking for my dogs for over two years now as they were very sick. I have studied and read every book and worked with a Holistic Animal Nutritionists when creating my business to help busy pet parents who don’t have the time to cook. Our recipes were created with a Holistic Animal Nutritionist, which humans can eat as well, but it is all about catering to your precious pet! We love our vet, but no longer have vet bills, except for our annual checkups.
It is very important to know what you can and cannot feed your pets. Many dog cookbooks and websites list ingredients that are not the best for your pet. Do not use white rice as it is hard for dogs and humans to digest. Use Brown Rice, quinoa, barley or oats, preferably organic.
Try to stay away from peas and carrots as they are genetically modified. Try to use fresh vegetables and cook or lightly steam them. Other than raw carrots, raw veggies are hard for most dogs to digest and they will just throw them up. Sweet Potatoes or Yams are great. Do not use white potatoes as they can be carcigenic. Do not use wheat or white flour or soy. “Why?” can be found on our website.
Try to use meats that do not have any hormones or antibiotics. We only use 100% Grass Fed meats, which are more expensive that meats from feed-lots, but well worth the price in long term health, happiness and preventing illnesses. Plus you support local farmers who ethically raise their animals.
Variety is key, as many nutrients are provided. Feeding the same meal to your pet can eventually cause allergic reactions. Make sure you are feeding the right proportions of protein, good fats and carbs. A Good Rule of Thumb is about 55-60% protein, 25-30 veggies and 10-15% grain. Make sure to “always” add a supplement from whole foods as well. Stay away from synthetic vitamins as their digestive system does not readily absorb these.
I recently saved $8,000 in surgery for luxating patellas on my dogs Cleo & Patra. How? Feeding whole foods that are nutrient dense and medicinal, along with acupuncture and raw marrow bones, which we sell.
Dogs need alot of calcium and raw dairy is great for cats and dogs that are lactose intolerant. It also helps humans with allergies and asthma. It is the pasteurization process that everyone is allergic to, which destroys the lactic acid that your body and pets need to digest. Give them raw cheese as a snack as well. Remember to start slowly with anything new.
At Cleo & Patra Canine Cuisine, we create healthy home-style cooked meals for dogs using only nutrient dense ingredients you can pronounce and your dog can easily digest. We have had much success in helping dogs get off their food allergy medications after two months on our food. Transitioning your pet’s diet SLOWLY is very important!
For more information and the many benefits of a home-cooked diet, check out our website at www.cleoNpatra.com. I’ve done all the homework for you. 🙂
I’ve listed a few other sites below that will be helpful as well. We were the featured “Pet Food” product in Doggie Afficionado’s “Green Living” Winter issue, which you can read on our site.
Yes, our food is more expensive than kibble. Grass fed meats cost more as the animals live twice as long as animals from feedlots.
All our preparation, cooking and vacuum-sealed packaging is done by hand . All our food sources are from the USA and we ship across the USA. “Know Your Source” of food is our motto.
Our Canine Connections page lists our farmers so you can order from them for yourselves and your pets, as well as many good books, DVDs and website links on this subject.
Either you are going to spend your money upfront on good nutrition or down the road on vet bills. Take you pick!
Good Luck on your venture and don’t hesitate to ask any more questions. Our concern is that pet parents are cooking properly for their pets, with the best intentions. Sorry for the long answer, but I am so passionate about this and want everyone’s dogs to live as long a life as possible! 🙂
Bone Appetit!
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Recipes
Michael asks…
Can any one recommend an organic dog cookie/treat recipe ?
I have been trying to eat organic food for the last 6 months, and I feel my dog Lilly is missing out, the only organic cookies I can find she does not like and they are quite expensive.
admin answers:
Www.dogaware.com/treatref.html
www.dogs-central.com/dog-bakery-gourmet-dog-treat.php
www.organicauthority.com/…/healthy-treats-for-the-whole-family-furry-and-non-furry.html
www.purelypets.com/main/sharedrecipes.htm
Betty asks…
Where can I find information on the AAFCO dog food standards?
I don’t use commercial food anymore-I make homemade organic raw diets for my cats and dog from meat etc. and vitamins sold for human consumption. However, I want to make sure they’re getting the right amounts of vitamins and things. If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great. Thanks!
admin answers:
Thats a tough one since they allow euthanized animals from shelters and vet clinics to be grinded into food (meatmeal) and allow other disgusting products in it. Ever hear of the woman Ann Martin? She wrote a book called ‘food pets die for, shocking facts about pet food’, it is excellent and also describes the animal cruelty performed by some companies such as Iams. In the back of the book she has recipes to make for your dogs and cats and talks a little bit about what they need.
The best advice is to ask an Animal Nutritionist, not a veterinarian because they generally don’t know what nutrition is best (they often get deals from pet companies like science diet and iams to advertise their food for a discount and the vet doesn’t even really know how good that food is for an animal). I am really into talking about this so sorry if I am going on. But check out an animal nutritionist and I highly recommend reading that book.
Maria asks…
Does anyone have a recipe for the hard yogurt or carab coating used on dog treats?
I only feed my dog all natural, organic, human-grade foods- including treats and need a recipe for that yogurt or carab coating they use to make designs on them. I got recipes for the actual treats, just need the recipe for the coating. Thanks!
admin answers:
All that’s required is to melt either your yogurt or carob chips in the microwave or a sauce pan and either dip/brush or pipe your cooled treats.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Sensitive Stomachs
Sandra asks…
Has anyone heard of Timberwolf organic dog food?
I have been researching the internet to find the right food for my doggies. I want to get the timberwolf organic dog food, but I dont know which kind to get? the ocean blue one seems to be the most popular, but which would you recommend I get? if you dont care for this brand of food please tell me why and recommend something else. thank you for your help.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
additional question:
is timberwolf organics a good food for cats as well?
admin answers:
Timberwolf Organics is one of the best brands of dog food available. In terms of quality of ingredients, it can only be rivaled by few others.
The only problem I can think of is that if you have a dog with a sensitive stomach he or she might find it hard to tolerate the richness of a food like Timberwolf. This is food is also very nutrient/ingredient dense so you only have to feed small amounts — it is high in calories. Certain Timberwolf formulas are also high in fat and protein. For the average adult dog, a maintenance formula is best. The high protein/fat formulas are more suited to very active dogs.
I would recommend the Ocean Blue, Dakota Bison or Southwest Chicken for the average dog.
Sharon asks…
what is the best brand of dog for for pups and dogs?
im am feeding my almost 8 week old pup purina original kind
then is science diet good ?
admin answers:
If it is financially possible go with a organic and grain free diet. If grocery store brand is what is budgeted for, go for Purina One Salmon and Sweet Potato (sensitive stomach formula I think). If there is room to spend, look into Orijens, Pinnacle, Taste of the Wild, Merrick, and even Blue is not a half bad food.
Remember to make your diet change only 25% every 5-7 days, so essentially it should take you just under a month to change foods.
Lizzie asks…
dog has really bad gas?
I know this is kind of a sillier question but still….
Has anyone found any like natural remedies to help with a gassy dog?
My dog‘s food (Innova… which i’ve heard other people say this is a side effect) is causing her to get really horribble smelling gas.
I do not want to change food because she has a really sensitive stomach, she loves this food, it gives her tons of energy, and this is the only complaint.
Just wondering if anyone out there has found anything that has helped their dog.
admin answers:
Low fat plain organic yogurt. One spoonful per meal. It helps during the digestion process, when the kibble is being broken down and releases air.
I have been using this with my dog for a long time and he has no gas.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food
Steven asks…
Have your pets been affected by the bad dog food?
tallgrassbeef.com
It would be nice if a company could come out with organic dog food. tall grass makes all natural beef and pork for people and are talking about adding a pet food line. I dont think they have added it to their web site yet but you could feed them the scraps.
admin answers:
My poor kitty was 6 years old and she died from the recalled food she ate special kitty and the whiskas treats
Mary asks…
How many dog owners relise some dogs have allergies to colors?
Hello,
I took my dogs to the vets today.I feed high quality/organic dog food.Anyhow one of my dogs was having minor allergies and the vet said it was because my dog was probably allergic to colors.I have to admite I once in awhile give them the treats that have colors instead of holistic treats.Is this true and has anyone else hear it?Thankyou.
The vet says breeds like English Bulldogs are especially sensitive to them.Like colors found in foods such as Beneful.Example:Blue 2,Red 40….
admin answers:
You probably mean food coloring? Allergic reaction to just the color…I doubt any dog has that as they can only detect a few colors.
Lisa asks…
What is the best organic canine food?
I’m about to get a cockapoo puppy.I need recommendations for organic dog food.
I’m actually not purchasing the puppy from a pet shop.
I’ve actually visited this breeders farm and it’s FAR from a puppy mill!LOL
admin answers:
Please, don’t buy from a pet store. Http://stoppuppymills.org/ http://saynotopetstorepuppies.com/ http://millbusters.com/
If health of a dog or puppy is important, you won’t support pet stores or people who purposely make mutts. You’ll get puppies from Champion titled dogs. Akc.org has a list of show dogs that breed.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Delivery
Sandra asks…
Does anyone know how to make or mix my own garden soil?
Since very few veggies want to grow in my Florida “sand” yard, I want to make raised beds (about 24″ tall as bending over is highly overrated once you zoom past 50 🙂 and will need a LOT of dirt – its way too expensive to haul home bags and getting it delivered would involve a $60.00 delivery fee and hiring someone to help me schlepp it all around the house to the back area. I read years ago how to mix garden soil using dog food and large bags of stuff (I think alfalfa pellets and cat littler were in there but not sure) but didn’t keep the article. If you know how I can build up a LOT of good dirt without spending a fortune I’d be grateful.
admin answers:
Surely if you make what you need from ingredients such as those that you have suggested you’ll still end up bringing home the same weight of material but in a more expensive form? (I’m sure dog food and cat litter cost more than a bag of soil if you measure it by weight!)
Anyway, soil is basically a mix of sand, clay and silt, plus the humus that gardeners love to dig into their soil of course.
As your soil is mostly sand from what you say, you would need to add clay soil to it to up the clay and silt percentage. Check the link to the soil texture triangle to see what I mean. You can check what your soil is made of at the moment using the other link but I think you already know that!
Then you’d need to dig in the organic matter, such as used mushroom compost or farmyard manure to up the humus content of the soil.
I think all in all it’s going to be a lot easier, and probably cheaper, to get a big pile of soil tipped out the front and barrow it round the back to fill your new raised beds. Sorry I couldn’t be more help 🙁
PS Dog food scattered all over the garden just sounds like a recipe to grow rats to me!
Nancy asks…
Homemade food for babies/toddlers?
I make a lot of food for my 12 month old that is easy to freeze and re-heat…baby “hot pockets”, mini meatballs, different pastas, little pot pies, etc. I use mainly organic ingredients and all of the foods are baby friendly, tasty, and healthy. I have been thinking about setting up at the local farmer’s market, but am not sure if it is worth my time and effort…you have to undergo kitchen inspections by the health dept. and become a certified food handler, etc. i figure there are lots of moms who don’t have the time or energy to make the meals for their kids that they like and this would be a great alternative to mac n cheese or the gerber graduate meals. So what do you think? Would it sell???
admin answers:
YES!!! I would buy it for sure, save me the time of doing it.
EDITED:
After reading some of the other responses, I feel that the suggestion of delivery is a great one.
On another note, I have no concerns whatsoever about the cost of feeding my kids. AT ALL, as far as we are concerned, our children should eat as naturally, healthily (is that a word?) and organically, as possible. We already pay extra for wild meat, and organic foods. To be honest, they do get ‘treats’, like hot dogs, etc, but thats rare.
I think your idea is a great one. Try it out on friends. Have them buy the ingredients (to save your $$$) and prepare them some baby food. See if it works, then consider public. I think the market may be not the ideal choice. When I think market, I think hippies. I don’t know why….
Perhaps, run out of your home, you could choose a day (Saturday.???) that people could come pick up their food for the week, or for an additional fee, you could deliver on another day.
Don’t give up on this idea, it obviously flies, or Heinz and Gerber wouldn’t exist.
Sharon asks…
Does this sound legit? I posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a toy breed and she responded. Is it legit ?
Hi
Bella and Kenny are still available. They are hand raised and
home trained with all papers, has been fully checked, KC Registered
and have a good relationship with other pets and well trained too, they
are close ringed…closed bonded and vet checked with up to date vet records.
I am looking for a good home and will meet up any
requirements if need to be for delivery…they are micro chipped, will come
with a pedigree and they are 12 weeks old, they are already KC Tested..
they will be going out with a free cage and other
accessories like toys, blankets, food menu and organic food etc.
I am giving them out because I am here for an assignment and my
job requires a lot of time so I immediately realized that they are
going to be lonely. that is why I have decided to give them out to a loving
and Caring home where they will be loved and will be given all the
time they need.
Temperament of BELLA and KENNY.
They are good companion puppies..Courageous,
extremely lively, proud and enterprising, they give
and demands affection. Bold and saucy. they are
strong-willed, intensely loyal and become very
attached to their owners.
When strangers are present, they follow their owner’s
every move, keeping as close as possible.. .
they are intelligent, learn quickly, and
respond well to proper, gentle (positive reinforcement)
training. They are
well-socialized with strangers and other puppies so if you are really
interested and wants to take care of them, get back lets see how they
get home,
I just have a few questions for you;
where are you located…………..?
Will you be taking both of them? if not, then the male or the
female…………?
Do you have a large yard where they can play…………………?
Do you have a vet that you will take them to if
needed……………………….?
if there is any other thing you will need to know about Bella and Kenny please
do feel free to send me an e-mail OK. Thanks and awaiting
your response asap.
Greeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
admin answers:
Anyone who would respond to a craigslist ad and wants you to pay to have the dog shipped to you, that is a scam … And it is not just cameroon people, many people right on this continent are doing that scam too … They may not have asked for the shipping money yet, that will be in the next email and if you are not using an anonymous web-based email, they can even use your email from your internet provider to steal your identity … Do not reply, this is 100% a scam … And look for a small breed rescue where you live … There is one where i live that has only toy breeds for three hundred dollars … Some are puppies, some are adults already trained, all are vetted …
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Reviews
Lisa asks…
What type of do food is the best to feed my dog?
I don’t no what type of dog food to feed my new dog. Please help.
admin answers:
Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.
Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.
Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.
Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.
Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.
Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!
Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)
A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Taste of the Wild.
Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.
Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/
Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about a two week period), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.
Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml
More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)
Steven asks…
I am feeding Science Diet but want something better- What should I look for in dog food?
After some research, I’ve found that Science Diet isn’t a good dog food. Since my vet recommended it, I’d thought it would be fine!
So, I want to switch my Papillon and Yorkie’s food to something healthier and with better ingredients.
Any suggestions? When I look at the ingredients and nutrition, what should I look for or avoid?
admin answers:
Read the ingredients before you buy.
Here is my “short list” of rules when I am looking at dog food ingredients:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don’t want to see any byproducts.
4) I don’t want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don’t want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don’t want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don’t want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don’t want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as “meat” or “poultry”.)
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients
—
There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn’t mean it will jive the best for your dog.
What you want to find is the HIGH-QUALITY food that *your dog* does best on.
Here are some examples of GOOD dog foods:
* Artemis Fresh Mix
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm Four Star
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature’s Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods. Http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
—
Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
—
What *NOT* to buy:
Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)
Beware “premium” foods. “Premium” does not always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Bil-Jac, Royal Canin, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that’s why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don’t focus a lot on nutrition. It’s not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told “this is good food”, so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it’s good as well.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. “Hill’s scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine” (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )
—
“Big box” petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (There are some higher quality foods at those locations, but most of the foods aren’t.)
* Blue Buffalo
* Castor & Pollux
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* Natural Balance
* Solid Gold
* Wellness
Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren’t good places to buy food either.
Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
– small, locally owned petstores
– holistic pet food stores
– dog boutiques
– farm supply stores
—
When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
1/4 food A, 3/4 food B
1/2 food A, 1/2 food B
3/4 food A, 1/4 food B
all food A
.
Maria asks…
what is the best brand of dog food for a a very small puppy?
right now im feeding him science diet but its more expensive then other foods and it comes with less? I hear that science diet is a scam that they dont give you what you pay for.
what is a good brand of dog food that my dog would like and i would be good for him?
im just interested in dry food.
admin answers:
Science Diet is a poor quality diet despite being expensive! You got a lot of horrible dog food suggestions here, but a couple of really good ones too.
Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to dump cheap leftovers in. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.
Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.
Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.
Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.
Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae, Fromm, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety, Nature’s Logic.
Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!
A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diet’s include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon.
Some of the high end foods can be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness and Solid Gold. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.
Remember that foods should be switched gradually, especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.
Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml
More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Anything with five or six stars is a great food.)
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Brands
Charles asks…
What dog food should I buy my puppy?
I can’t get out to a pet store now and I’m planning on ordering my dog food from now on so I’m going to go to Walgreens for now to get some. Which dog food in the best out of the ones they have available for now? BTW I know they all suck but I now it will take a few days to get the food if I order it online.
Cesar
Kibbles ‘n Bits
Pedigree
Pet Shoppe
Purina
admin answers:
WHAT IN GODS NAME IS GOING ON HERE? Lol All these people are feeding their dogs this stuff??? Number 1 you should NEVER just go to a store and grab some brand. You should always research this. If you do you will learn how to read a dog food label. You will learn what is good for them and what isnt. Trust me 3 months ago I was asking this question myself (well not with these brands), but what dog food is best? After careful research we chose:
BLUE BUFFALO
Yes, it cost a COUPLE (seriously a couple) of dollars more than the crap on the grocery store shelf BUT it has no fillers, its organic, so good for them, and a meat product, not to mention my dogs LOVE IT!!!
Betty asks…
What it the best/healthiest brand of dog food for yorkie pups and pug pups?
For Christmas I am getting a Yorkie and my husband is getting a pug. We really want to do whats best for them and keep them healthy. Does any one have any recommendations on the best/heathiest food or food brand we should buy for them?
admin answers:
This talks about dog food. If you don’t want to read it all just scroll down and it gives a list of good foods and a list of bad foods. The lists are in green so they are easy to find.
Http://www.dogster.com/forums/Food_and_Nutrition/thread/518898
I recommend raw. Its the best thing you can feed a dog. It can be cheaper than kibble but its more time consuming but there are so many benefits so its worth it. My dog has white teeth, lots of energy (he acts like a puppy even though he is 10 years old) his fur is soft and shiny, he doesn’t have that dog smell and his poops are very small and are not very odorous. Do lots of research if you want to feed raw. That website that I gave a link to has tons of into on raw.
You don’t have to get organic meat. You can just get any meat. Dogs don’t need veggies and herbs. I feed my dog veggies sometimes for treats and when he poops them out they are the same as when they went in. Dogs cannot digest veggies.
Its actually safer to feed raw. There have been a lot of recalls from contaminated kibble and thousands of dogs have died because of contaminated kibble. While nothing you give your dog to eat is 100% safe, raw is the safest. Here are some myths.
Http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
People say its dangerous to prevent other people from switching to raw or people say raw is dangerous because they didn’t bother to do research and just listen to what other people tell them.
Daniel asks…
What is the best brands for all natural or organic dog food?
No brands that abuse animals to test their food please! I thought Iams was good food because thats what my vet recommended : (
I was using Iams Naturals, but then i saw that they abuse the animals they test their food on.
admin answers:
Nutro makes excellent food. They have 3 lines: Max, Natural Choice, and Ultra. With all three lines you will get an all natural, human grade food with added vitamins and minerals; no ground yellow corn, which is a filler and a big allergen among pups; no by-products, which can include heads, feet and intestines; and no artificial flavors or colors. Nutro also has the highest levels of essential fatty acids (Omega 6) to help promote healthy skin and coat and also reduce shedding. And all of their foods are 100% guaranteed! Max is your basic premium food, and from what I’ve seen, the lowest priced premium food on the market. Natural Choice has taurine added and is more geared towards dogs with specific needs (i.e. Sensitive skin, sensitive stomach, allergies, etc.). And Ultra is a holistic food with more fruits and vegetables, also known as super foods, which help with your pups immune system, joints, heart, vision, brain, etc.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Recipes
Robert asks…
What is the best/ healthiest dog food out there?
I have an eight pound chihuahua and he is my baby! He is one and a half years old and is short -haired. I’m looking for a different brand of food for him. I currently give him Beneful, but I’ve read that it contains corn/ fillers. What’s a healthier alternative? Thanx a bunch and Happy Holidays!
admin answers:
Changing it’s dog food is a good idea, but do it gradually so you don’t make your dog sick. Start with 3/4 old food and 1/4 new and see how your dog tolerates the new. If no problem after a few days, increase the new amount to 1/3 new and 2/3 old and after a few more days, 1/2 and 1/2, then reverse the order until the dog is on the new food.
If your dog is under a year old, you could consider some of the following brands and see what’s available in a bite size for your tiny dog:
Innova Evo, Canidae, Royal Canin “Baby Dog” or one made specifically for chihuahua, Newman’s Own Organics, Wellness-
These are a few brands that are better quality. For highest quality you could consider looking into Dr. Pitcairn’s recipe’s for dogs (home cooked). Then you know exactly what goes into the food and what the quality of the product is.
Happy Holidays to you and yours as well!
Mandy asks…
What are some good finger food receipe for toddler?
My daughter is 18 months and she loves to feed herself. She like baked potatoes (but cut info like a fry), Chicken nuggest, Pasta, Organic (hot dogs), pizza. But i want more FINGER FOOD idea’s and homemade receipes. Thanks
admin answers:
You really don’t need any special recipes. She can eat whatever you guys are eating for meals. I do grill chicken once a week with red peppers and cut into strips and freeze so if we are eating something she doesn’t like, she can have that. I also make homemade mac and cheese w/ chicken and veggies that I freeze into individual portions. My daughter doesn’t like ground beef, so if we have hamburgers, taco’s etc, I can pull on of those from the freezer for her.
My daughter is 22 months, and has pretty much been eating what we eat since she was about 13 months old.
Nancy asks…
Where can I find homemade dog food?
looking for recipes for homemade dog treats and foods?
i don’t feed my dog table scraps i am looking for recipes….for dog bones and sytuff like that, less chemicals
admin answers:
Never feed your dog too many dinner scraps or the same family menu, because ‘human’ food can contain ‘unfriendly’ components that are no good for pets… Homemade dog food is excellent when chosen and prepared correctly.
The recipes are usually so good, that you’ll want to try them yourself… Go ahead, it’s normal food… The types of ingredients are the main consideration, usually organic and additive free.
I have supplied a source link below to a few easy-to-prepare dog food recipes and treats… Your pooch will absolutely love them!
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Reviews
Daniel asks…
Is Pedigree and Iams dog food safe to feed to my dog?
My friends told me that their puppies have thrown up when they ate Pedigree and Iams dog food. I also heard about a story that many dogs got killed from some dog food companies. Was this true? Right now, I feed my dog Iams dry food and Pedigree canned food. Please tell me if they are reliable brands.
admin answers:
They have had recalls because of dogs getting sick. They are also very low quality dog foods to begin with.
Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.
Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.
Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.
Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.
Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.
Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!
Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)
A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Taste of the Wild.
Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.
Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/
Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about a two week period), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.
Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml
More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)
Ruth asks…
What are some grain free dry dog foods?
Or what are some good dog foods with high quality grain? Also is purina bad for my dog? Because thats all ive been feeding her along with canned tuna 1-2 times a week.
admin answers:
I don’t have 100% confidence that grains are bad for a dog. In fact, I’ve home cooked for years and fed rice to my dog along with protein .
The problem I have with pet food that contains grain is not that its in there – its that many so called premium AND grocery store pet food do not actually contain the actual grain or kernel – so you are not buying grain – you are buying husks, or the parts of the grain they throw away with little to no nutritional value.
Its fake grain. Worse, since around the early 1990’s, its Fake Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) grain – which means the grain is not a grain, but a fish, that looks like a grain (if you think I’m kidding, research Monsanto). Same for soybeans – the World according to Monsanto is a great documentary to watch on You Tube. Google Monsanto GMO and you will learn they have a huge vested interest in soybeans that are modified from fish, as well as corn, wheat and others.
These grains are literally resistant to herbicides – and Monsanto made them that way because Monsanto ALSO markets a very deadly herbicide (similar in organic structure to Agent Orange) called Round Up and its cheaper for a farmer to plant a grain resistant crop because they can load the field down with ROund Up which will kill the other plants (actually it kills anything ) EXCEPT the GMO crop.
POINT: Why on earth would anyone in their right mind want to feed a dog something even poison cannot kill?
So to circle back to your question – is grains good for dogs – YES, if they are real grains but NO they are not going to be found in any commercial dog food LEAST OF ALL PURINA.
On Purina specifically, bluntly speaking, outside of the grain issue, the problem I have with them is there definition of what constitutes actual “dog food”. When a company can market products ranging from absolute garbage (Ol Roy which I affectionately call Ol shoe) to Purina Dog Chow (mostly garbage but maybe a few less shoes) to Kibbles and Bits (full of dyes and dubious other ingredients none of which are good for a dog mixed in with corn which again, is not even whole corn) to Pro Plan (which is the best they can do and its mediocre…or even Purina One which is Pro Plan with more chemicals and less dead diseased chicken)… I wonder what their mission statement reads.
Is it: Provide the public with the best quality commercial dog food money can buy with MINIMUM STANDARDS of NUTRITION AND COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY ON WHAT EACH FOOD CONTAINS OR
Throw shyte against the wall and hope it sticks.
I tend to feel its the latter.
How does the vet here explain that? Is Ol Roy food? By who’s standard? Will they open their plant and provide the public with a thorough inspection on EXACTLY what is in that food because beyond that, I don’t believe them. Its absolutely toxic to dogs.
Here’s a review of Ol Roy …note the definition of “wheat middlings” which (I quote)
QUOTE: In reality, middlings are nothing more than milling dust and floor sweepings. UNQUOTE
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/ol-roy-dog-food-dry/
How can anyone take Purina seriously when it is clear they market to the masses -with formulations for every price point – with NO regard for nutrition. They may have the last laugh, because the more I read, the more I”m convinced Ol Roy is probably not more than 2 degrees worse than Pro Plan – the main difference in price attributed to the cost of the bag – the rest is margin.
Which brings me to standards and transparency – Purina have their own standards, which we are asked to believe, but they are not substantiated by any 3rd party.
There motto: Trust me.
While AAFCO is hardly the Good housekeeping seal of approval, Purina refuses to even make public their actual formulation so while I can read an AAFCO book and know pretty much the crap that is in dog food, I cannot even do that with Purina. Its all a big secret, and we the consumer as asked to believe them.
So bottom line: I don’t feed Purina. I don’t trust them. I don’t care how many vets they pay. Paid employees who stand to loose their jobs if they speak out against their employer are not reliable sources. Its true of pet food, like it is with cars, dishwashers, and any other consumable item.
Long post to say: feed your dog the best quality food you can buy – and if you cannot afford human grade food 100% – then yes, supplement. Canned tuna is fine in moderation – but there is mercury in canned tuna, so I would prefer to supplement raw hamburger, and vary the protein. And also balance it with some raw cow hock bones (soup bones) which your dog will love.
If you can afford FROMM – buy it. I feed my own dogs the grain free Fromm and its pretty good, but the BEST food is food that you buy yourself, and make for your dog.
Here’s a link to a book for more info.
Michael asks…
what commercial dog food is best for papillons?
if there is any commercial dog food out there that you recommend for papillons,that has NO corn and soybean in it,plz let me know,I need help >.<
admin answers:
I feed my papillon Merrick dry foods. She does wonderful on this food, and has a gorgeous, shiny coat. All the ingredients are from the USA, and it is manufactured here as well. Excellent ingredients, excellent results.
Merrick was recommended to me by a papillon breeder / conformation exhibitor. I tried it, and I tried some other high-quality foods, but I came back to Merrick. It’s what my dog does best on.
Http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
=== === ===
There are other high-quality foods out there as well.
Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food.
Here is my “short list” of rules when I am looking at dog ingredients:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don’t want to see any byproducts.
4) I don’t want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don’t want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don’t want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don’t want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don’t want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as “meat” or “poultry”.)
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients
—
There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn’t mean it will jive the best for your dog.
What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on.
Here are some examples of high quality foods:
* Artemis – http://www.artemiscompany.com/
* California Natural – http://www.naturapet.com/brands/california-natural.asp
* Canidae – http://www.canidae.com/
* Chicken Soup – http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* EVO – http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp
* Fromm – http://www.frommfamily.com/
* Innova – http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Merrick – http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Nature’s Variety – http://www.naturesvariety.com/
* Orijen – http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/products/
* Solid Gold – http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Taste of the Wild – http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
* Timberwolf Organics – http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Wellness – http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)
—
Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, etc.)
Beware “premium” foods. “Premium” does not always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that’s why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don’t focus a lot on nutrition. It’s not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told “this is good food”, so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it’s good as well.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. “Hill’s scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine” (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )
—
Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
—
“Big box” petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells “Solid Gold” and “Natural Balance” brands and Petsmart sells “Blue Buffallo”, which are all quality foods, but most of the foods aren’t.)
Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren’t good places to buy food either.
Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
– small, locally owned petstores
– dog boutiques
– farm supply stores
—
When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Delivery
Steven asks…
UK DOG OWNERS. Please advise?
I would like to change my dogs’ food. After checking the ingredients the foods that I have given him (pedigree and Bakers), I am dusgusted with the amount of preservatives and lack of “real natural ingredients”. Can anyone reccommend a really good food that contains natural preferably organic ingrredients. Many Thanks. Lou
ps He’s nearly 12 months old!
admin answers:
I have recently changed my Dobermanns kibble to Solid Gold Wolfking for my male and Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Adult Dog for my female. They are very healthy and thriving on it.
Http://www.zooplus.co.uk/ask?query=solid+gold+dog&form=search
Timberwolf is also a good kibble.
Http://www.zooplus.co.uk/ask?query=timberwolf&form=search
Or Orijen kibble
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/ask?query=orijen+dog&form=search
(All available from Zooplus.co.uk, delivery is free on orders over £29.00)
~ I would suggest buying a small bag first to see if it agrees with your dog ~
James asks…
My puppy needs a high quality food brand? Help?
My Golden Retriever puppy is fed on Taste of the wild but im in UK and its hard to find and very expensive for delivery and all.
I have narrowed my food search down to 4 foods
Orijen, Wafcol, James wellbeloved or Natural dog food company
All these puppy formula
Ingredients for all
Orijen puppy
Ingredients:
Fresh boneless chicken*, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon*, turkey meal, herring meal, russet potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), sweet potato, peas, fresh boneless turkey*, fresh whole eggs*, fresh chicken liver*, fresh boneless lake whitefish*, fresh boneless walleye*, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, fresh boneless herring*, organic kelp, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium.
* DELIVERED FRESH, preservative-free and never frozen.
Price: 13.5kg £57.99
Wafcol large and giant breed puppy
Potato (33%), Salmon (24%), Salmon Meal (16%), Whole Lupins, Salmon Oil, Seaweed (3.5%), Sunflower Oil, Salmon Digest, Minerals, Vitamins, Mannan-Oligosaccharides (2150mg/kg), Fructo-Oligosaccharides (2150mg/kg), Glucosamine (510mg/kg), Methylsulfonylmethane (510mg/kg), Chondroitin (360mg/kg)
Price: 15kg £41.99
James wellbeloved Lamb and rice puppy
Lamb meat meal, rice, ground whole barley, potato protein, lamb fat, whole linseed, lamb gravy, sugar beet pulp, alfalfa, sodium chloride, natural seaweed, chicory extract, omega 3 and omega 6 supplement, lysine, calcium carbonate, D,L-methionine, yucca extract, threonine, JWB special ingredients. Contains: Min 26% lamb, min 26% rice, min 14% barley.
Price: 15kg £46.99
Natural dog food company chicken and brown rice large bite
Dried British Chicken (min 29%), Fresh British Chicken (min 26%), Whole Brown Rice (min 20%), Mixed Vegetables and Herbs (min 9%), Whole Barley, Linseed, Refined Chicken Oil, Brewer’s Yeast.
Typical Analysis – Protein 25%, Oil 11.0%, Fibre 3%, Ash 6%
Price: 15kg £47.95
Which one do you feel is best? I mean I feel Orijen is really expensive, Does it pay off? Thanks a ton guys 🙂
Sorry guys I hoped it would be obvious.. I live in the UK. So I CANT get the american dog food brands like solid gold and Innova. Thanks.
admin answers:
Animals…
Without question, based on the ingredients you’ve included, Orijen is the best choice. Why??? You’re dealing with primarily grain-free food and no beet pulp.
Orijen is a very well-known quality food — and the price is worth it.. If you had to make a second choice from your list, based on ingredients alone I would choose the Wafcol Large and Giant Breed Puppy formula you’ve listed. I’m not familiar with this brand, but it’s contents do not contain the quantities of partial grains and other undesirables I’ve mentioned above. Third choice of the four would be the Natural Dog Food. The last choice would be the James Wellbeloved Lamb and Rice Puppy because of the high ranking for rice and ground whole barley on the ingredient list and the beet pulp it contains.
Other choices (whether you can get them in the U.K. Or not I do not know) would be Wellness or Blue Buffalo/Blue Buffalo Wilderness brands. Too bad that Taste of the Wild is so difficult to come by in the UK…it is a very high-quality product!
Good luck!
Lisa asks…
adopting a puppy online is it a scam?
I am adopting a puppy online and i emailed the person and they said that I only had to pay the shipping fee do you think it’s a scam? Here’s part of their email
“We Have a well Secured and Guaranteed Transport Company that Transport Pets along Side, Two Pet Sitters and a Vet Doctor..So I will just like you to keep to your words and
fulfilled your promises. Spike and Della are very good pet that
listen to command and they love to work and play too with Kids and
other pets . They love to sleep with people and also love to be
carried in the hands . I know that they will be very good in your home
if only you provide them with all the love and care they need ok . I
want them to be ever happy in life and being a religious person it
will prick our Conscience if we deprive Spike and Della from their
happiness. I wish you to provide all of them a good, caring and loving
home. which if you do, any of the puppies will be bringing much joy
and happiness to your family.We would be very happy offering them to
you ..We are certain from your interest that they will meet a better
home with your family. They are ready to meet up with their new
family alongside with the followings belongings as listed below *Pets
& Vets Organic Health Supplement, and Wheat Germ Oil. *Certificate of
Veterinary Inspection, *Playing toys, *Puppy formula, *Traveling
Kennel (crate), *Over dog food/treat, *working collar and Chock
collar, *, *Puppy Menu, *A Nutrition Hand Manual Booklet Regard to
their Diet, *Pet Degree also with their VCD player. * AVID
Micro-Chipped (In case ever lost or stolen) Airport Delivery Agent
will take good care of them right up to delivery to your home.I am Located in North Carolina. I am looking for the welfare of this Puppies, So if you have make up your mind and Capable of providing any good home?? ,Then if you are capable then all you have to do is to provide me with your delivery information which includes , Your Full Names, House address,
State/city,zip code, Phone Number and the closest airport to your
home,I would be needing the above addresses in order to go to the
airport and make arrangements for their delivery right to your
doorstep ok . Also the transportation fees for both puppies to your
location is $240 and that is all you shall be spending in order for
the puppies to be delivered at your home address. So if you need only
one puppy it is going to cost you only $130 I would be expecting a
reply with your complete address to proceed with the puppies.
Thanks and may God bless you and your family”
admin answers:
A VERY well known and well used scam. There is no puppy. Google “Cameroon puppy scam”
#
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food
Betty asks…
What is the best dog food for a rottweiler puppy?
I have a 4 month old German rottweiler puppy who has a very dull coat and is not very energetic. I want to switch to an organic/natural dog food but I also want it to be for large breeds (to keep up with her growth). Help! I do not know what to get! I have been feeding Science Diet Large Breed Lamb and Rice, but she doesn’t like it and it hasn’t helped with the coat. Am at my wits end.
admin answers:
I use Eagle Pack Holistic for Large and Giant breeds for my mastiffs. It gives them a shiny coat, they all have good muscle tone, and the puppy food is specially formulated ofr large breed pups so it doesn’t have too much protein.
Steven asks…
What kind of food should I feed my 2 year old Frenchie?
I have always fed him castor & pollux organix dog food but recently he has had skin issues (almost like hives) and he is licking his paws. This is an organic dog food but i am guessing he is allergic to something. Can anyone recomend a good dog food for this breed and condition?
admin answers:
Castor and pollux is a middle grade food, not bad, just there are better foods out there. I would go for wellness core, evo, orijen, taste of the wild, solid gold barking at the moon, or other grain free food, or a homemade diet of boiled chicken for a few weeks, I prefer to keep rice optional and it has to be brown rice if you are going to feed rice.
If the allergies persist after the 4 weeks of boiled chicken, the allergies are not all caused by food, although most are so I highly doubt your pup will need to see the vet if his food is switched to grain free or higher quality. At that point I would seek a holistic vet that isnt going to put your dog on meds that cover up the symptoms.
Www.dogfoodproject.com can help you with all the other stuff you want to avoid in dog food, but to get the good food, a feed store or pet boutique will be your first stop. I would ask what grain free foods they have and then pick from those. With some dogs, grain free is too rich and their poo is loose. If your dogs poo is loose after a week, try lowering the amount you are feeding by 1/4 cup per day and mixing in plain mashed pumpkin. The amount on the bag/website is typically too much anyway, but always start with that, then increase/decrease as needed.
I have also heard people have an issue with their dogs weight once they get it down to the right amount for solid poo. If this happens, I recommend adding boiled or raw chicken to his food(feed raw separately from kibble, preferably a 4 to 5 hours before the kibble is fed). If that does not help him add on weight, I suggest seeing a canine nutritionist or asking this forum: www.bigdogsporch.com Many have dealt with that issue on the forum so they will definitely give you some advice.
Chris asks…
Any thoughts on BLUE Organic Dog Food?
I recently switched my dog (two year old German Shepherd) from Purina to BLUE Organic Dog food, and I was wondering if it is as good as it claims to be. Any thoughts from people who have or do feed their dog BLUE??
I feed him the Blue Adult Life Protection Formula – Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe.
admin answers:
If you mean the blue stuff in the shiny foil bag with the wolf on the front , yes its very good……But oh my god its expensive.
Try some taste of the wild, its just as good if not better and costs a lot less.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Sensitive Stomachs
Ken asks…
Precautions when switching my dog to a raw food diet?
I’m thinking of trying a raw food diet for my dog for the first time. I understand that dogs are much more resistant than humans when it comes to parasites and bacteria which may be in the raw meat. What are some precautions that I can take? I heard soaking the meet in apple cider vinegar for a bit will take care of any parasites, etc. Thanks.
admin answers:
You don’t have to soak it in anything. I just wash the dog and cats meat like I do mine. Run it under cold water for a few seconds. After they are done eating you can wipe up their area with 50%white vinegar and 50% water. My dog with a sensitive stomach has never had a problem with bacteria. We tested apple cider vinegar for riding of ecoli bacteria in my biology lab and it did very poorly and if you were to use apple cider vinegar you want it to be raw and organic.
EDIT: Vets hardly know anything about dogs diets and raw chicken, pork, beef, fish, bison, lamp, goat etc can be fed with no problem. The bones clean the teeth without brushing. Their is no risk with raw unless you don’t feed it correctly.
Betty asks…
Why has my 6 month old boxer puppy stopped eating hard food?
She will still eat moist dog treats, chicken, and cheese, but not her regular food. Also, she has diarrhea, but that might be from not eating the right foods. Any ideas?
admin answers:
Having 2 boxers and raising two litters, I can tell you that an occasional treat is fine but they have very sensitive stomachs and then gas; I would stick to one type of food and leave all treats alone for awhile; I feed mine Newman’s Own Organic dog food; diarrhea is probably from the treats and not regular foods; all dogs will get an upset tummy from time to time but with boxers you have to watch what you give them; food changes need to be done slowly and your dog is the best indicator of something not right; water is up to the dog as to how much and is not detrimental in any way ; water doesn’t cause diarrhea ; diarrhea is a loss of fluids so they need the water to compensate; boxers are a great dog with a fussy tummy and prone to gas and upset so watch what you feed. Good luck and enjoy puppy, socialize and train; they love to learn tricks and learn quickly; they love to run and explore and of course be a part of the family daily.
If you feed table scraps , they are smart to know that dog food isn’t as good and will not eat the dog food to get the good stuff; they are smart smart smart. – can’t blame them for trying
Richard asks…
What do you feed your Jack Russell Terrier?
I have an amazing jack russell, he is almost 10 years old and we rescued him when he was 2. We buy his dry food from whole foods (it has a lot of vegetables and organic grains) which he absolutely loves. Now, wet food is another story. I have tried a few brands but his stomach is very sensitive and the past couple nights he has been throwing it all right back up!
He just had a check up so I know there is nothing wrong with him, I just want to know what other owners feed their Jacks and find out if there is maybe a gentle senior brand of wet food we can give him. thanks!
wow these answers are very helpful, so jacks really don’t need wet food? maybe i will make him chicken and rice (very bland) but he loves chicken, and that would be easy on the stomach. thanks
admin answers:
I feed my Jacks Eagle Pak Holistic dry kibble. They also get a dollop of canned Pumpkin, not the kind used to make pies, and to the on on a diet I use green beans as a filler. I add just enough hot water to stir in the green beans and pumpkin. I feed twice a day. My Jacks also get vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. I play Flyball with my Jacks and they are in excellent physical condition.
My opinion would be feed the dry kibble until they can no longer eat the dry. It is good for their teeth as well as helps them eat slower if they are a dog that devours their food.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food
Maria asks…
What is the healthiest and most cost effective dog food on the market today?
I have a Labrador Retriever. He is going on 10 years old now and I want to make sure I am feeding him the best I can. He means a lot to me, and I want to make sure he remains healthy and keep him with me for at least another 10 years if that is remotely possible. Currently he seems healthy and isn’t over weight. Is organic dog food worth the extra cost? What about human grade dog food?
admin answers:
Cost should not be a factor when it comes to your pets nutrition.
Natural, raw, or holistic dog foods are best.
Here are a few suggestions I think you should try:
Timberwolf Organics
Merrick
Solid Gold
Taste of the Wild
Artemis
Innova Evo
Wellness
*** Do not feed your dog Science Diet… It is no better than bottom of the shelf generic brand dog food. Do some research on canine nutrition, and learn how to read the labels. Read the ingredients… Should not contain corn (non-nutritional “filler”) or by-products (low quality proteins… Beaks, feathers, etc).
Carol asks…
What kind of Innova dog food should I use for a dog with a tumor?
He is on nd Prescription now, but he has started to bite his paws. I think it’s from this food. I want to switch to an organic dog food. What type do you suggest?
admin answers:
I would ask your veterinarian before you switch to anything because the N/D is a diet formulated for dogs with cancer and since it is a prescription you really need to ask first. I think that Science Diet is the only company that currently manufactures a diet designed for dogs with cancer, but I am not positive.
I have heard of a study where the dog with cancer was put on high level of fish oils and it helped some, but there have been no definitive tests saying that it helped.
Joseph asks…
How much dog food should a Border Collie eat?
My Border Collie is 11 months old and a bit small for her size due to being mistreated by the person she was rescued from. She does not eat very much at all. I give her one cup of high quality dry food (Purina Pro Plan Selects for puppy) with a small scoop of wet food (Newman’s Own Organic dog food) every night and she usually only eats a small portion of it. She weighs 30lbs. How much SHOULD she be eating?
admin answers:
First of all, don’t ever go by the guidelines on a dog food bag. Those are meant to sell dog food. Most of them are way over what a dog should eat to be a healthy weight. I have had BCs for 21 years. I stop feeding straight puppy food at about 16 weeks of age to keep the puppy’s growth rate slow and steady. You may want to consider giving her half adult/half puppy for the dry. I feed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. She may not be able to eat all of what you are giving her at one time. It’s better for them to eat more than just once a day. Two of my adult males and my adult female (18″ tall, 30 lbs.) eat 2/3 cup with a T. Of canned 2x a day. My other adult male eats 1 cup in the AM and 1/2 cup in the PM with canned. They are all very active and maintain a healthy weight very easily. I feed Prairie Nature’s Variety dry kibble, Merrick and Eagle canned. I hope this helps!
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Delivery
David asks…
What is the best premium/organic dog food out there? I’ve been told Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold or Canidae!!
I recently brought home our new puppy who came with a supply of Pro Pac. I am switching the food because of the corn and other unsatisfactory ingredients. I would like to get the most nutritious food along with one that will leave his stools firm and less of them. Wellness has A LOT of veggies…is this really normal for a dogs diet? I was liking the Solid Gold ingredients but then came across Innova’s ingredients and also Wellness and Canidae’s. One brand will seem perfect and then when I read another’s ingredient’s and then that one seems better. I am looking for other’s who have experience with one of these 4 brands (or another I haven’t come across. How is it working and how are they stools? 🙂
admin answers:
Consider Canidae dry dog food, all life stages…….this is an ALL NATURAL, HUMAN GRADE INGREDIENTS, NO FILLERS OR BY-PRODUCTS, no corn or wheat, no beet pulp or SALT, no foreign ingredients, all USA ingredients, and it has vitamins & enzymes that are good for dogs !! This food is made in the USA, in their OWN plant, and has a money-back guaranteee, if you are unhappy, for ANY reason !!….MANY BREEDERS RECOMMEND CANIDAE, and MANY Yahoo answer people have used Canidae for YEARS, with much SUCCESS AND SATISFACTION !!…..i RESEARCHED THE HECK out of dry dog foods, after all the recalls started, and I CONCLUDED THAT CANIDAE, DRY DOG FOOD, ALL LIFE STAGES, IS ONE OF THE BEST DRY DOG FOODS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE, AND IT IS REASONABLY PRICED, AND VERY AFFORDABLE !!!….check their Web site, Canidae.com for more information, and a list of dealers near you, by Zip code !! Canidae is rated 5 stars out of a possible 6 stars on one survey, and rated 112 points, or an A+, out of a possible 100 points, on another dry dog food survey !!…i switched my 2 dogs, and my daughter in law switched her 3 dogs to Canidae, and we are both happy, as are the 5 dogs !!….my JRTerrier loves CANIDAE, and eats HALF as much, as his previous dog food, and leaves me HALF AS MUCH RESIDUE, on the grass !!!…i pay $ 34 for a 40lb bag, here in TX, & get free delivery also, from Metropetservices.com !!…if i can be of further help to you, email me !!
Helen asks…
what is the best Organic/Natural dry dog food for small breed dogs??
admin answers:
Consider Canidae Dry Dog food, all life stages…..this is an ALL NATURAL, ALL HUMAN GRADE INGREDIENTS, NO BY-PRODUCTS, NO FILLERS OR CORN OR WHEAT, NO CHEMICALS, NO BEET PULP OR SALT, ALL USA INGREDIENTS, and it has lots of vitamins and enzymes that are good for dogs !!!…….they make this food in THEIR OWN PLANT IN THE USA, and have a money back guarantee, if you are unhappy, for ANY reason !!……MANY BREEDERS RECOMMEND CANIDAE, and many Yahoo answer people HAVE USED CANIDAE WITH MUCH SUCCESS AND SATISFACTION, FOR MANY YEARS !!!!…..go to Canidae.com, for more information and dog owner’s testimonials, and a list of dealers, by Zip code….after MAJOR RESEARCH after all the recalls started, I CONCLUDE THAT CANIDAE DRY DOG FOOD, ALL LIFE STAGES, IS THE BEST DRY DOG FOOD AVAILABLE, ANYWHERE, AND IS AFFORDABLE FOR ALL DOG OWNERS !!!!…..my JRTerrier loves Canidae, and eats HALF as much as his previous dog food, and leaves me HALF as much.residue !!……try Canidae dry food, all life stages, and i believe you and your dog will be happy with it !!…….if you have any other questions about Canidae or my research, email me !!….PS..here in TX, i pay $ 34 for a 40 lb bag, including free delivery, from Metropetservices.com
Steven asks…
Has anyone used Nutri Source dog food and did you like it?
admin answers:
I have never used NutriSource. It looks like a decent food but I can’t find an ingredient list anywhere.
There are several things you need to be aware of when purchasing dog food:
1. There are different levels of quality when it comes to dog food. For example, Ol’ Roy is about on par with McDonalds, Eukanuba with Chilis, and Flint River or Life’s Abundance with just growing food yourself and cooking it.
2. There is “Low grade,” (Ol’ Roy or any other brand found in Wal Mart), “Premium,” (Eukanuba or any other brand only found in pet stores), “Super Premium,” “Holistic,” and “Organic,” which are usually found in speciality stores or by direct delivery.
3. Many times when a dog food company has many different “formulas” it is only to take up shelf space. Walk into any petstore and Science Diet takes up more space than any other brand because they have more formulas. While not every dog has the same nutritional needs, dogs don’t really need specific formulas for different things. The most important is that it is made with good quality ingredients (which, in my opinion, Science Diet is not.)
4. The ingredient list is more important than the “Guaranteed Analysis.” A food that lists 44% Protien and Corn Meal as it’s main ingredient will not be digestible to dogs. They will actually end up defacating most of the protien because corn is undigestible to dogs. It won’t hurt to feed them corn (unless they are skin allergic, which is common), but it won’t help either and shouldn’t be used as the main source of protien.
5. Ignore the foods whose claim to fame is that they “never use hooves, hair, or intestines.” While many people think this is a plus, it’s not. While most excellent dog foods (holistic or organic) DON’T use these parts, it’s NOT their main selling point, either. In the wild, dogs eat everything. Hair, hooves, intestines, etc. (Ever given a dog a $2 cow hoof from a Petstore? They go NUTS!) The question is not with the inclusion of those ingredients, but their quality. Most of the time, animals sit out and rot for days before they are skinned, and the only the diseased animals not good for human consumption are used in dog food. Some foods still use these ingredients but they are “human grade,” that is, they are not rotten, not cleaned with bleach, etc. So just be careful of buying a food JUST because they don’t use these ingredients, but also be wary of foods that do. (Also be aware that foods who use those ingredients can count them towards weight, so “Beef meal” listed first might be mostly hooves and hair, which is bad.)
6. “Chicken” listed as the first ingredient is actually bad. This is because pure chicken is like 70% water and gets to be first on the ingredient list because it’s so heavy. You want something like “Chicken meal,” which is pure chicken with the water removed. If that’s first, you know that chicken is really the main ingredient.
7. Wheat, corn, and soy are all generally bad for dogs and can cause allergies. It won’t kill them, but should not be a part of their daily food regimine.
8. Most dog foods (even Premium ones like Eukanuba) are preserved with a chemical called BHT, which increases shelf life to like 2 years and is also a known carcinogen (it causes cancer in dogs). Look for a dog food that is preserved with Vitamin E (“Tocopherol”). The shelf life will be much shorter (less than 6 months), but you won’t be essentially feeding your dog cancer, either.
I use Life’s Abundance and my dogs love it. I know someone who uses the Sam’s brand and his dog loves it. Don’t go on taste to determine quality. (What kid would refuse icecream for broccoli?) Cheap dog food is essentially a treat; it’s mainly just preservatives, fat, corn, wheat, and flavoring. If you had a choice, would you feed your kids fruit juice fortified with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup, or pure juice straight from the tree? It’s a no brainer. Leave the treats for training and fun and feed your dog a quality food.
(PS Don’t listen to the uneducated who say, “WHY WOULD YOU RESEARCH THIS?! LET THE EXPERTS TELL YOU WHAT TO FEED YOUR DOGS!!” Any good pet owner will research things for themselves, and just because someone has been a breeder for 20 years doesn’t make them intelligent. Actually, the fact that they’ve been a breeder for 20 years and have never looked into this makes them rather unintelligent in my book. Good luck!)
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Petsmart
Helen asks…
I’m looking for a healthy a healthy dry food for my dog?
I have a Chihuahua and I’m concerned about the typical dog foods available on the market that I’ve been feeding to him. I want to give him a dry food that is healthy, doesn’t have tons of ingredients(not to mention things I can’t pronounce), no preservatives, and perhaps something organic. Not to mention a food that has small pieces for my little dog. Does Petco, Petsmart, Wal-Mart or Stop and Shop have anything that you would recommend?
admin answers:
At Petsmart, Authority is rated high on consumer reports.
There is nothing at WalMart or the grocers that is worth feeding, and that includes Science Diet.
Betty asks…
What is the best organic dog food?
I currently feed my dogs Sceince diet sensitive skin, but have been thinking about changing to an orgainc food. Which is the best brand?
Thanks for the great info. I have tried Blue Buffalo sweet potato and white fish, but my boxer hates the little black bits and quit eating it all together. I have been feeding sceince diet for about three years now and it did help with the food allergy, but they tend to have loose stools sometimes and it gives one of them bad breath.
admin answers:
You don’t need organic, you just need a high quality food. Science Diet is crap.
Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.
Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.
Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.
Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.
Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.
Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material and higher quality ingredients means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!
Seriously on a budget? Two of the most affordable of the higher quality foods would be Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and Canidae All Life Stages.
Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by… You guessed it, the crappy pet food companies! They also often get kickbacks from the companies for pushing these products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)
A great option is to go with an entirely grain-free diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grain-free formulas. Some good grain-free diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now!, GO Natural Grain Free, Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Ziwipeak, and Taste of the Wild.
Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain-free diet, Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic Select, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo.
If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality dog food brands have websites with store locators on them that will help you find the store closest to you which supplies their products. Simply type the dog food brand’s name into Google, go to their website, and type your zip code into their store locator.
Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/
Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing the new slowly in with the old over the period of about week or so), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies. For example:
Days 1 & 2: 75% old food, 25% new food
Days 3 & 4: 50% old food, 50% new food
Days 5 & 6: 25% old food, 75% new food
Day 7: 0% old food, 100% new food
Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.rawfed.com/ (RawFed)
http://www.rawlearning.com/ (Jane Anderson’s Raw Learning Site)
http://rawfeddogs.net/ (Raw Fed Dogs)
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ (Raw Meaty Bones)
http://rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html (Raw Prey Model Diet Vs. BARF Diet)
http://community.livejournal.com/rawdogs/profile/ (Raw Dogs Livejournal Community, excellent raw feeding information on the profile page and overall helpful community for raw feeding questions)
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html (Myths About Raw Feeding)
Also remember that freefeeding (leaving food down) is the fast lane to canine obesity. Make sure to have scheduled feeding times loosely based on the feeding guidelines on your dog’s food. Adult dogs are typically fed two meals a day.
More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)
Edit: LOL Salt&Pepper. That’s a good one. Yup, a food made up primarily of corn is /totally/ equal to a food made up primarily of meat proteins. Thanks for the laugh!
Darksong~
Maria asks…
Can anyone recommend a healthy dog food?
My dog is now 10 years old and at this point I have only just realised the crap I have been feeding him: Sainsbury’s complete. After a bit of research I found that this dog food includes animal derivatives, cereal and all kinds of other crap and I am now looking to change that and feed him a more expensive, healthy dog food.
Any recommendations?
Btw, he is a lhasa apso, shih tzu and poodle cross.
admin answers:
Here are some examples of other good dog foods:
* Artemis Fresh Mix
* Blue buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm Four Star
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature’s Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
I fed my dogs Blue buffalo, and they loved it, they were always happy!
So i recommend you feed your Dog blue buffalo!
List of BAD dog foods:
-Beneful
-Pedigree
-Iams
-Eukanuba
-Royal Canin
-Science Diet
-Kibbles ‘n Bits
-Dog Chow
– Ol roy
BAD dog food is sold in chain stores so be careful
GOOD dog food you can buy online or at petsmart or petco etc..
Good luck!
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Grain Free
Mandy asks…
What is the best dog food brand and why?
What would you think the best dog food is for your dog and mine. I have Basset hounds.
admin answers:
Scoring Your Dog Food
*Please note that the following is for entertainment purposes only and has not been researched by DAN and may not be a “true” grading of food. If you have any questions regarding the food you are feeding your dog consult your veternarian.
This is a very interesting way to check out the quality of the dog food that you are feeding. It’s interesting, because sometimes paying more, does not get you more and vice versa.
The scores are rather interesting.
How to grade your dog’s food: (Some brand reviews already calculated here)
Start with a grade of 100:
1.For every listing of “by-product”, subtract 10 points
2.For every non-specific animal source (“meat” or “poultry”, meat, meal
or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3.If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4.For every grain “mill run” or non-specific grain source, subtract 5
points
5.If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
ingredients (i.e. “ground brown rice”, “brewer rice”, “rice flour” are all
the same grain), subtract 5 points
6.If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2
meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7.If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8.If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9.If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10.If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2
points
11.If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic
to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12.If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13.If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to
wheat), subtract 2 points
14.If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to
beef), subtract 1 point
15.If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1.If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2.If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points
3.If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4.If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5.If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6.If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points
7.If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points
8.If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9.If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10.If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11.If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12.For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count “chicken” and “chicken meal” as only one protein
source, but “chicken” and “” as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13.If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14.If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point
94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D 69 = F
Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don’t see your dog’s food here, ask and someone will score it for you.
Brand Dog Food scores:
•Authority Harvest Baked: 116 A+
•Bil-Jac Select: 68 F
•Canidae: 112 A+
•Chicken Soup Senior: 115 A+
•Diamond Maintenance: 64 F
•Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice: 92 B
•Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula: 99 A
•Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Ultra Premium: 122 A+
•Dick Van Patten’s Duck and Potato: 106 A+
•Foundations: 106 A+
•Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold: 93 D
•Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium: 73 D
•Innova Dog: 114 A+
•Innova Evo: 114 A+
•Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables: 110 A+
•Nutrisource Lamb and Rice: 87 B
•Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy: 87 B
•Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice: 23 F
•ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley: 103 A+
•Purina Beneful: 17 F
•Purina Dog: 62 F
•Purina Come-n-Get It: 16 F
•Royal Canin Bulldog: 100 A+
•Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult: 106 A+
•Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice: 97 A
•Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+: 63 F
•Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies: 69 F
•Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken: 110 A+
•Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold: 97 A
Linda asks…
whats a grain free dog kibble that comes in big bags?
found out that taste of the wild has ethoxyquin in it and dangerous soo im concidering switching to another grain free food… I have a few listed in my area are:
petcurean, and orijen, but is there anyothers?
fromm, evo, merrick, timberwolf, horizon, and natures variety is not in our area.
admin answers:
Any dog food with FIsh..herring…salmon…ocean…with meal after it has Ethoxyquin in it.!! IF people telll you different then they are misinformed. FRESH FISH is Ethoxyquin free.
I use TOTW as well. NO dog food is perfect so we have to do what we can to get the best food out there for them.. IF you have the time and money cooking your dog frresh human balanced diet organic meals is the best way to go . I dont know everything of course but i have researched Ethoxyquin in depth. And all fish that is shipped to the US has ETHO in it. IF you can find a grain free dog food with only fresh US fish in it will you please email me and let me know ?
YES Orijen has Etho in it (the same amout of TOTW) I called both companies !! They both said they do not use Etho but the suppliers they get the fish from do ..which is true in most if not all cases of dog food. (except dod food containin FRESH USA FISH)
Sandra asks…
Is feeding a cat Dog food bat for it?
Sometimes when i run out of cat food I just give my cat some dog food. Is it bad for the cat?
Thanks in advance.
admin answers:
It won’t hurt it short term, but long term will cause blindness and heart failure due to lack of vitimins that cats need in thier food that dog food does not have.
Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cat.
Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be “healthy” really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. I’m not saying that a cat can’t live off them… Just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is “best” for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases.
Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate.
All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.
So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.
Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.
Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.
It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. It’s an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into people’s heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have flat “chewing” teeth. Their molars are not for grinding food. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. You may see them “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece of food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone to chew on. :o)
I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare. It’s something you might want to consider someday. Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!
If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.catinfo.org/ , http://www.catnutrition.org/ , and http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/ .
If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it!
Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1507&-session=naturesvariety:D04EC9250597c11908GJS417647E.
If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of manufactured Pet Foods:
-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.
-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!
-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster & Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.
With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.
The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁
So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next.
Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy wet foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap.
You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com
If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores.
I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a healthy food!
********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Reviews
Donald asks…
Which dog food would be best for my Yorkshire Terrier?
I will be picking up my Yorkie puppy in a few days. The breeder is feeding him Eukanuba, I have been researching different types of dog food. I went to petsmart and checked out different brands. I went home and found Blue Buffalo would be the best as far as quality. Should I feed my puppy Blue Buffalo? Or is there others that anyone can recommend?
admin answers:
Go with a high-quality puppy or all-life-stages food.
Eukanuba is crap.
Blue Buffalo is a good choice.
Other good foods from Petsmart/Petco:
* Natural Balance
* Castor & Pollux
* Solid Gold
Some of my favorites from non-chain-stores are:
* Merrick Puppy Plate
* Wellness Just for Puppy
* Innova Puppy
* Canidae All-life-states
* Artemis Fresh-Mix Small breed puppy
* Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover’s Soul
Below the double line is my general advice on choosing dog foods.
=== === ===
Read the ingredients before you buy.
Here is my “short list” of rules when I am looking at dog food ingredients:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don’t want to see any byproducts.
4) I don’t want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don’t want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don’t want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don’t want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don’t want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as “meat” or “poultry”.)
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients
—
There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn’t mean it will jive the best for your dog.
What you want to find is the HIGH-QUALITY food that *your dog* does best on.
Here are some examples of GOOD dog foods:
* Artemis
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature’s Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods. Http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(For puppies, I recommend staying in the 4 & 5 star foods, so you don’t get to high of a protein level.)
—
Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
—
What *NOT* to buy:
Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)
Beware “premium” foods. “Premium” does not always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Bil-Jac, Royal Canin, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that’s why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don’t focus a lot on nutrition. It’s not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told “this is good food”, so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it’s good as well.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. “Hill’s scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine” (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )
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“Big box” petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells “Solid Gold” and “Natural Balance” brands and Petsmart sells “Blue Buffallo”, which are all higher quality foods, but most of the foods aren’t.)
Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren’t good places to buy food either.
Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
– small, locally owned petstores
– dog boutiques
– farm supply stores
—
When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.
Sandra asks…
What kind of puppy food do you give your puppy?
My vet was no help…..has anyone used Bil Jac dog food before, some reviews says it’s great others not so good…thanks in advance.
admin answers:
I would not use Bil-Jac. It containes by products and preservatives and corn, all of which are bad for your dog. In addition to the corn, other fillers include beet pulp.
I personally like using Taste of the Wild for both my pups and adults. The only difference is you feed pups more and adults less.
Other brands to check out — Timberwolf Organics, Solid Gold, Canidae Grain Free, Orijen, Innova EVO, Wellness Core
Many of the good brands of dog food are what is known as “ALS”… All Life Stages. Puppies eat much more than adults to compensate for all the energy they are using in growth and development, so we feed them more of these. Adult dogs get less, as do Senior dogs that are going inactive.
@Mama Tex: Yeah that makes perfect sense… Lets all feed our puppies crap while at the stage in life where nutrition is more important than it ever will be, and then think about a decent diet when they are older and done growing. As I said, makes perfect sense! [/sarcasm]
Ruth asks…
Whats is the best dog food for French Bulldogs?
We currently feed him Blue Buffalo, what is the best dog food? Even if it is very expensive.
admin answers:
There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn’t mean it will jive the best for your dog.
What you want to find is the HIGH-QUALITY food that *your dog* does best on.
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Here is how to choose GOOD, HIGH-QUALITY dog food:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don’t want to see any byproducts.
4) I don’t want to see a lot of fillers (brewers rice, beet pulp, etc).
5) I don’t want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don’t want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don’t want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don’t want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as “meat” or “poultry”.)
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients
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Here are some examples of high-quality foods:
* Artemis
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature’s Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods, 3 or less stars I would stay away from. Http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
—
What **NOT** to buy:
Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, etc.)
Beware “premium” foods. “Premium” does not always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Bil-Jac, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that’s why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don’t focus a lot on nutrition. It’s not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told “this is good food”, so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it’s good as well.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. “Hill’s scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine” (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )
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When switching foods, do it gradually so your dog doesn’t get diarrhea. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Brands
James asks…
What are some brands of dog food that do not contain animal by-products?
I am looking to switch dog foods (yes, I know to introduce it gradually) since I found out that when “by-product” is listed it could include ground up organs/bones and even euthanized animals, like cats and dogs. Do you know any brands of dog food with out any by-products that I can buy in a store (not order off the web)? I know Authority is one, but if anyone could provide different brands, it would be appreciated so that I can look over each one and choose. I’ve also checked a lot of websites, but I can’t seem to find a good list. If you know of any sites, feel free to paste a link.
Those of you that want to criticize my choice to buy food without by-products, please save your breath…or fingers in this case.
admin answers:
There are many many many premium dog food choices out there, it would drive one crazy.
Canidae is a good all-life stages food that is fairly cheap if you shop right.
Merrick is also all-life stages, but is more on the pricey side
Wellness also all-life stages
Innova
DVP’s Natural Balance
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul
Artemis
Timberwolf Organics (might have to look online, not sure where you are located)
Castor & Pollux
Blue Buffalo (sold only at PetsMart)
Nutro (but often contains wheat and corn and soy and should be avoided)
Here’s a key–avoid corn, wheat, soy, by-products (so you know), any animal source that is not specific (animal fat…animal digest) because it can come from any animal whose quality and origin is unknown (euth’d shelter animals, horses, goats, geese…)
And kudos to you for looking out for your dog’s health! The skin and coat will thank you!!
Jenny asks…
What are some good dog food brands?
I was just reading about how Purina, Iams, and several other well-known brands are not good dog foods. What are some good, healthy dog foods?
admin answers:
Here are a few that are good: Solid Gold, Wellness, Canidae, Timberwolf Organics, Innova, and Artemis Fresh Mix, there are several more but these are really good foods. They may be a bit pricey initially but they come out cheaper because you feed less. These are 100% human grade dog food with NO corn, wheat, soy, grain fractions, fillers or by products – and naturally preserved.
Http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/brand…
The link I have provided sells dog food online but you can also look up the ingredients (on this site) to any of the ones I have listed plus any other dog foods you may be interested in, they have many brands listed.
The best thing you can do is research the different brands. Meat should be the first ingredient and the foods should NOT contain corn, wheat, soy, beef or by-products and it should also be made from human grade ingredients.
George asks…
What is in the dog food that makes my dog scratch so much?
I was told that my dog may be alergic to certain dog food. She does not have fleas and still scratches alot, I’m trying different brands of food to see which one will help. Anyone have any ideas what I could do or what type of shampoo to use or not use?
admin answers:
Your dog could have been biten from a different kind of insect like a mosquito. Your dog might have dry skin which is really quite nasty. If she/he does you should use special flaky skin shampoo for dogs or organic shampoo for dogs. Aloe vera rubbed into the skin is not a good thing to do( most people say it does) but it just makes matters worse. Your dog may be lactose intolerent aswell. Make sure you check with your vet. You could also give your dog one sardine per meal. The oil in the sardines help your dogs coat to become shiny and healthy looking. Plus the Omega 3 in the sardines are great for your dog.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Recipes
Carol asks…
How do I keep my dog out of the trash can?
Short of putting my trash in the pantry ( only place I have to put it away) I cannot seem to keep my rat terrier out of the trash unless we are physically at home. I know she just misses us and above that, does not seem to like her dog food, but something has got to give… and it will not be me
admin answers:
It’s not the dog, it’s you. Someone has to be smarter! Get a trash can with a locking lid on it,or put it where you have to open a door to get to it.
Try feeding her some Nature’s Recipe organic food, your probably feeding her some commercial dog food that she doesn’t like, why don’t you try eating it yourself!
Chris asks…
Can anybody tell me a recipe for raw dog food?
I don’t want a website, I have already looked at all of them. I want to know if anybody can tell me how much of each thing to put in the food.
Eg.
1 cup raw chicken
2 cups vegetables
and so on.
If anybody could help me that would be great, but I’m thinking of mixing it with kibble, so if anybody can tell me how much of kibble and how much raw would be awesome!
Thanks
admin answers:
75% – 6 ounces (3/4 cup) coarse-ground or chopped meat, raw or cooked. A variety of meats, poultry and fish (organic is better) should be rotated: Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Turkey, Rabbit, Venison and their organ meats. Salmon (no skin) Sardines, Smelt and other whole fish. Ground meat mixes better with the vegetables. Chopped meat is also excellent.
25% – 2 ounces (1/4 cup) ground, mixed vegetables, raw or cooked. Any and all of the following vegetables can be used. The more veggies you combine in one meal the better. Feed what’s in season. Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Green Beans, Greens (at least one of the following per day: Dandelion, Kale, Swiss Chard, Parsley), Kohlrabi, Okra, Parsnips, Peas, Pumpkin, Sprouts, (Alfalfa, Bean, Sunflower), Squash (Winter and Summer), Sweet Potatoes, Yams, Turnips, Rutabagas.
Optional Ingredients: Whole eggs (including shell) Alfalfa, Kelp, Barley or Wheat Grass, Garlic, Chlorella, Spirulina, Apples, Pears, Bananas, Parsley, Nettles, Walnuts, Almonds, Sunflower seeds. 2 ounces (1/4 cup) purified water (especially if you are going to freeze.
Daniel asks…
Benefits/ problems related to home made dog foods?
After doing my research, I’ve learned that its fairly healthy to feed dogs homemade dog foods. The stuff that goes into dog food is sick!
However… I need to try and convince my mother to let me make the food, and prove to her why it will be healthier for our Cockapoo.
But, now I’m wondering. Is it really healthier for them? What are problems with feeding home made dog foods? Are there any benefits?
I could buy a quality dog food; but my mom refuses to spend the money. Our dog has been living on Purina and Beneful for 9 years, and she claims shes not dead/ sick. While she does have some minor issues I’ve been concerned about (will give them in More Details) I’m not sure if they’re food related.
Please help me out and give me as much information AND sources as to why I should (or shouldn’t) make my own dog food.
Thank you!
My dog has some breathing problems occassionally; especially when shes on a leash. She makes sounds like she is choking and breathes very strangely.
She also has small bumps on her skin that about less than a centimeter in width and about the same/ a little bit more in their height. The bumps are the same color as her skin if not a bit pinker.
Her energy level is also very poor. She never plays and sleeps all day, even though I take her for a walk almost every morning.
Is it alright to feed them canned peas and canned tuna?
admin answers:
Most of the people on this site DON’T want to know about facts like you do because I guess to them ignorance is bliss, your concern for your pet is refreashing to see for a change. Tell your Mom I said she has reason to be very proud of you, most kids just don’t care about anything but themselves these days.
I can help you quite abit and get you going in the right direction. We have been home cooking our pet food now for about 3-4 months and within just the first 2 weeks the results were dramatic, and that’s putting it mildly, far more than I ever expected. We fed “premium” pet foods which are also garbage, they all are. My GF just showed me plastic parts in one brand and hair in a brand called Innova. (dog or cat hair?, we have the pics)
We have my Mom doing the home cooking now for 2 abused small dogs she is caring for along with us. They only have been on the home cooked diets for 3 weeks and are doing fantastic now, no more fear now that the one is going to loose his eye site anymore because his eyes are crystal clear again and the injured eye is so much better. (we also medicated his injured eye w/ anti biotic). His bloated body is also quickly returning to normal shape.
The first thing you need to do is check out this site, he’s a vet, PHD, writer, and studied nutrition as well, this mans book is saving our dogs lives no doubt about that and the other 2s.
Http://www.drpitcairn.com , read the nutrition page definiatly.
As far as is it hard to do, no, my girlfriend enjoys making up the food, freezes about a weeks worth and we feed twice a day (once daily feeding causes bloat). The neglected dogs are getting fed 3 times a day as one is very under weight, we worked him up to it gradually. It’s sad, he refused all commercial foods prior and was starving to death, the first night I brought him the real food he goobled it like he’d never eaten before. Now he cries before feeding like to say “don’t forget me”.
Tell your Mom uncooked oatmeal is not expensive.(ingredient in one recipe) Ground turkey or chicken, nutritional yeast, kelp, a few select vitamins , organic eggs, whole organic milk, wheat bread, small amount of garlic, calcium/ phosphous (balanced amounts), a few other minor ingredients, they make a doggy meatloaf,lol and they really love it. The best part, it’s nutritionally balanced, your pet will start getting healthier and less vet bills in the future. There are other meals to make in the book also.
Tell your Mom you can’t SEE liver or kidney damage that is happening in a pet till it’s to late, your dog is way to young to be that lethargic (tired). This book also has natural flea remedies and I’ll give you 2 links about the dangers of Frontline etc…(listed on sources below).
I told my GF, your gonna give them diarreah when you make them their own food before we got the book, what a FOOL I was and addmit that now. I told her get it if you want (she would have anyways,lol), it was the best $$ we ever spent. No diarreah in 4 months, actually they go less, totally normal, and drink less water. Our 11 year old Yorkie is like a puppy again now playing a lot more and much more energetic, he no longer looks old anymore either.
I saw you have an email listed, (if you didn’t I was going to give you mine), tell your Mom if she won’t get you this book, I will, I’m not rich by any means but if she won’t help you save your dog we will. This book will tell you all you need to know about your pet, how to cook for it, dangers to it, conditions and how to treat, etc…
I’ve had to euthanize 2 of my little guys in the past two years over kidney/ liver problems, I have no doubt if we had this book 12 years ago we’d still have them now, it’s something you never want to go thru. Our 3rd died in surgery 3 years ago. Eventuually when you do loose your pet, at least you’ll have peace of mind knowing you tried your absolute best to give it a happy and HEALTHY life. You can tell your Mom we have spent $6,500.00 in the last 3 years on our vet costs, that should make her feel better about buting you this book so you’ll know from reading it how to truly take care of him/her the best you can.
My name on the email that will show up is “Jim D”, like I said, tell your Mom I’ll get you the book if she won’t. If I can help just one more pet not suffer from commercial pet food that will be well worth what it may cost me. Good Luck. You can write me back and I’ll have my GF answer any questions you have, she’s researched 4 months steady now and is up on a lot of what’s really going on.
One more benefit to the book, you’ll be able to educate other people as well about helping their pets, it’s a great feeling to help when someone wants to know the truth about whats really going into pet foods etc… . And no more worries when the recalls of the pet food garbage crop up again, it’s allready starting again w/ one brand.
Edit: I missed the part earlier about the tuna, NO, it’s heavily laden w/ mercury.
Edit: The first post has very good points but the book tells you how much of each etc… Also, as for running that by your vet, most vets do not take nutritional classes and if they do it is usually an IAMS or some other pet food rep. Giving them the info, WRONG info I might add.
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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Coupons
Susan asks…
environmentally safe or green healthcare products?
I’m looking into getting more environmentally safe products such as laundry detergent, dishwashing liquids, soaps, lotions, auromatherapies, and even maybe stuff like toothpastes for my personal use. I’m wondering those types are still reliable to the stuff I can just buy at the local drugstore if so which ones? and some key benefits that you’ve recieved from buying those kinds of products. if you have a good site feel free to send it in the answer, which will help me in my buying decisions……
-thanks
admin answers:
I like “Seventh Generation” for most of the products that I buy. There is also “Earth Friendly” and “biokleen” that I have found to be really effective for household cleaning products.
As to personal care products, there are lots to make choice of. “Dr. Bronner’s” is one that has been around for many years and is a high quality totally safe product for personal body soap. Their line of body lotions – I am not too crazy about, but others seem to like them that are marketed under the name of “Dr. Bronner’s & Sun Dog’s Magic Lotion”. There is also “Avalon Organics” and Nature’s Gate” that have a line of personal care products that are totally environmentally conscience.
Almost forgot, “Mrs. Meyer’s” has household and personal care products that have been around for years as well
I buy all of them at the local Kroger store. Have also seen them at the health food stores (which tend to have higher prices). You will find that they cost more than the ‘regular’ products. I have taken to writing to the companies about that and actually have gotten some coupons from “Seventh Generation” when I did that – so something that you might want to consider doing and see what happenes when you write.
Benefits? Well, the products are not animal tested. They are natural made and have little to no effect upon the environment. While having both of those pluses, they also actually work.
If you can’t find them in your area, you can buy all of them online at a place like “Amazon” even. I will see what I can find on the products themselves and put any of their websites listed from the products below in the “source” section for you to check out.
Ken asks…
how can i help my cats infected leg?
My cats leg is infected and there is puss coming out of it and i cant get him to the vet until tomorrow
i was wondering if there was any thing i could do to make if feel better and clean it out. I think a dog bit him but there was not blood or any thing like that he is just limping around
admin answers:
When my cats have infections, and if it has reached the point of pus coming out of it, I press the area to drain the pus (using clean rags or paper towels). I wipe off that area with a wet (almost hot) cloth. I do not give him/her commercial cat food (as it feeds infections), but give him a high protein diet of fish/chicken, maybe a little pasta/rice, and a little vegetable [though straight fish is good for a food days]… And, I always add pure (nothing added) cranberry juice to the fish. [Tuna and Salmon mix best with Cranberry Juice, flavorwise.] From then on, the cat pretty much keeps it clean (licking)… And the holes heal quickly, even if he/she scratches it. I do not take my cats to a vet for an abscess (infection), but do what you think is best. [Homecooking for my cats is the general rule here.]
Also, if my cat (with an abscess, limp feels like walking, etc., I let him/her… I feel a cat knows whether the can walk in that condition or not. Too, I make sure he/she has clean water at all times, and prefer to give hi/her Spring or Distilled water.
Hope this is of some help.
Oh, BTW, Cranberry Juice is excellent for infections, fevers and a lot of other things. It can be found at health food stores and, usually, in natural/organic sections of grocery stores. It’s about $7 to $9 per 32 oz. Bottle. Stores well. (Keep it in the fridge.) I use about a capful per oz. Can of fish. RW Knudsen Juice offers coupons on the website which might help defray the cost a little. I think there’s a $.75 /1 coupon being offered now.
Laura asks…
What are the best and healthiest kinds of organic dog food?
My husband and I try to eat organically as often as possible, and we were considering switching our dogs and cat to dry organic food as well, but we want to be sure that we’re giving our dogs enough nutrition and everything. What are the best brands of organic dog and cat foods? Personal experiences or vet opinions would be very much appreciated.
Thanks everyone for your answers! We have decided to try to alternate between the Wellness brand Weight Management food (we have a pug and a shih tzu) and home made food. We are currently looking for a complete nutritional recipe to make our own, after reading and watching about what horrible things there are in commercial dog food, so I appreciate everyone’s input!
admin answers:
I have researched this in depth since my poor dog died of kidney failure due to poor quality dog food!!(this is the only reason I answer these questions … to try and save a dogs life or at least to not let him/her suffer because of bad food)
Fromm Dog Food is Great for dogs and cats …http://www.frommfamily.com/ $42- $45 per 30 lb bag
NO fillers….some good quality grains….NO corn….gluten or by-products or wheat
ALL human grade food….fruits…veggies and probiotics!!WHOLE fruits and veggies!!!! Just like the kind we get at our grocery stores!
Check it out you wont regret it !FROMM 4 STAR product line is the best!!!!!!!FROMM is a 100% holistic dog food.FROMM also has a grain-free option called surf & turf
http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/TOTW has a high protein content (not recommeded for non athletic dogs)
Taste of the Wild contains Ethoxyquin which is a toxic fish preservative. (TOTW says that the cooking process kills all of it but it scared me away from their product)
around $42 for a 30 lb bag …. Its the cheapest 6 star food ..
Http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ lots of great dog food choices on this site !!
Orijen and Welness are great but it is $60 – $80 for a 30 lb bag…high protein as well ..not good for non athletic dogsOrijen is WAY to high in protein for a non working/non-agility dog ..
Fromm Is what my puppy gets it has a lower protein % and great ingredients! 5 outta 6 stars due to lower protein (but most dogs should not have high protein levels …. It makes their kidneys work overtime for no reason)
You can get it online and if you go to the website you can find stores near you .. They wont be at walmarts and the like… They are in feed stores .. Agway..tractor supply stores etc
IF your dog is not going to be a hard working/agility dog all this high protein can do more harm than good in the long run,,, you wont notice it now but it can take its toll on a dogs kidneys as it ages.
Http://4healthdogfood.tripod.com/
there is also a brand called 4health at the tractor supply store.. It is only $30 for a 30 lb bag.. And it seems to be of good quality. (not as good as the foods mentioned above but it good for the price if you are on a tight budget.)
It is very close in ingredients to the more expensive brands
also of you go to http://www.tractorsupply.com you can get a printable $5 off coupon!!
They have tons of low and high end foods there(including TOTW and 4 Health)
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