where's the beef?

To my surprise, a few people did have 3 minutes to spare and actually read my post about dog food ingredients.  And then they looked at their dog's bag of food to make sure it was free from corn and beaks.  That makes me really happy!  A few folks were interested to know what I'm feeding my dogs.  So here you go - part two of my dog food rant.

Lottie is one stubborn hound.  And when it comes to her meals, they better include red meat and nothing with wings. I've tried feeding her chicken, duck, and turkey but she will spit it right out onto the floor.  Salmon and pork are incredibly edible in Lottie's world but beef, buffalo, and lamb are her favorites.  Minnow on the other hand will eat absolutely anything but due to Lottie's finicky ways, Minnow ends up eating what Lottie likes.  And she is perfectly content although I do occasionally slide some turkey meals her way because rotating proteins is an important part of a healthy diet.  

I feed Lottie and Minnow 100% raw diets. That's the most natural and nutritious way to feed… and unfortunately the most expensive.  Dogs are carnivores and thrive on a diet consisting primarily of raw meat, organ meats, bone, and fat. This biologically appropriate diet reflects what your pet would eat in its natural habitat. 

Raw Diet  vs. Cooked (kibble or canned): 

Kibble and canned foods are processed and at times cooked at high temperatures resulting in some vitamin and mineral loss.  With raw diets, the proteins, vitamins, and minerals are more intact and available for your dog to utilize and benefit from. Basically the good stuff has not been cooked out.  Additionally, raw meat is about 60-70% moisture.  My dogs drink a lot less water when they're eating a 100% raw diet because they are adequately hydrated.  What happens when dry kibble hits a dog's stomach?   The organs in the body cannot break down the food without water.  So the stomach goes looking for water in other tissue in the body, putting stress on organs such as the kidneys.  Now that is something to think about.  Must we talk about poop?  Why not.  When feeding a raw diet, you will notice your dog's stool being much smaller and perhaps less frequent.  And even a bit less smelly.  There just isn't a bunch of extra stuff to poop out when their bodies are using all of the nutrients that a raw diet offers.

Hands down, the raw diet wins.

It's rare, but even I forget to thaw out their next day's meal.  When that happens, my dogs will get a canned food meal, a Ziwi Peak air dried meal, or a freeze-dried raw meal.

As for Brands, I'm currently feeding:

I switch up the proteins so I'm not feeding the same flavor over and over.   I like the ingredients in OC Raw, Raw Bistro, and Steve's the best - they are also a little bit harder to find in stores. 

My dogs, and most dogs, LOVE freeze-dried raw.  My "go-to" brands include OC Raw, Stella & Chewy's, and Steve's.  Shelf stable, convenient, and my dogs think delicious.

As for cans, Ziwi Peak and Bravo are my first picks.  Expensive?  You know it!  But since cans make up about a once or twice a month meal, they are affordable for me.

Kibble.  The dreaded "k" word.  Most commercially available kibble is about as far from biologically appropriate as you can get with all the corn, animal by-products, chemicals, wheat, grains, fillers, and  added preservatives.  However not all kibble is horrible and there are some well made options out there.   I would recommend Grain-Free and Potato-Free if you are feeding kibble.  Try to select brands that are trying their best to cook at lower temperatures and keep as much of the nutrients in tact.  Still cooked, but they are making an effort to provide a healthy product with ingredients that apply to feeding a biologically appropriate diet. Orijen, Acana, Rawz, and the new Stella & Chewy's are optimal choices for kibble.  Please don't forget to add water and if at all possible, please add a little freeze-dried raw so your pet can get some natural vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes.

Here's where my selection process goes the extra mile (ok, the crazy mile, whatevs). I'm diligent enough to take a look at the brand to see if they are a branch of a larger parent company.  Sometimes the ingredients look fantastic and you think you're looking at a great option UNTIL you see that their parent company also shells out sacks of corn and beaks under different labels.  I will not support makers of poor quality dog food. Period.

So that's what I'm feeding my dogs. 

disclaimer: 

This is my blog and how I choose to feed my dogs.  I do recommend all of the foods made by any of the manufacturers named here.  I only believe in feeding dogs biologically appropriate diets.