passion: pet nutrition 01

I love my dogs.  Ok, I'm crazy and obsessed with my dogs... and all dog related topics, reaaly.  I just love dogs.   Now that THAT'S out of the way, it may be easier to understand why pet nutrition is such a passion for me.  I will always put the best food into my dogs bodies!

I'd say my introduction to pet nutrition started back in 2000 when I didn't even have a dog.  I was riding into work with my boss who went off on how disgusted he was with big name pet food manufacturers and how much shameful garbage they were using as pet food ingredients.  He was making his own dog food at that time.  I'm quite sure he was the only person I knew making their own dog food.

Fast forward to 2005 when I became a dog owner.  Welcome Texas Lacy Game Dog, Lottie!  I didn't have the time, knowledge, or resources to make my own food.  I did some research and dabbled around some kibble.  Solid Gold, Wellness Core, Orijen and Acana to name a few.  Lottie hated kibble.  She ate Orijen and Acana better than any other brand but she never ate vigorously or like she really even enjoyed it.  I just accepted her as a picky eater.  Fast forward to 2011.  I took a job at a specialty dog food store. I discovered Raw food.  I fed some to Lottie and she LOVED eating.  I was determined to learn as much about Raw food and pet nutrition as I could.  Being in the Chicagoland area, I was lucky enough to attend a seminar by Dr. Karen Becker.  It changed my life.  I learned how a dog's digestive system worked and what foods their bodies were intended to eat.  Guess what?  It's not kibble.  It's real food!  I was ready to share this knowledge with anyone who would listen.  I made guides to teach people how to read pet food ingredients.  I got as much freeze-dried raw into pet's bowls as I could.  My influence helped many people switch over to thaw and serve raw meals.  I continued to educate myself as much as I could.

Minnow came into my life in 2012.  She was a 4 month old disaster with behavioral problems and was suffering from a full body yeast infection caused by a poor diet.  I knew that raw food could help dogs with yeast sensitivities and now I was faced with the challenge of curing my own pet.  It worked.  I followed the teachings of Dr. Karen Becker and had 2 healthy dogs happily eating raw food.  The behavioral issues took a little longer to fix but in time, I had a great, well behaved friend.

From 2011 to 2017, I had a chance to go to work and see about 100 dogs a week.  I saw many pets in terrible health.  Poor diets equal poor health.  Period.  It's a hard truth to face.  Humans have created these dry kibble meals that are so convenient for us BUT so wrong for a dog's digestive system.  Not to mention being full of chemical preservatives and shitty by-products.  Even the grain-free ones people.  It's time to walk away from all those kibble bags at Target.  Do some research.  Go to an independent, specialty food store where the employees can answer questions and give you some good food recommendations.  Give your pets real food!

What do I feed my dogs?  Raw food.  I buy frozen raw food that I thaw and serve.  Currently I use these brands:  Steve's Real Food, OC Raw, Primal, and Raw Bistro.  I make my own raw food using Dr. Becker and Rodney Habib's recipe which was formulated to be completely balanced by Steve Brown, creator or Steve's Real Food.  I have really healthy dogs because I put the right kind of foods in their bodies.

making raw dog food

We did it.  We made raw dog food.  And it was pretty easy! 

Only because there is a great video on making a BALANCED raw dog food which was formulated by Steve Brown (aka the king of raw dog food).
Everyone with pets needs to know Rodney Habib and Dr. Becker and if you want to make your own raw dog food, watch their video HERE

I have been raw feeding my dogs since 2011.  Pet nutrition is one of my biggest passions.  The only downside to raw feeding is that it's expensive.  There is NO cheap way to make your own balanced raw food either, especially with beef.  This project was simply done for the knowledge that we could make BALANCED food if we were in a pinch and all pet food stores were closed.  Making your own raw food also means you get really fresh food.  It's a bummer when you buy expensive raw food at the pet store only to find that the food inside is completely iced up with freezer burn.  

Lottie and Minnow LOVED eating this beef recipe too and that was really the most important thing.  We now have almost 10 lbs. of our food in easy to use frozen patties. 

If this is interesting to you and you have NEVER fed your dog raw food... make your batch into 1 oz. sized patties and use as a treat.  The most important thing to do when it comes to transitioning to raw, real food is to go slow.  Let your dog get used to raw food as treats for a month before trying raw meals. Consulting a pet nutritionist or holistic vet is also advised before going ALL RAW.

What exactly is Raw?  A complete and balanced Raw Diet contains pure, whole food ingredients for optimal nutrient absorption as well as natural enzymes for digestive health.  Raw Meals also provide nutrition in its purest form – including proteins, vitamins, and minerals that are ready for the body to utilize.  Raw means Not Cooked - none of the important natural nutrients have been cooked out of the meal.

BENEFITS OF A RAW DIET:

• Maintains healthy teeth and healthy mouths

• Promotes shinier, healthier skin and coat

• Maintains a healthy digestive tract

• Aids in weight control

• Provides proper hydration (especially important for cats)

• Easier to digest

• Increased mobility in older animals

• Provides Live enzymes

• Firmer stools

• Reduced allergy symptoms

While processed foods offer great convenience, our pets’ digestive tracts are actually designed for fresh Raw food. Again, Raw means Not Cooked - none of the important natural nutrients have been cooked out of the meal.   Heat processing destroys most anti-oxidants, healthy oils, phytonutrients, enzymes and living beneficial micro-organisms.  This can result in your pet not getting enough digestive enzymes in their diet which makes their pancreas work harder at producing them.

you can't save them all

You can't save them all. And sometimes that can be a really tough thing to swallow.

Let me start by saying that
#1: I am not a Veteranarian.
#2: At work, I'm not sponsored by any pet food company.
#3: I study pet nutrition from a holistic point of view.
#4: There is not one dog or cat food that is perfect for every animal.

My job is to educate pet owners about pet food and treats. I will evaluate a pet, identify their dietary needs, discuss previous and current health issues with pet owners, and suggest foods and treats that that are appropriate for that dog. I am not swayed by how cute a dog food commercial is or how cleverly designed the pet food bag is. Sometimes I help pets and then their owners start to take their pet's nutrition seriously. Many times I am talking to a brick wall disguised as a human. You can't save them all. Even when you present only the facts about pet food ingredients, there is a percentage of folks that just don't care or would prefer to take all of their pet's nutritional advice from someone who never took any course work in pet nutrition or from someone sponsored by one giant pet food company. How do I get up each morning and do this day after day? The hope that I will help at least one person make better choices for their pets. The hope that I will make someone want to ask questions.

my Vet said.
You wouldn't jump in front of a train if your Vet told you to. And you certainly wouldn't stab your pet in the throat if your Vet advised that. Would you? But if you are willing to feed some of the diets being prescribed by Vets without a second thought, you could be taking poor advice. And you are paying a fortune for it! Case in point - a perscription diet aimed at Glucose Management. To me, managing glucose means controlling the amounts of sugar in a pet's diet. Perhaps this could be for an overwight dog, one with Diabetes, or pets who constantly have bacterial infections brought on by yeast. I would suggest diets without starchy carbohydrates that metabolize into sugar, like Corn for instance. Corn metabolizes in dogs similar to the way sugar metabolizes in humans. It's like feeding a child foods high in corn syrup. Dogs eating corn may even experience energy rushes, crashes, hyperactivity, and a hard time concentrating.

Simply put:
Yeast needs sugar as a source of energy.
Carbohydrates like Corn and Potatoes break down into sugar.
Manage glucose by NOT feeding a food with Corn or Potatoes.

Pets that are overweight or suffering from Diabtes should avoid high-sugar diets.
Carbohydrates like Corn and Potatoes break down into sugar.
Manage glucose by NOT feeding a food with Corn or Potatoes.

Sounds like common sense, right?

So HOW does a Veterinarian-prescribed diet for Glucose Management have CORN as the FIRST ingredient? It certainlay CANNOT be for Glucose Management!!! Is it beacuse most believe in High Fiber diets for the overweight and Diabetic? I'm just so confused. There must be a High Fiber dog food available that is actually nutritious. If I were faced with this at the Vet, I would ask so many questions rather than blindly say, "sign me up for your one size fits all diet".

You will find some of the following content about dog food ingredients at Dog Food Advisor
. This website is a must for anyone who wants to learn about pet food.


Back to this Veterinarian-prescribed food... The bag says Canine Low Fat - Glucose Management- Gastrointestinal Dry Dog Food and these are the ingredients:

Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken by-product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Mill Run, Soybean Oil, Dried Beet Pulp, Lactic Acid, Soybean Meal, Caramel (color), Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Flaxseed, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Iodized Salt, L-Tryptophan, L-Carnitine, L-Threonine, Mixed Tocopherols added to retain freshness, Citric Acid added to retain freshness, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.


This food costs approx $64 for 27.5 lbs.

The #1 ingredient, Corn, is a cheap filler ingredient that is non-nutritious for pets. Gastrointestinal?? Corn is difficult to digest, a known allergenic, and in some cases aflatoxin (mold) contamination has been associated with corn in dog food. Corn is in commercial dog food because it supplies cheap calories to the product. And starchy carbohydrates play a critical role in a process known as gelatinization — a process which is absolutely crucial to the workings of kibble machinery. In a nutshell, corn SHOULD makes pet food less expensive to produce as well as to purchase. So why on earth does this Corn based food cost so much? For pet food companies to advertise that corn is included in commercial dog food primarily for its nutritional benefits is misleading — and a gross misrepresentation of the facts.

Ingredient #2: Powdered Cellulose is a fiber source in dog food with the lowest food value of any kind of fiber and it may amaze you that it is even permitted in dog food. (YEP… this ingredient is a fancy term for sawdust)

Meat by-products (example: Chicken By-Product Meal): These are the leftovers after all the good stuff is harvested for the human food industry and consist of the parts of animals that are NOT meat. That’s right… NO MEAT! Non-specified “mystery meat” by-products are even worse (example: Meat by-product meal and Animal by-product meal).

What is Corn Gluten Meal? Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it. Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins lower in some of the essential amino acids dogs and cats need for life. This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein reported on the pet food label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of the dog or cat food.

Soy is estrogenic and wreaks havoc on your pet’s endocrine system.
Soy Protein is a Poor Quality, incomplete protein. Same goes for Soybean Meal. Dogs and Cats should be getting protein from healthy meat rather than inferior plant-based protein sources.

Caramel (color): It is always disappointing to find artificial coloring in any pet food. That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans — not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his kibble is?

Since the process of making kibble cooks all (if any are even present here) of the natural vitamins and minerals out of the food, synthetic vitamins and minerals must be added to fortify the food. The same way a Cocoa Puff could be advertised as "packed with vitamins and minerals". Let me guess, you only feed Cocoa Puffs and fortified cereals to your kids? No, you don't. So is it OK to feed your pets that way - only with synthetic nutrition? Some say, "it's JUST a dog" or "my cat doesn't care". Others start to look at commercial pet foods in a whole new way. Especially once they figure out that many of these synthetic vitamins and minerals are made in China.

Based on the ingedients, this example of a Veterinarian-prescribed diet is poor quality food with ingredients similar to the cheapest dogs foods on the market. While there might be some clinical study that proves this is a good thing, does a diet like this solve one problem BUT create other health problems because the ingedients as a whole are so horrible? I couldn't feed this to my dogs - EVER.


Educate yourself.

Use common sense.

Ask questions.

Don't jump off a bridge if someone tells you to.

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.

coconut cubes

As much as Lottie and Minnow LOVE coconut oil, I thought it would be fun to make coconut oil ice cubes for them.  Mark bought me some soft, flexible food-grade silicone ice cube trays to  my make small dog treat sized cubes. They worked perfectly! 

I'm always raving about the health benefits of giving coconut oil to your pets.  Plus dogs really love it.   Minnow usually licks it right off the spoon.  Both of my dogs eat it up as if it were ice cream!  And now they love Coconut Cubes!   

Try this cool, fun way to deliver an incedibly healthy supplement that your dogs will ONLY know as a treat.  I always advise using a coconut oil made especially for dogs - it will be available at pet stores that sell healthy and natural products.  Coco Therapy makes a good one.  Because my oil was in a more solid state in the jar, I put some coconut oil in a microwave safe, pyrex measuring cup for 10 second increments, stirring inbetween, until my oil was in a liquified state.  Then I poured it into the ice cube tray.  How easy is that!! 

Some of the benefits of feeding coconut oil to your pets include:

Skin Conditions
- Supports and maintains healthy skin
- Maintains normal, healthy levels of skin defense mechanisms
- Supports healthy, shiny coats
- Applied topically, soothes and supports the skin with cuts, wounds, hot spots, bites and stings

Gastrointestinal Health
- Supports healthy gastrointestinal function
- Supports healthy digestion
- Supports healthy breath and oral health

Healthy Immune System, Metabolic function, and Bone health
- Provides antioxidant support for healthy cell function- Supports healthy immune response to foreign microbes
- Supports healthy thyroid function
- Supports bone and joint health
- Supports healthy weight
- Provides quick, easily digested source of energy
- Supports healthy brain and nervous system function

The most abundant medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) found in coconut oil is lauric acid, which is considered responsible for many of coconut oil’s health benefits. Coconut oil is about 50% lauric acid - the only other abundant source of lauric acid found in nature is in human breast milk, which is undoubtedly the most perfect food found in nature. Breast milk is designed to nourish and build the immune system and protect infants against illnesses and infection. The medium-chain fatty acids in breast milk improve nutrient absorption, aid digestive function, help regulate blood sugar levels, and protect the baby from harmful microorganisms. The baby’s immature immune system is supported by the antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties of these vital fatty acids.  In the same way, the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil provide support for a healthy immune system.

do you have 3 minutes to spare?

Take those 3 minutes to walk over to your pet's bag of food.  Now take a look at the ingredient list.  Does it look like the ingredient list pictured above? 

If not, PLEASE make sure that NONE of the following poor quality ingredients are in there.  You could be feeding your beloved pup bowls of corn and beaks!  Ack!!  Oh and there's a good chance some of these ingredients are lurking in your pet's treats so check those out too.

By-Products

Corn, Wheat, and/or Soy

Animal Digest

any type of Gluten Meal

Animal Fat

Meat Meal or the super combo: Meat and Bone Meal

Propylene Glycol

BHA / BHT

This group of ingredients include those that are unfit for human consumption and others that are filler ingredients, both non-nutritious for pets and difficult for your pet to digest.  Chemical preservatives are also a tell tale sign of crappy pet food.  Sadly, there are more poor quality ingredients out there in pet food.  My list above are the ones I call the Big Offenders.

If you do not read another sentence of this post, that's fine with me.  Now you know what to stay away from in the pet food world and I know you want to feed your dogs the good stuff!   
However if you choose to read on, I will talk more about proper canine nutrition and rant on how horribly misadvertised most commercial pet foods are. 

What exactly are these inferior ingredients listed above?  And why should they be avoided?

Any type of By-Products.  By-products are the leftovers after all the good stuff is harvested for the human food industry and consist of the parts of animals that are NOT meat.  Meat by-products, especially those not specified as a certain kind of meat (ie. Poultry By-Product), contain unsavory ingredients like beaks, feathers, feet, brains, stomachs, hooves, hair, entrails – even tumors.  Basically, it’s what’s left over after slaughter and classified as inedible waste unfit for human consumption.  Please note,  the term Poultry does not necessarily mean chicken.  It might be chicken or it might be turkey, geese, buzzard, seagull, or an unidentifiable road kill with wings.

Corn and/or Soy in any form. Corn is a cheap filler ingredient, non-nutritious for pets, and a known allergenic. Soy is estrogenic and wreaks havoc on your pet’s endocrine system. 

Run as far as you can from Animal Digest.  Animal Digest is a “broth” made from rendered by-products including the contents of an animal’s stomach after it was slaughtered.  The animals used can be obtained from any source including “4-D animals” (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), so there is no control over quality or contamination.  Restaurant and supermarket refuse are some other sources for Animal Digest.

Poor quality, incomplete proteins.  These include corn gluten meal, wheat gluten meal, rice protein concentrate and soy protein.  For example, Corn Gluten Meal is corn AFTER the best parts of corn have been removed.  One of the absolute worst ingredients, corn does absolutely nothing for the animal and is actually difficult to digest.

Animal Fat, since there’s no mention of a specific animal, could come from almost anywhere including restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, and diseased cattle.  Generic Fats = Yuck. 

Meat and bone meal is a dry rendered product from mammal tissues including bone that can have a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.  Meat meal, how anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the sourced animal... gross! 

Propylene Glycol is a controversial food moisturizer that has been banned by the FDA for use in making cat food.  Yet it can still be found in mostly lower quality dog foods.

BHA & BHT are artificial preservatives associated with various cancers.  Just remember, when it comes to food, chemicals are not good.

And now for a little story about Minnow  

Minnow, our Italian Greyhound, was born at a puppy mill and sold shortly thereafter to a chain pet store.  She was purchased by a family who after 6 weeks decided she was not a "good fit" for them.  At 4 months old, this family surrendered her to a rescue organization.  I was notified about this IG and we took her into our home the very same day she was surrendered.  Yep, we changed her name to Minnow.  The rescue organization handed me a bag of the dog food her previous family had been feeding her.  I knew it was going to be bad but wow... SO BAD!  Just have a looksie at these ingedients...

Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Brewers Rice, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with BHA and Citric Acid), Animal Digest, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Egg Product, Choline Chloride, Color Added (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2), Brewers Dried Yeast, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Niacin, Manganese D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D Supplement, Folic Acid.

This bag of food found the dumpster very quickly, before we even got home with Minnow. Although she got a deluxe bath at the doggie spa before coming to our home, she smelled disgusting.  Just funky smelling and it seemed to be all over her body.  Guess what all that corn, rice, and crap in her diet blossomed into... a super sized yeast infection!  That stinky smell was Yeast.  Yuck!  Guess what else... it took about a month for that smell to go away.  The detox from a horrible diet takes time but I'm happy to say that Minnow, now eating a healthy raw diet, is completely smell-free.  Anyone still reading this?  That link to the word Yeast will take you to a fantastic article about canine yeast infections.  Perhaps your pup has been misdiagnosed with "allergies" because of some itching and paw licking.  So many folks automatically jump to allergies when there's paw licking.  It might be yeast and before you sign up for expensive steroids and big Vet bills, you might just want to put your dog on a grain-free healthy diet and see what happens.  In case you didn't know, steroids are well-documented as causing liver disease and even death in some dogs. Just sayin'. 

Back to yeast...
Yeast needs sugar as a source of energy. Carbohydrates break down into sugar. Both MDs and veterinarians advise patients with yeast to get the sugars out of their diets.   Got a yeast problem?  Avoid dog foods and treats with Corn, Wheat, Rice, Brown Rice, Potato, Sweet Potato, and Honey.  Honestly, if your pet is suffering from a yeast problem, there isn't a grain-free dry dog food that's going to completely solve your problems.  It might be a step up, but not a full solution.

Anyone still reading?  This is where I'm going to rant about all the misleading statements and false advertising that is happening with pet food.  A very popular bag of dog food containing ALL of the big offenders says " helps keep your dog happy and healthy with a perfect balance of healthful ingredients, quality nutrition and superb taste."  Healthful ingredients?  Quality nutrition?  I think not.  This is a bag of corn and beaks. 

The bag of food poor Minnow was fed states: "For active growing puppies. Essential nutrients for developing strong bones and teeth. High quality protein to help support the development of muscle mass. Quality ingredients to support vital organs including a healthy heart."  High quality Protein?  In what?  There are no essential nutrients in this food.  Once again, a sack of corn and beaks. 

Diet is the foundation of health.  I highly recommend every pet owner take a look at this link and its accompanying video by Dr. Karen Becker.  Everyone should learn how to identify a good bag of food.

I'll end my pet food rant hoping that at least one person made it all the way through this post.  I know HousePet is usually a place to find nice photos, MCM architecture, and stories of renovation projects however proper canine nutrition is a really important topic for me.  It's unfair for companies to prey on the consumer with all of their false advertising.  There are tons of HEALTHY options available for our pets.  Please drive the extra mile or two to visit an independent pet supply retailer.  Those small stores are the ones with a staff educated to help you select healthy food and treats.  They are the folks who want your pets to thrive and live long, happy, and healthy lives.  I guarantee the checkout person at (insert your favorite big box store) cannot tell you a damn thing about healthy dog food.

bones

Lottie loves raw frozen marrow bones.  And I love how healthy they are for her!  These bones clean your dog’s teeth in addition to providing them with a nice oral workout – not to mention a healthy dose of natural calcium.

It takes Lottie about 3 or 4 hours to scrape all the marrow out of one of these frozen bones – she’s working on a Nature’s Variety raw beef bone in these photos.   Lottie stays quietly in one place, completely entertained, allowing Mark and I to enjoy a few uninterrupted hours when we have dinner guests or just want to watch some TV.

Plaque and tartar can build up on a dog’s teeth offsetting the balance of good bacteria in the mouth which leaves way for infection and disease to spread. Whether you brush your dog’s teeth or let them chew on raw bones, what’s important is removing that plaque and tartar regularly.   Proper tooth and gum health also prevents bad breath!   When given raw bones, dogs will scrape food and tartar from their teeth as their ancestors did in the wild.  The small amounts of meat tissue typically left on raw bones allows for a separate type of chewing, which is natural and necessary for your dog.  This nibbling and pulling action really cleans a dog’s front teeth.

Raw bones can definitely be a little messy. You will want to keep your dog on a doggy blanket or towel that can be easily washed (see Lottie above on her doggy towel).  They’re obviously great treats outside and also work well in a crate that can be easily washed out. Once the bone has been chewed down, it is actually quite clean.  As with most chews, supervising your dogs while they enjoy a bone is the way to go.

When you’re ready to give your dog a raw frozen bone, give it to them frozen, right out of the freezer.  Dogs love an ice cold bone on a summer day!  Never heat or cook a raw frozen bone prior to serving.  At my house, once the bone is completely clean (about 3 or 4 hours after giving it to Lottie) I throw the bone away.  Especially when I’m giving it to her indoors.  Lottie really has no interest in them once they are hollowed out and clean.  Bravo! brand recommends discarding the cleaned bone after 1 or 2 days stating that these bones are not to be completely consumed.

Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Bones are made in the USA, and are an excellent source of minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins, and enzymes. They are also a natural, balanced source of calcium and phosphorus. Feed a raw bone as a natural source of chondroitin for joint health or a natural source of fiber.  If you’re feeding a raw bone for the first time, Nature’s Variety recommends starting with a Raw Beef Bone.

Bravo! offers both a buffalo and a beef marrow and knuckle bones. Bravo! Bones are uncooked, fresh cut, individually wrapped and flash frozen to preserve their natural goodness. Bravo! Bones are made from human grade beef bones and premium grade, ranch raised, grass-fed, buffalo from Montana. The same bones sold fresh in the grocery store for human consumption.

Raw bones versus cooked or sterilized bones:  I like Raw.  Cooked bones are more likely to splinter and both cooked bones and white sterilized bones are deprived of beneficial nutrients which raw bones are full of.