I always dread getting into dog food conversations with people because most people pit Vet advice against research. Our puppy owners always ask for food advice and some have requested a blog talking about different dog foods so here it goes. I am not going to go into a lengthy blog with statistics and the debates around dog food because I trust all of you will take a look at your food and do your own research.
As most of you know, we feed our dogs and puppies the raw diet, however, we did start with kibble and so in the first part of this blog I will write about kibble. Just like in our world of food, there are foods that are good for your four footed friend and foods that aren’t. We do not claim to be food experts what follows is just our experience and what we have found through our own research. We strongly encourage your own research for dog food, and to learn what’s good, what’s not and how to recognize a higher quality food vs. a lower quality food.
First, our main source of information for our beloved pets is our vet. Vets are General Practioner like our family doctors and trained in the overall health of our four footed companions. They are not nutrition specialists and experience only minimal training for it in their schooling. Don’t fault your vet; they can only suggest what they have been taught and/or learned. There can be a purpose to foods carried in a vet’s office; they offer a solution to a specific problem such gastro intestinal issues but they are not meant for permanent usage. Also let’s not forget the price tag of food found in a vet’s office, for that amount you can find a great high quality food for you dog rather than a lesser quality food that only provides a temporary solution.
So, there’s “junk food” and healthy kibble choices out there. The junk food version, although most times cheaper, requires you to feed your dog a large amount of food (4 – 7 cups/day) because it is full of fillers (such as corn and corn meal). These fillers are NOT digestible for your dog and therefore get pooped out. Your dog absorbs all the nutrients it can from a food and the rest comes out it makes total sense. Higher quality kibbles are more digestible and therefor the output is reduced (less poop people!) \you are also feeding way less, 1/4 the amount sometimes. So yes you’re paying more, but you’re feeding less, you’re giving your dog a healthier diet and you get to poop scoop less.
The biggest mistake I have seen people make when switching to a higher quality kibble lays in the amount they feed their dog. Many of my very loyal dog owners are wracked with guilt when they have to lower a dog’s intake from 4 cups a day to 11/4 cups per day. Let me assure you the guilt is unnecessary because there are no fillers and so your dog is just getting the nutrients requiredJ. It is important to follow the guidelines on the dog food bag according to your dog’s weight, overfeeding is just a waste because again, your dog will only poop out what his body doesn’t need. At the same time the back of the dog food bag is just a guide. For example, we feed less in the winter because our dogs are less active and in the spring and summer we feed more. Age is also a factor in feeding; puppies require more (because they are busy all the time) than adults and seniors require less. Know your dog and its ideal body weight and look and adjust the food accordingly.
Please keep in mind that not all foods work for all dogs. If you try one high quality food and it doesn’t seem to agree with your dog don’t just give up, try another one. When we were feeding kibble we fed a combination of orijen adult formula as well orijen fish formula. This worked great for 8 out of 10 of our dogs, their coats were phenomenal and poop scooping was once Maybe twice in a day. The 9th dog (and the reason we switched to raw originally) had a sensitive tummy and he would be good on a food for 4 – 6 weeks and then back to several poops a day and very soft ones. For the 10th dog’ this was not the food for him, his stool was often soft to runny and he was pretty lethargic. We eventually discovered he had allergies to beef, fish, egg, milk and many other things that could be found in the kibble we were feeding. We put him on a limited ingredient diet kibble (made specifically for dogs with food allergies or intolerances) and he was like an entirely new dog.
We understand that not everyone has the time, money or resources to do a raw diet for their dogs, but if you’re going to feed kibble we want to make sure you know you are giving your dog the best kibble possible for them J
The kibbles we recommend to our Clients:
Orijen, Wellness, Now, Go, and Innova. Late last year we came across a new kibble called Rotations. We tried the puppy version of this on a litter of puppies and really liked it. It is good because it offers a 3 in 1 nutritional system. Each box contains 3 individual bags of food with different ingredients and nutrients to give your dog a complete diet. This is what we recommend but there are many good foods out there.
This link gives you information and analysis on numerous dog food. It offers the good, the bad and the ugly and why.
This is a link to ingredients to avoid in dog food and there is much more information on this site as well
So there you have it our take on buyer’s beware for dog food and the kibbles we recommend J
Hope this helps everyone and as always you are more than welcome to email us @ info@freespiritlabradors.ca
I will try and get the raw food diet blog up for everyone tomorrow.
Have fun with the food sites
S~~~
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