Posts split from Natural Instinct food thread

When you are feeding a mixed diet like that - one meal raw and the other a proprietary dog food, how do you ensure that the dog is getting the right balance of protein etc - not too much or little?

It sounds a good diet but do you need to think about things like that or just go by how the dog looks?

Hi Diana I have been feeding my dogs on mainly fresh home cooked food without any problems for 45 years long before the invention of 'complete food' though I had to resort to complete foods at certain times or a mix of the two .I have to say years ago when many dogs were fed on scraps there seemed to be far fewer dogs with allergies and intestinal disorders than we see these days , these conditions seem to be prevalent now, read the health section here it is full of allergies and IBD .


The diet I have been feeding contains a variety of fresh food which ensures a good mix of ingredients so the dog should not lack any essential nutrients, fresh meat/oil rich fish/eggs including the shell/ cottage cheese/veg/fruit/herbs which has got to be a more natural diet than a lot of the so called 'complete foods' which if you read the labels are full of 'fillers' and contain very little meat but plenty of animal derivatives. Maybe not a scientifically balanced diet I agree but for me a great deal better than feeding a dog completely on processed food . In the USA many dogs have died or become seriously ill from eating dog food contaminated with various toxins something they don't tell you in the plush advertisements. I didn't feed my children on processed baby food they had fresh food liquidised, I don't eat 'rubbish' processed food and I won't give rubbish to my dogs either.
Feeding this way is not so convenient as feeding a processed food and it is also time consuming so not an option for everyone.

The difference now is that instead of feeding the meat mainly cooked I am feeding it raw.
If left to their own devices dogs would scavenge and eat a variety of mainly raw food, it is what their stomachs are designed to cope with not processed kibble full of chemicals.

The two foods mentioned above Natural Instinct and Darlings are similar to feeding a home produced raw diet but they are formulated to contain required nutrients.

Hi Diana I have been giving further thought to your question.

So many people go on about 'a perfectly balanced food /the right balance of dog food .' where did the relatively recent concept of 'perfect balance' come from?
I think it came about as a result of advertising by the large petfood companies who instilled in people the idea that they must buy their 'perfectly balanced foods' or their dogs would suffer and that the average pet owner was incapable of ensuring their pet got a balanced diet when 'home fed' .

When do you hear parents say 'I must feed my child a complete diet of processed food to make sure it gets the right balance', we don't do we, we are told to feed our children a mixed varied diet of fresh ingredients aren't we , if we are capable of feeding our children on fresh food why not our dogs?

When I first got my current dog Chloe as a puppy she came with a supply of complete food, a whole bag full and for a number of reasons I fed her on the food . Her feet/beard/under her tail were stained orange, the moment she was switched to fresh food the staining gradually disappeared.

As I said previously feeding the more convenient complete foods may be a preferred choice for many and I understand that is their choice, but I don't think we should be lead to believe it is the only way or the best way to feed our dogs.

Totally agree with Minihaha.

My pup has been fed raw since weaning, and has done really well on it. When you feed kibble, you are according to the manufacturers feeding a complete balanced meal at every sitting (and depending on the kibble, I would most likely disagree with that anyway). There are some really good kibbles out there, but few and far between. Always read the ingredients.

With a home prepared or raw diet as long as it is varied over time your dog will thrive. They do not have to have every single nutrient in every meal.

The best way to tell if your dog is receiving a balanced diet is to watch him. eyes, coat, stools, weight, energy levels etc.

One of the most telling things for me with the supermarket brands is that they are made by massive companies who use the pet food demand as a brilliant way to sell by-products that are not fit for human consumption, but quite likely end up in our pets food. Much of the content dogs cannot digest, hence huge soft poops. allergies, gum disease, diabetes and so on.

Sorry i only mean. to write a few lines lol

Thanks for all the info. I think ideally I would like to feed him one meal raw and one meal kibble - he is currently on Burns puppy so it is good to know that is possible.

Westie, I am sorry to have taken your thread off topic a bit. I seem to have so many questions about raising my pup!

Sorry, but I don't need to be told about different types of complete food, thanks very much! Please start a new thread or join one already existance on this the subject.

This isn't a thread about complete versus raw. I posted this thread asking if anyone had tried Natural Instinct food!

Thanks!

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ETA Posts split from this thread..

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=125676

Oops Sorry about that