The Old Ways - What's Changed?

When I got my first dog, in 1970, his adult diet (he was a Beagle) was 5 Spiller's shapes for breakfast, (one of each colour I think! ) tinned meat and mixer for tea, and a Bonio at bedtime.
How things have changed. BUT - have dogs changed? What is different/better about "modern" feeding (complete food in particular) or did it just become fashionable?
Dalmatians who are diagnosed with kidney stones are often "prescribed" Hill's but in the old days we got by with rice, vegetables and a bit of chicken - which appeared to work.
Are the old ways really inferior? Are we feeding our dogs better now?

Interesting questions
The dogs i grew up with (mostly collies) were all fed leftovers and the odd tin of dog food-no particular variety just what ever my mum bought.
They got bones from the butchers as a treat and never had special doggy treats or biscuits.

I don't remember them ever going to the vet except for the routine things and they all lived to a ripe old age!

I don't know the answer but personally I find complete foods much more pleasant to feed than wet and what comes out the other end isn't so bad either

When I was a lad my Dad use to feed his Dobe on both raw meat and bones from the local butcher and all the house leftovers of the day.

I can't ever remember him being ill or having to go to the vets for anything other than his annual check ups.

Personally I think a lot of today's dog foods are just brand names choices as apposed to food quality for the dog. If you think about hunting dogs they eat just raw meat and get plenty of exercise, which I believe is the key to having a healthy dog and not what brand of food it eats.

What's that saying "An active dog is a healthy dog". Never a truer word said.

When I was a kid my mum used to spoil our dogs rotten she was always cooking for them, liver, lamb or horsemeat. After my mum died and we were responsible for the dogs upkeep we tended to feed canned food and mixer but the dogs didn't complain. When I got my own first dog in my own house in 1978 I fed canned and mixer until the vet got me to change to complete due to his kidney problems. Food was food to him and he just ate whatever he was given. These days my dogs are just as easy going although someone gave them some Bonio's not that long ago and they refuse to have anything to do with them. They laid around for while and ended up in the bin. Healthwise I really haven't noticed any difference, all my dogs except one have really only gone to the vets for jabs and annual health checks. They've had a few very minor complaints but that's about it.

White poos.
You used to always see white poos. Not anymore....

You do in my garden

Honestly- it depends but really I don't think people are doing it better, i'm sure dogs were healthier on table scraps, butchers bones etc. Personally, mine are raw fed and have the odd bit of healthy cooked scraps, but thats not for everyone.

I think people meddle too much, my grandparents dogs were fed leftovers and it never did them any harm. As for prescribing special food for kidney stones doesnt cramberry do the same thing? apart from they cant charge a huge amount for it.
ATD

It's all to do with convenience, just like we go shopping at the supermarket and pick up ready meals instead of buying the raw materials - we're the pot noodle generation!
I see there's even a dog food version of the pot noodle (though hopefully a bit healthier) by land of holistic pets where you add hot water to the mix. Don't see the point of that when you can get the food instantly out of the bag (oh, there I go, admitting that I've fallen into the lazyness that is dried dog food)
Oh, you want white poos? Just feed the odd roasted bone now and then.
I think some vets still recommend cooked rice and chicken when a dog's under the weather or sick. One of my farming relatives used to feed his sheepdogs on the fish meal he fed the cows, cooked scraps and washings out of the dairy!

Not roasted,nellie,cooked bones are dangerous,give them a couple of chicken wings or the odd lamb chop all raw of course.

mmm I would have thought there was more danger in a raw chicken wing bone than a roast bone from the pet shop - I'd be worried about those sharp bits!