Holistic Dog food, anyone?

[Bokkapooh]

Lindy my Rottie/Ausie blue heeler mix will be 8 in February. She hasnt shown too much sign of aging except she sleep more, seems to me gaining a bit of chub on her belly and side (well we havent ran like we used to since August) and her snout is a bit leaner than before.

I want to do better for her. She is on Canindae Lamb/rice. But I want to get her on something fresh, fresh and holistic.

I used to feed her 30% fresh meat with veggies, and 60% dog food and 10% snacks. But I havent done that since June/July.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Lindy my Rottie/Ausie blue heeler mix will be 8 in February. She hasnt shown too much sign of aging except she sleep more, seems to me gaining a bit of chub on her belly and side (well we havent ran like we used to since August) and her snout is a bit leaner than before.

I want to do better for her. She is on Canindae Lamb/rice. But I want to get her on something fresh, fresh and holistic.

I used to feed her 30% fresh meat with veggies, and 60% dog food and 10% snacks. But I havent done that since June/July.

Mercedez,

If you are going to fresh cooked or raw, you have to add supplements. You could continue to do canidae (which is a good food) and make a fresh (cooked or raw) adder to it. I would recommend you get Dr. Pitcairn's book. It is really good for looking at fresh diets. Although the food you are feeding is good. If you don't already you might subscribe to the Whole Dog Journal. They do GREAT articles on food as well as training and more.

 

[LuvMyBirds]

I agree with Vickie 100% on this. So many people think that fresh is best and they don't look at the whole picture. I think what you are doing is great

 

[Love My Zons]

Both my dogs and cats are on Orijen. Canadian based Company, expensive but grain free. I will also rotate their foods switching varities from Bison/Salmon to Lamb etc. Variety IMO challenges the body. We do not eat the same thing day after day........they shouldn't either. As long as you feed a really good food, I have never had anyone have any digestive upset ever. My Sheltie has been a holistic dog for years, now are my mutts. Even their shampoo has no chemicals or colors.


I have in the past used Solid Gold, Merrick Eagle pack dry. I have always mixed in some meats, veggies.

 

[piercesdesigns]

Canidae changed their formula this year and both of my dogs lost coat and vitality. I stopped feeding it.

I use Wellness or Flint River.

 

[Archiesmom]

I used to specialize in pet food nutrition
Here are some things you want to look for in a pet food:
1) No corn, No wheat, No soy. Dogs generally can develop allergies to these types and they represent fillers. Try rice, or a different source of grain as their stomach tends to digest it better.
2) Try to avoid By-products. They are fillers and generally have little to no nutrition in them. And, a lot of them are preserved with carcinogens, which are known links to cancer!
3) Make sure the first ingredient of the food is a meat source. Dogs are natural carnivores, so unless your dog has an ultra sensitive stomach, or needs a vegetarian diet, I would make sure that the first ingredient listed is a true source of protein, not a meal!
4) The first 5 ingredients of any bag of food=50% of the total ingredients in that bag. The first 10 ingredients=70%. So I always make sure that in the first 10 ingredients, the first ingredient is a meat source, and I can see plenty of vitamin sources. I look for fruits and veggies, especially sweet potato! Also, since your dog is getting older, I would recommend really watching her omegas, and maybe getting her on something that has Glucosamine and Chondroitin right in the food. These are proven supplements to help maintain joint health.

I personally feed Blue Buffalo as it has these little vitamin bits that are cold-formed (a lot of times when food goes through a cooking process, the nutrients can get cooked out because of the heat) so they retain a lot of their nutrients. But any food that uses quality ingredients and conforms to my main criteria is a good food to be feeding

 

[rocabird]

One of my favorite websites regarding dog diets is Dog Aware. The lady that owns the site is a moderator for the K-9 Nutrition email list on Yahoogroups and has written articles for Whole Dog Journal which she has on her site also. Her site also has a lot of information about different canine health problems.