What should I feed my dog?
A Balanced Perspective
When it comes to choosing what to feed your dog, the dog food industry has gone a little mad. Everyone has their agenda and most people are trying to get you to buy a product or buy into their ideas. Of course, we all have agendas, including me. With total transparency, I would like to see dogs becoming healthier again, and I would like to get more members so I can meet like-minded people for open, honest discussions without anyone feeling judged. I also need members to support this site and continue researching food, herbs, and behaviour to share as much impartial advice as possible. Here are my opinions, based on my education and dedication to constant learning about our dogs' overall health.
We all know that ultra-processed foods are not good for us. Fresh, whole foods provide us with the most nutrients and keep us healthy and free of chronic disease. So, common sense tells us that dried dog food is not the healthiest option for our dogs. (If you feed dried dog food, don't run away yet; you're in a no-judgment zone and there is plenty you can do.)
The type of fresh food to feed dogs is a hot topic of debate:
Some advocate for a raw, whole-prey diet, drawing from the idea that if dogs were not domesticated, their diet would probably mostly consist of whole rabbits and other small prey.
Others argue this is not a complete diet as our soil is depleted, and farmed animals are poorly treated and lack the nutrients they once had, so we need to add supplements, herbs, and vegetables to raw diets.
Some believe raw diets are dangerous and prefer to cook their dog's food or buy whole-cooked diets from companies, although others argue this kills nutrients.
But others will state that cooking can release some nutrients too, right?
Dogs have survived and thrived as a species through scavenging and being fed by humans; many still survive on a largely human food diet. Street dogs in India, fed largely on rice and vegetables and scavenging through bins, can live to 20 years old and beyond. But is this due to a more free and autonomous life? Would they live even longer on a diet with higher proportions of meat? Some people rightly state that their dogs lived until they were 17 years old on a dry food diet.
So who is right and who is wrong? No one. There is truth in every opinion and a study to back it up. Studies often turn out the way the person studying wants them to. So where does this leave us? Bloody confused, and spending far too much time feeling guilty about what we feed our dogs. Many of us spend more time worrying about our dog's diet than our own.
So let's stick with the facts: fresh food is, without a doubt, better for all of us. Let's face it, if a manufacturer suddenly told us they had managed to make a complete diet for humans in the shape of a biscuit, we would laugh and refuse to give them our money. But not everyone can afford, store, or prepare fresh food every day for their dogs. So why don't we just make it as fresh as possible? If you have to feed dry food, find out about nutrient-packed foods and use them to make your dog's food more interesting, delicious, and healthy. Learn to read labels! Get the best quality food you can afford.
If you are feeding fresh, do your homework, do what feels right for you and your dog, and stop thinking you have to be a Michelin-star chef to keep your dog healthy. I am here to support you in whatever situation you are in. There are many tricks to make healthy food affordable. Book a consultation with me if you are worried or even join the membership for lots of tips and advice. Life is difficult enough without adding more stress. If we can truly say we are doing the best that we can, then we are doing well enough!
