Puppy Food

(Sorry for the long post but please read)

I recently got a new puppy (maltese cross lhasa apso) Shes soooo gorgeous.
As you may remember, my last puppy died because of congenital diseases, and i want tio make sure that this puppy has no chance of developing any diseases or getting sick or not enough nutrition.
Therefore, i pose this question to my fellow animal lovers :

Is store bought pet food as good as the pet food from the vet?
What pet food do you feed your happy and healthy puppy/dog?

The vet reccommended Eukanuba and Iams, but at almost thirty dollars for 2 kilograms, i really cannot afford to buy it.
Instead, i have bought her Supercoat puppy food (which is endorsed by Dr Harry, out of interest) and My Dog tinned food.
Oh and she gets Pedigree Puppy Porrige, which she adores!
is this adequate for her nutrition, are the foods im buying high enough quality etc? I paid for the more expensive brands for her so i hope that im paying for quality and nutrition.

i just really want my puppy to be healthy, and i now she cannot be fully healthy by eating the generic no-name cheapo foods, thus i spent a little more than i normally would have (Dry food was $10 for 2 kilo's, tinned food $3 a tin)

I was just worried about her as i was feeding her all Pedigree foods, and she seemed to be too thin, so i switched her to the higher quality stuff and she has ahd a lot more energy and is fattening up

Any replies are really appreciated

thanks guys

(PS Has anyone Ever noticed how even buying DOG FOOd these days is more confusing than trying to decipher the meaning of life??????)


anyhoo

thanks... sorry again for the long post :&


peace


ash

 

I've found that medium priced dog foods, along with dog vitamins, is usually just as good as the high priced stuff that you get at the vet. I have a dog that is old and has a lot of health problems, and she does just as well on Pedigree and other medium-priced foods as she does on the expensive stuff-I also give her dog vitamins and glucosamine for her hip. I had a cat that had certain health problems and she just didn't do well unless she got IAMS or Science Diet, that kind of food. The thing about cats is that if they eat IAMS, etc., they won't eat as much of it, as it has more nutrition per ounce and their systems don't need as much of it. That's not the case usually with dogs.

 

i like the Nutro brand or Royal Canin (both can be found at petsmart or online). even the dog food at the vet's office, like Science Diet, contains animal byproducts and that is not healthy. look for a brand where the first ingredient is meat, not meat based, but meat. and it should contain NO byproducts. My dogs eat both those brands i suggested (nutro wet food and royal dry food) and they LOVE it and their coats have never looked better. its just a tad more expensive, i think a bag of puppy royal canin is around $8 but thats just a few dollars more than the shitty brands in the supermarket. my dogs mostly eat the wet food tho (they dont like dry but they have rawhides everyday to keep their teeth healthy and strong) and the cans are like $1.15 each. I spend an average of $35 dollars a week on my dogs and cats between food, toys and treats. not too bad. i prefer to feed them natural meat, free range which i used to get online but money has been tight lately and i cannot afford it right now.

btw, IAMS supports animal testing and subjects dogs and cats to a life living in a cage in a lab being tested on. i will not support iams.

 

all about dog food
http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/

 

Feeding my dog Eukanuba, Iams, and other "high protein" dog foods caused her to have kidney stones by the time she was four years old. Now she's on a prescription diet for the rest of her life. Hill's dogfoods are really low quality (Science Diet, etc) even if they are really expensive and sold by your vet. Nutro is good, and there are some others. Look at the ingredients. You want one that has an expiration date (not required by law, but important nonetheless) and one that is preserved with Vitamin E instead of chemicals. And you want a dog food with ingredients that you would eat, not meat by-products. Dogs also need bones and fur in their diet, some breeds need green veggies.


If I had it to do all over again with a new puppy, I'd do the BARF (bones and raw foods) diet and make my own dogfood.

 

Like Elle said, IAMS is terrible. Please do not buy from them. They have done cruel test after test where dogs and cats have died. What do you expect from scum like Proctor and Gamble?

www.iamscruelty.com

They (companies) do have vegetarian dog food, even in regular stores now. My dog was on Nature's Choice Healthy Skin Formula, but he likes Evolution Kibble better. You can also make your own dog food with VeggieDog formula. Also, you can many times water down dry food until it absorbs the water, it helps get more water into the dog's diet.
Please research this before thinking you can just feed your dog carrots and potatoes. It doesn't work like that. I wouldn't compromise my dog's health.

When we got my dog from the shelter, he had been on shelter food, including IAMS (shelter works on donations). His coat was kind of rough, he had very little hair on his feet. When we switched his food, his coat got healthier and silky, he grew more thick soft hair around his neck, and he grew hair on his feet where there was none (he now loves his feet and is always grooming them to keep them pretty). He is very happy and healthy. His vet check ups are fine.

This is just my experience. There is a new vegetarian dog food out. Go to the website link I posted and it's right there. Also, there is dog food (vegetarian and not) at he health food store. It tends to not have as many preservatives, chemicals, etc.)

Please be aware that many companies sell animal meat that is NOT human grade, from what they call the "4 D's"- Dead, Dying, Disabled, Diseased. All kinds of crap is in meat dog food. Stuff that you wouldn't touch. Be sure to not giveit to your dog.

 

Is store bought pet food as good as the pet food from the vet?

>It depends on what store. Grocery store food is mainly corn. Not much nutritional value for dogs in corn. Vets also get paid (in my understanding) to recommend certain brands that may or may not be the best food. I suggest going to a feed supply store or petstore to buy your dogfood.

What pet food do you feed your happy and healthy puppy/dog?

>I feed my dogs Canidae. http://www.canidae.com/
It's usually $30 for 40 pounds at my local petstore. Other brands that I reccomend (but they are more expensive) are Innova, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, and Merricks.

 

My parents make the dog's food from scratch, and he's fit and happy as can be. He's also vegetarian.

 

Badwolf- do they use veggiedog? It has enzymes and stuff in it that's good for dogs.

 

The majority of pet foods on the market are of sub-standard quality. Iams and Eukanuba aren't much different than Science Diet and the other stuff at the vet..it all contains corn and by-products. Granted, they are slightly higher quality than the true junk like Ol Roy and Purina Puppy chow, but only by a slight margin.

When people say, "my baby does just as well on the cheap stuff as the expensive stuff", the first question I ask is "What expensive food did you try." They often answer "Iams" or "Eukanuba" or "Science Diet." These are NOT expensive or high quality foods. They are mid range foods.

Honestly, there's not a huge difference between a mid range food (Iams) and a LOW range food like Ole Roy. However, there is a HUGE difference between a mid range food and a Super Premium like Innova. And I mean huge. The problem is that your average pet owner has never even HEARD of the super premiums because they aren't sold at any many stream stores. You aren't going to find Super Premiums at PetSmart or Petco. You're going to have to go to a feed-store or order them online.

Most pet stores do sell some of the higher-mid range foods like Nutro, which is a good choice if you can't afford the top quality stuff.

Another problem I've noticed is that most pet owners don't know how to read the labels. They don't know how much protein or fat a "good" food should have. Even a lot of vets aren't terribly knowledgeable about it. I can't count how many vets out there recommend Science Diet even though it contains ground corn (which is undigestable to dogs.)

If you love your babies, do them the justice of feeding them a quality food. It won't be any more expensive than the cheaper foods in the long run (due to the fact that the expensive foods are more nutrient rich and therefore you don't have to feed as much food.)

I feed Innova Evo and have had wonderful results with it. In my opinion, it's the best on the market. I pay $28 for a 13lb bag and it lasts forever. My dog looks awesome and I get compliments on him all the time.

Other good foods are Solid Gold, Chicken Soup For the Dog Lover's Soul, and Canidae.

Take a look:



Whole Dog Journal publishes a list of top dog foods every year. I wouldn't feed ANYTHING that isn't on that list.

Here are the criteria on that list:


WDJ’s Dry Dog Food Selection Criteria

• We look for foods that contain a lot of high-quality animal proteins. We
would love manufacturers to disclose the approximate percentage of meat, poultry,
or fish in their food, but they rarely do, so we look for foods that appear to have lots
of animal protein. Ingredients are listed in order or their weight, so ideally a food
will have one or two animal proteins in the first few ingredients. Understand that
whole meat (chicken, beef, lamb, etc.) contains a lot of water weight. If a food list
starts out with chicken, and there is no other animal protein listed until 7th or 8th on
the list, the food does not actually contain a lot of animal protein. But if it starts out
with chicken, and chicken (or another animal) “meal” (essentially dehydrated chicken)
is number two or three on the list, chances are the product contains an admirable
amount of animal protein. Animal proteins tend to be more digestible and palatable
than plant proteins and offer a wider array of essential and nonessential amino acids.
• We reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products.
It’s just about impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products used by a food
manufacturer. We’ve spoken to representatives who swore they used only the finest
sources of by-products, but when asked, they all say that! The fact is, there is a much
wider range of quality in the by-products available for pet food manufacturing than
there is for whole meats. Whole meats are expensive, and because they are expensive,
dog food makers insist on their quality to an extent that is unreasonable when
buying bargain-basement by-products. So, because the quality cannot be confirmed,
we advise that you just avoid foods that contain by-products. NOTE: Some of our
past selections do contain meat and/or poultry by-products. To winnow down our
list to the very best foods possible, we no longer select products that contain meat or
poultry by-products.
• We reject foods containing fat or protein not identified by species. “Animal
fat” is a euphemism for a low-quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin.
“Meat meal” could be practically anything.
• We look for the use of whole grains and vegetables. That said, some grains
and vegetables have valuable constituents that accomplish specific tasks in a dog
food formula. We don’t think it’s worth getting too excited about one vegetable
fragment and one grain by-product on the ingredients panel. Our tolerance diminishes
in direct proportion to the number of fragments and by-products contained in
a food and the prominence on a label; the more there are, and/or the higher they
appear on the ingredients list, the lower-quality the food.
• We eliminate all foods with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives listed
on their ingredients panels. NOTE: Some ingredients – usually fats, and some fish
products – arrive at the pet food factory containing artificial preservatives; these do
not have to be disclosed on the ingredient list, since the maker did not add them.
• We eliminate all foods with added sweeteners. Dogs, like people, enjoy sweet
foods. Like people, they can develop a taste for these nutritionally empty calories.


I hope this helps a bit...if anyone would like the list of top foods, feel free to PM your email addy and I'd be glad to send it to you.

You might also check out this "dog food comparison tool"

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=comp-wiz

 

We use Eukanuba or IAMs. We used inferior food to "save money" and we had health problems in our dogs. Expensive problems which the difference in cost in dogs foods and suffering in the dogs were not worth it. With the "breeder foods" like IAMs we have had nothing but good results. One of the reasons people have dogs with protien problems are that they either buy the wrong food. Large dogs need Large dog forumula, small dogs need small dog formula ect. Also, giving an adult dog puppy food or a puppy adult food can cause similar problems. Also, people tend to give their dogs too much table food, which messes with the forumlation of the dog's needs. If the dog food gives the dog all the protein they need (and dogs NEED more concentrated protein than humans do) then table food could raise the amount of protein in their diet.

My dd is a Vet Tech, and she has seen that most of the people who say "My dog doesn't get table food." are not being truthful. (Considering she cleans up their puke, and a dog who "never gets table food" shouldn't have hot dogs, vegetables, cake and other human food in their puke.)

I guess doing research is a good idea. I have not seen that Eukenuba harms dogs. My concern is that my dogs get good, scientific nutrition. I used the cheap food, and had less than good results (ug, soy protein farts NOT what was meant for a food for dogs, IMO) so I'm sticking with what I think is best for my dogs.

People who love their dogs need to research dog NUTRITIONAL needs and then decide.

Oh. The info that IAMs kills dogs came from......PETA. No further comment is neccesary.

Uh, you want to tell me HOW they can know what is an appropriate diet for a dog, if the food isn't GIVEN to a dog? Sheesh.

I suppose we could all give our dogs a totally unnatural diet, like carrots or something like that, and have them die or Kwashikor. (As my dd and the Vet she has worked with has seen in "Vegetarian Dogs." They die. Or get serious health problems cause by a lack of proper protein intake.) Dogs eat meat IN THE WILD. You dog does not have your "emotional conscience" to become a vegetarian. I would say if you object to meat strongly enough to not have it in your heart to give it to an animal who needs it, than it is probalby best to get an animal who ONLY eats vegetables in the wild. Bunnies and Iguanas do this. Dogs and cats do not.

I have a problem with feeding live food to animals (although my Malamutes sometimes do kill animals on their own. It's their nature.) So, we don't have a snake, although my 17 year old dd like them. The feeding of these animals is something I am not comfortable with. So instead of trying to keep a snake alive on food which is innappropriate for her, we don't have a snake.

As for Glucosamine. It can be very effective for animal arthritis, however, it is NOT absorbed orally. It must be given by injection to have any effect. You Vet can do this. It really helps. But giving oral Glucosamine supplements to a dog really won't help him all that much. It is expensive and you would do better getting the injection. I've seen it work well.

 

peta suports in house animals testing. such as giving foods to animals already in a home to test it out willingly. iams keeps dogs and cats living lives in cage in a lab. no animal should have to live in a cage. that is why i will never support iams. the food i use is a good brand which my vet reccomends (no byproducts which i feel is important.....iams and science diet does contain byproducts). i have compared their puppy food to their adult dog food and it seemed to me the same ingredients with only more fat and protein in the puppy food....i could be wrong about that tho. when it comes to my dog's food they will only eat soft food (they have daily rawhides to keep their teeth strong and clean) and they pretty much demand a different "kind" or "flavor" every few days. if i continue to feed them the beef kind, for instance, they get sick of it and will not eat it. i have to change it up everyweek to keep them eating. and sometimes in order to do that i have to buy a can or "large breed" for both dogs (one of my dogs is toy size). i have not seen any cans that are specifically for "small breeds" and even so my dogs will not eat seperately. they will eat togther off the same plate no matter how hard i try to seperate their food. they are picky.

 

I don't know about the cage thing. Many breeders keep dogs in cages. We crate train, but the dogs are NOT in the crate all day. I know very good breeders who have only indoor cages, with concrete floors. I am not saying I'd do this with my dogs, but many of these dogs were destined for Euthinasia before dog food companies got them. At least they are alive and getting fed well. Maybe not the best of conditions, but how many dogs and how often do they do this?

Yes, puppies need more protein per pound of body weight than adult dogs, as they are growing. But not TOO much, large dogs grow slowly, so they can develop joint disease if given too much. Be careful when changing foods. Many dogs get intestinal upset when their food is changed. When we go from pup to "Big boy" or Big Girl" food, we do it gradually.

Wet food makes my dogs have the shits, and I only use it for flavor and fun added to their dry. But, every dog is different.


Hmmm. My dogs have beautiful coats on IAMs and Eukanuba. There are other things which effect the coat than just diet. I do agree, dogs are not religiously carnivores. They are "Opportunivores" with a diet in the wild heavy on meat. Look at what wolves eat. Dogs are simply domesticated wolves. In fact, you cannot look at the DNA from a dog and dicern it from a wolf. Soy protein, as far as my own research has gone is not appropriate for a dog. Not in any quantity.

Here's what is in Sweetie's IAM's Lamb and Rice food. (Mals tend to have an ingrown problem with eating anything (which is how my Akasha died, as her "Beta" named Floozy had just died. Flooz stopped her from eating too many wild animals and she Akasha died from the bacteria in the gut of a ready to go into hibernation woodchuck. Which wouldn't have happened if her "Beta" had been there, and if she hadn't hidden the woodchuck from her Alpha, my dh.) Anyway, as Mals often have diarhea because they eat like pigs, we often use Lamb and Rice to control this. When the weather is cool, he doesn't have this problem, so we use Large Breed.

Here's what's in Lamb and Rice:

Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Corn Meal, Whole Grain Sorghun, Gound Whole Grain Barley, Chicken, with mixed Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric acid, Chicken by product (OK one by product) Natural Chicken Flavor, Potassium Cloride (great for circultory function) Egg Product, Brewer's Yeast, Salt and then a bunch of vitamins and some beet powder, and Rosemary Extract

This food is 22% protein. I beleive the Large Breed Forumla is a about 18 or 17 % protein. Sometimes we mix them, which our vet said was OK. He also said that he would put Sweetie on that Nutro stuff, if he developed a corn allergy. Malamutes don't get too much allergy.

Anyway, as in Infant Formula, I think using a preformulated product is better, (of course, in infants, human milk is ALWAYS the best) as you will not miss an essensial nutrient.

As with all things, every dog is different. IAMs and Eukanuba are not the only games in town. You may find something else which works better for yor dog. But, I would avoid the Purina crap and NEVER buy stuff like the generic. It's nothing but soybean meal and garbage. The gas alone this food gives your dog should tell you something. Things like Bountiful and Kibbles and Bits and Bits and Bits are silly. Dogs don't care what color thier food is. There is no reason to put artificial food coloring in your dog food.

We also use some wet food. Also IAMs or Eukenuba. This is for flavor and also because we have a puppy (half Lab, half something else, she was Rescue Dog) and this gives her more nutrients, and our Vet OKed this.

Do your own research and feed your pup well.

 

Elle, if your dogs eat together, this is great (as long as they are all immunized, I wouldn't let a puppy, without her third immunization eat with older dogs. JMO. I don't like immunizing children, but I do this to my dogs, as it is a different thing entirely.) If your dogs eat together they have nice personalities and will probably not get food aggresive. It is OK, as long as one of the dogs is not sick and they are on the same diet.

Just stay away from Cat Food for dogs. Some people do this, as dogs like it. But there is WAY too much protien in Cat Food, as cats ARE totally carnivores, and it can cause horrible problems with their joints and their kidneys.

I checked, my IAM's Puppy formula has 28% proten. Sweetie is a large breed dog, so he was on puppy food for 2 years, but Luna is a Lab, so we will start changing her over to Big Girl Food around a year. We aren't sure when she is a year, she was a rescue, but we have an idea.

Your dogs sound sweet. What kind are they? Do you have pix?

 

We raise sled dogs and feed the same food to puppies as we do adult dogs. From my experience by far the best dogfood I've used is Redpaw. We use the mid grade 32/20 kibble. (32% crude protien / 20% crude fat) The kibbles are small enough for puppies. This high protein food is made for working dogs so may not be the best for the average suburban house dog, but in my opinion you couldn't feed a puppy better.

Redpaw 32/20 Kibble

Crude Protein Min.32%
Crude Fat Min.20%
Crude Fiber Max.3.5%
Moisture Max.10%

Metabolizable Energy: 1725 Kcal/pound or 3795 Kcal/Kg
Calculated Energy Basis: 31% protein, 43% fat, 26% carbohydrate

INGREDIENTS: Fish Meal, Ground Corn, Poultry Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Pork Meat and Bone Meal, Pork Blood Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Poultry By-Product Meal, Brewer's Rice, Fish Oil, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Flaxseed, Salt, Potasium Chloride, Lactobacillus Acidophilis, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Lactobacillus Salivarius, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Pyrdoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate (source of Vitamin K activity), Biotin, Zinc Oxide, Iron Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Oxide, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Selenite.
Available in 40# bags.
Redpaw 32K is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages of the dog.

Feeding Guidelines:

Every dog's fuel requirements are influenced by many factors including age, breed, weight, work, (also including temporary conditions like stress, temperature, etc.). A dog should normally be fed one time per day. Under conditions of high-energy output or stress (working dog, puppy, breeding dog) it may be beneficial to feed the dog two times per day. The working dogs digestion and performance could be improved if a portion of the daily feed ration is given in the morning. The remaining portion of the dog’s daily needs would then be fed in the evening (At least 6 hours after the first feeding of the day).

It is not necessary to do a gradual mix of Redpaw dog food and another brand. We recommend switching feeds directly from one to the other. We suggest that you monitor your dog’s weight and adjust the feeding amount as needed. A pregnant or nursing female will require 2-3x the amount listed below and is important to break this daily ration into more than one meal.

The addition of cold water to the feed just prior to feeding will increase palatability, provide the dog with fresh water, and aid in digestion and hydration. We recommend that you always provide your dog with free access to clean fresh water.

Recommended ration:
Weight (lbs.) cups/day
20-30 1 to 1½
30-40 1½ to 2
40-60 2 to 2½
60-80 2½ to 3
80-100 3 to 3½

http://www.redpawfeed.com

 

that's good to know. my dogs DO love my cat's food and sometimes I will catch them eating it here and there and i usually just let them since i thought it was harmless ( i thought cat food just contained more fat and that is why dogs like it so much) but from now on i should probably try to keep them away from it. actually when we brought lily home she had food agression with my other dog but gradually it went away as she realized she did not have to compete for food like in the shelther she was in. what happens is that if i try to feed them seperately they will each go over to the food the other is eating because they think that it must be better or something if the other is eating it.....the grass is always greener i guess. so i just ended up putting their food on one big plate since it always ended up the same way. daisy is a 10 year old english setter and lily is a 1.5 year old toy fox terrier mix (i think). i've posted pics of them before but i will probably post more soon as i think im adopting another needy furbaby and will def be posting pics of the new arrival. im so excited......im waiting on my application to run it's course.

 

I don't know much about dogs or their food needs aside from the fact that purebreeds tend to have more health problems than mixes and mutts, but I can give you one tip that will definitely be helpful. Do not under any circumstances feed your dog Ol Roy. An old friend of ours raised pit bulls and fed them that because it was cheap, but didn't seem dirt cheap (what you'd expect to pay for absolute crap), but his dogs were looking sickly, so he took one up to the vet and the vet solved that case immediately after asking about their diet. Apparently it's really bad for dogs, doesn't give them the nutrients they really need, and a lot of dogs around here have been getting terribly ill because of it. We feed our dog Purina small dog chow (I think, I never really pay attention to the bag) and she seems to be doing just fine with it(not to mention the occassional table scrap treat, hehe.), but she's a miniature schnauzer, so she is a small dog. We've always gone for Purina and never had dogs get ill from food-related problems, though I can't lie to you and say we haven't had some dogs get very ill otherwise, they were both cocker spaniels, a breed that due to inbreeding has many genetic defects and gets sick easily. You can't guarantee your dog won't get sick, but it is great you're doing everything you can to keep her the happiest and healthiest she can be. Be sure to research anything out of the ordinary like a vegetarian diet for her, though, and research it well so that if you decide to take that path, you do it the healthiest way possible. I personally don't agree with that method, but if the dog is healthy and happy, that's all that matters.

 

Yeah, I had a vet once tell me that Ol'Roy (as well as pretty much ANY other generic food) was "mostly newspapers and beaks". Uch! Our dogs usually get Pedigree. I know it's not the GREATEST food out there, but they like it and they're healthy. In fact, it's the only food we've ever used that our little terrier mutt even WILL eat. She's damn picky, and for a long time we were buying all the really good food, and she was just skinny as hell, refusing to eat much (tried spacing out different flavors, even mising it with wet for her). One time we were out and couldn't afford it, so we got the Pedigree, and she loves it! As long as my animals are healthy and happy, I don't complain.

 

I agree. Old Roy is garbage. Literally. It is the crap they sell at WalMart. Yuck.

I always separate my dogs while they are being fed. None of my dogs are food aggresive, but the more dominant ones will try to steal food from the others. If your dogs are happy eating from the same bowl, and you are positive they are all getting enough food, then keep doing what you are doing.

If you add a new dog to your Pack, feed him separately for a while. Also I follow a "You have 15 minutes to eat." rule. If a dog is hungry, they will eat quickly, it is their nature. Letting them "graze" like you do with a cat or a toddler can lead to digestive problems and other animals in the house stealing their food.

Blessings

 

My dog is fed a RAW prey-model diet. I am happy that I can be sure she is recieving proper nutrition. She will be pregnant soon and I am ecstatic to be able to feed her naturally and have her puppies be as healthy as they can be. I am keeping a puppy from the litter and want him to be a prime example of his breed, and diet is often a major influence on a dog's behaviour. My dog's breeder had a litter on raw and she said they were the nicest puppies she's ever raised.

I disagree with kibble personally, but I understand that the majority of people are not educated or do not have the time to prepare meals, nor the space if they have several dogs. It can be difficult but I will never go back to kibble. The minute I got my dog I wanted to switch her to raw, but didn't have a freezer. So for the months I waited for a freezer, I suffered through kibble after kibble, never finding one that was right for my dog. When I switched her the change was amazing. She gained weight, her coat grew thick and shiny (thick is not usually a product of a raw diet, but we were lucky), her teeth whitenened, she became more focused and attent on me/less "ADHD," her energy imrpoved, etc. I'll never go back to kibble.

Most vets know nothing about nutrition. They spend a few hours learning about nutrition and the course is taught by Science Diet representatives. Science Diet also helps pay for their tuition and gives them free dog/cat food while they are in college on the agreement that the vets will sell/endorse their products.