The Best Way to Feed Your Dog

What are you feeding your dog?

Is it the typical dead, crunchy kibble that is so popular? Kibble can be to dogs what fast food is to humans - it is convenient but not so healthy. No animal will thrive at its full potential if given the wrong food. Just like us, our pets are made up of living cells, and they need LIVING FOOD to nourish those cells!

While humans are meant to be herbivores, our dogs are meant to be omnivores. The chart below shows just a few examples of the differences between carnivores / omnivores vs herbivores.

The best food for dogs is a Biologically Appropriate Raw Food Diet. This diet consists of raw meats, finely ground raw bones, fruits and vegetables.

Most commercial dog foods contain large amounts of grains, fillers, chemicals and by-products. Dogs can not utilize these ingredients and the empty calories lead to obesity and other health problems. Dogs digest moisture through their intestines so even with fresh water available, kibble can lead to dehydration and urinary tract problems.

Carnivores / Omnivores	Herbivores
Long, sharp teeth capable of capturing prey	Flat molars for chewing
Claws capable of hunting and trapping prey	Hands for picking fruit and harvesting vegetables
Intestines are 3-6 times length of body	Intestines are 10-12 times length of body
Smooth intestines shaped like a pipe to allow meat to pass through quickly	Bumpy, winding intestines to allow plant foods to pass through slowly for optimal nutrient absorption
Jaw moves up and down to rip and tear flesh and swallow it whole	Jaw moves side to side and front to back, good for chewing and grinding
Stronger stomach acidity to break down animal flesh and kill viruses present in the meat	Stomach acidity not capable of killing viruses such as E. Coli and salmonella.
Eat up to 25% of their weight at a time	Humans can not eat a 40-pound steak...

Raw bones are very good for your dog and much safer than cooked bones which tend to splinter. Chewing on raw bones will keep your dog's teeth white and greatly reduce any halitosis.

You can start feeding your dog raw with either dehydrated meals or frozen meals. You will need to look online to see where they are available near you or you can order online in most cases. Feeding your dog raw foods will look like the cost is much greater. But, the food lasts longer than the typical dog food. With Sojo's, for example, one pound of food makes approximately five founds of fresh, raw dog food once it is re-hydrated. You also give less food to your dog because there are no fillers. You are just giving your pet high-quality, nutrition-filled food.

Here are some great raw foods for your dog. There are several varieties available. This is just a sample of what is offered. (Be sure to get the grain free varieties)

Sojo's Complete	The Honest Kitchen Force	Primal Pet Foods Canine Chicken Formula	BARF Juicy Chicken Recipe
Raw, Dehydrated	Raw, Dehydrated	Raw, Frozen	Raw, Frozen
Ingredients: sweet potatoes, USDA turkey, whole egg, broccoli, celery, apples, flax meal, pecans, tricalcium phosphate, pumpkin, cranberries, basil, dried alfalfa, ginger root, dried kelp, zinc sulfate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin D3	Ingredients: Dehydrated free-range chicken, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, alfalfa, organic kelp, honey, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, bananas, papayas, basil, garlic, rosemary, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.	Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Necks, Ground Chicken Bones, Chicken Hearts, Organic Kale, Organic Carrots, Organic Yams, Chicken Livers, Organic Broccoli, Organic Apples, Organic Ground Flaxseed, Cranberries, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Parsley, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Kelp, Alfalfa, Mixed Tocopherols (source of vitamin E).	Ingredients: Chicken, Finely Ground Bones, Chicken Liver, Egg, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach, Carrot, Ground Flax Seed, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Apple, Pear, Grapefruit, Orange, Dried Kelp, Cayenne Pepper, Cod Liver Oil, Garlic, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide
sojos.com	thehonestkitchen.com	primalpetfoods.com	barfworld.com

Most of these brands can also be ordered on a convenient website, www.petflow.com. On PetFlow you can place your order online and have the food shipped right to your door. You can even set up an auto-delivery schedule that fits your needs! This is the option that I use because the closest store that sells healthy dog food is 45 minutes away. Now, Jesse's food is delivered to our door and we pay the same amount we did at the store (including shiping) and now we don't have to pay for the gas.

Meet my dog, Jesse. He is a rescue dog and was obviously neglected and very hungry. When we first got him, we fed him regular dog food because we didn't know any better. He had some apparent reactions to the corn that was in the foods. After doing some research, we found out about feeding him raw foods. We knew raw food was what humans needed, but hadn't put two and two together yet!

We started feeding him Sojo's Complete and The Honest Kitchen. We switched back and forth between the two but decided on Sojo's Complete because the chunks are bigger. We also give him "table scraps" - but our table scraps are healthy ones! When I am preparing our meal, I will toss him pieces of tomatoes, apples, carrots, the crunchy part of romaine lettuce, zucchini, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, and even kale and collard stems! He loves it all! We have even caught Jesse sneaking some compost while we are juicing and stealing veggies from our garden!!!

After switching Jesse to a raw food diet, all of his digestive issues went away! He is full of energy and the vet commented on how healthy his teeth and coat are. He loves to run and play and get out all of his energy. He is one healthy dog!

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SOURCES:
http://www.vetinfo.com/dogs-eat-naturally.html
http://www.longliveyourdog.com/careguide/carebehavior/carebehaviorcanine/TheDietofWildDogs.aspx