So glad you asked!
I strongly urge you to do some research on the benefits of feeding dogs and cats a raw food diet. You can start by going to any search engine and typing in BARF (for Bones and Raw Food). Another classic resource is a book called "Give Your Dog a Bone". Unfortunately, I can't recall the author's name, since I passed my copy on to a friend, but he is an Australian vet who challenges most conventional wisdom regarding dog food and makes some interesting points.
First of all, dogs are not designed to eat grain, yet grain is a major component of many, if not most, commercial dog foods. Starch consumption has many of the same effects on dogs as it does on humans - they're prone to obesity, they have gas, low energy, etc. And keep in mind that pet food companies are trying to push product - they tend to recommend a daily feeding amount that exceeds the dogs caloric needs . In the wild, dog species eat whatever they can get, and I'm pretty sure it's not corn or wheat. Instead, it's bone, meat, ripe fruit that's fallen off the tree, grass, roots. Have you ever given your dog fruit? They love it! Bananas and melons (most cats adore melon, by the way), peeled apples (skins bitter), any stone fruit without the stone - it makes the tail wag big time.
An ever increasing number of top quality breeders are turning to a raw food diet for their dogs, realizing that it produces optimum health. Vets, like doctors, are more resistant to anything that goes against the grain (hah!) of what they've been indoctrinated to believe, so be cautious. Remember, vet schools receive an extraordinary amount of funding from pet food companies, and practices are inundated with samples and promotional incentives for pushing product, it's only natural for them to pitch it. I take my puppies to a holistic vet, who actively encourages a raw food diet for his patients. If you get a negative reaction from your current vet, I urge you to contact a homeopathic, holistic, naturopathic practice and talk to them.
My personal experience? I have two Bernese Mountain Dogs, one almost four, the other just a year. They eat four raw chicken wings and approximately one cup of raw veggie mix a day apiece, plus a couple of biscuits. They also split a banana in the morning when they get their vitamins (omega-3 fatty acids for the skin, E and C for the immune system). Doesn't sound like much food for two ninety pound dogs, does it? Yet they're active, lean, bright-eyed, with glossy coats. Most people, upon first meeting them, remark on how clean their teeth are and that their breath isn't offensive. This breed is prone to overweight, joint problems and immune system deficiency. Once they reach a year old, they tend to become very plodding, but every time we take ours to the off leash area, at least one person remarks on how fit and lean our dogs are. We hear comments like, "I didn't know that breed could run!" and, "Is that dog full grown?" all the time. And when Gus goes in for his annual wellness check up, Dr. does bloodwork to make sure there are no hidden nutrional defiencies, kidney problems, thyroid problems, etc. So far, he's in peak health.
One more thing. My younger dog's breeder was opposed to my feeding him my homemade diet until he was a year old, fearing it wouldn't provide adequate nutrion for proper development. We went to a first year birthday for the litter a few weeks ago. The other owners were amazed at how coordinated and agile Pilgrim was, their pups were still stumbling over their owns paws. And there was only one pup, the lone female, that wasn't heavier than Pilgrim. No development problems here.
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