What should I feed my dog? (Part II - Who do you trust?)

Who do you trust?

It's an important consideration when considering what you'll feed your dog.

Gone are the days when dogs ate table scraps and their diet was given little, if any consideration. Dogs are treated as members of our families and addressing their well-being, including the food they eat, is part of our lives.

There's a rumor out there that veterinarians don't know much about canine nutrition and their training consists of dog-food-company-sponsored lectures of a day or two in vet school. While not quite accurate, it is true that most veterinarians don't specialize in nutritional considerations. And the controversy over raw feeding and BARF (Bones and Raw Food) feeding rages not only in the consumer sector, but in professional circles as well.

So - is your veterinarian's word final when it comes to your dog's food? No - but it should be considered. As should the opinion of your "dog friends" whose dogs are active, happy, healthy and look great. It can also be helpful to get the viewpoints of all the dog "professionals" you're in contact with - the breeder you got your puppy from, the groomer who makes your dog look great, the trainer who taught your obedience class.

All of them have found some feeding system, brand or company whose products they trust.

Listen to everybody. Ask why they do what they do. Follow up with online research of the brands, or methods that sound best to you. And then employ the most valuable tool you have - your common sense.

When I first heard about raw feeding, it was accompanied by phrases like "what wolves eat in the wild." Thinking about it - my dogs bear little, if any resemblance to wolves. And I found no research that wolves in the wild are particularly long-lived, or healthy. It may be that a raw diet is good for dogs (some people swear by it, too), but that reasoning wasn't good enough for me - it defied common sense.

And once your decision is made, don't rest on your laurels. News reports have been coming out almost weekly on dog food recalls, either enforced or voluntary, at various companies. Stay aware - it's not difficult these days. One of the most current sources for information is The Dog Food Advisor; you can even sign up for email alerts.


At our shop, Golly Gear, we don't carry dog food, so I have no stake in the argument. If/when we ever decide to carry dog food, I hope we'll use the same criteria we do for the treats we do stock. We know where they're made. We know all of the ingredients. The ingredient list is minimal. And the company stands by its products - as do we.

What should I feed my dog? (Part 1)

The one question every dog professional is probably asked most often is; "What food is best for my dog?"

And the absolute truth is that there is no best dog food. There are best choices for a particular dog, but there's no "easy button" for finding your dog's best food.

It takes some research to find it - and a check list of your and your dog's requirements.

Some checklist items you should consider before you go shopping:

1. Cost. Some people can afford to give their dogs the finest, imported Kobe beef. Most of us can't and wouldn't even if we could. Set a realistic budget for feeding your dog each week/month.
How big is your dog and how much does she eat? If you have a small dog that eats less than a cup of dry food a day, maybe a more expensive brand of food that meets all of your other requirements is worth considering. If you have a massive dog that eats several cups of food a day, you may have to consider less expensive choices.

2. Convenience. There is a trend these days toward raw food and/or freshly prepared, homemade dog food. It may be wonderful if you can fit it into your schedule and freezer, but it may not be an option for those who, more often than we'd like to admit, settle for cereal for dinner because we just don't have the time or energy to cook after work.

3. Quality. Another recent trend is to include ingredients that are "in the news" as providing health benefits. Blueberries and cranberries and oatmeal and on and on and on may be great foods, but does your dog's food need to include them? I tend to believe that fewer ingredients is better, but that's probably because I've tried, more than once, to figure out which ingredient is triggering my dog's allergies.
Also pay attention to where the food is made, and how. We've all been frightened by the tainted, imported dog foods. And many smaller dog food companies in this country use common packing facilities to make and package their products. This is called "co-packing." It means that while one company's food may be perfect for your dog, another company's recipe may contain ingredients you don't want, and it was made on the same equipment. Something to consider.

4. Health and Allergies. Is your dog sensitive or allergic to some foods? I have one dog that can't eat chicken and/or turkey and I have to scour the dog food labels to find products that exclude "poultry by-products." 

So what do we feed our dogs? Between my sister and I we have five dogs and feed them four different foods - because there is no "right" food for all of them. One has allergies, one has kidney issues, one's a puppy, and two (thank goodness) are normal, healthy adult dogs.