The Three Dog Blog » Dog Food

The top 10 Dog Foods

Three Dog Blogger — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:19:00 +0000

Not anything to do with Dog training online today. I want to know what you think are the ten best Dog foods. I will get to my top 10 Dog foods in a little while. First I want to talk a little about what we feed our Dogs, why we do it, and the buzz of late over ensuring that we give them a balanced diet.

Anyone who reads this Dog blog on occasion (subscribe to get each new post via the easy ways to the right) knows that I am a firm advocate of raw meaty bones for Dogs.

I still get comments and emails talking about the fact that people who have fed their Dogs have been killed or had to have operations. Upon further enquiry about the bones for Dogs that they gave them it is always the same reply. It was a cooked bone! Never, under any circumstances, give a Dog a cooked bone. They can block their intestines, pierce them, splinter in to tiny shards that can kill them and are so brittle that you are asking for trouble.

Raw meaty bones are completely different. They are easily digested and are a fantastic way to clean Dog’s teeth.

The Advantages Of Raw Bones For Dogs

A few weeks or a month or so ago we had gone through a phase of no raw bones for the Dogs. Jet-ski the youngest one started to get bad breath and I could see discoloring on all the three girls’ teeth. This was the first time in two years that the older ones had ever had anything but perfectly white teeth.

Raw bones perform so many tasks of given as regular as possible.

They clean your Dogs teeth and will stop expensive teeth cleaning or extraction in later years.
They completely eliminate bad Dogs breath. Clean teeth equals clean breath. If you don’t believe me then do this. If your Dog has bad breath then give it a RAW bone every day for a week. It’s bad breath will be gone.
Less stools to clean up. Rather than the brown mush so many Dogs produce if we feed strictly bones for a few days then the stools are really infrequent, almost white, and much smaller. This is a known fact if you feed Dogs raw bones. THey do not need an equivalent weight in bones as they do in Dog food. They can be fed less, they absorb so much more of what they are given and the stools are compact, small, and do not smell any where near as bad.
Raw bones clean through a Dogs colon and keep the Dogs anal glands emptied. Many Dogs scoot along the floor before their glands need emptying. This involves a smelly visit to the vets or a smelly time at home if you are brave enough. Raw bones will keep the glands emptied and healthy.

There are loads more benefits to raw meaty bones but these are some of the most important.

Many people have asked where to buy raw bones for Dogs. Either ask in your supermarket but much better is to support your local butchers. Start buying some meat from your butchers and keep their store running. At the same time ask about some bones for your Dog. Regular custom will probably see you getting them very cheaply if not free. You can’t get better than free Dog food.

The Myth Of Dog Foods And Balanced Diets

Many people make homemade Dog food and those that do often obsess over giving their Dogs a balanced diet. Those of us that buy ready made Dog food never really consider this. We assume that the ratios are perfect. The objection to making homemade Dog food or feeding raw bones to Dogs is often based on the fact that people assume they will make their Dog unhealthy by not giving them the exact ratios of vitamins, minerals, proteins or Carbs.

I say nonsense. Do you eat a perfect diet? No, you don’t. Neither do I.

Next time you buy your dried Dog food that is magically perfect for your Dog as well as all other Dogs take a look at the other supposedly best Dog foods in the store. They will all have different ratios but will all be touted as the perfect mix.

Dogs, by nature, will gorge on whatever is available. The grassy contents of a herbivores stomach, a pile of dead chickens, fruit etc.

When we go walking our Dogs jump up at trees to eat cherries, at the moment they are in to eating blackberries straight of the wild bushes that are all over the place. They are opportunists and will naturally eat what is available.

Do you think that by only giving them raw bones for a few days is going to make them more or less healthy? What do you think will effect a Dogs life more?

An infected and rotted mouth full of decaying teeth or a few days of total enjoyment as they munch through some health giving bones?

I think we put way too much emphasis on finding that perfect ratio of food. As long as things are kept in a general balance you really don’t need to become so obsessive about it.

Why We Buy Dog Food

I am as guilty of it as everyone else.

Partly we have been indoctrinated to assume the only way we can give a balanced diet to our Dogs is to buy a ready made Dog food. I feed a dried food to my Dogs because of the convenience. They have bones quite often as a meal and other times it is a brand called Brokaton.

It is inexpensive at 11 euros for a 20kg sack and lasts a good few weeks. I have looked at the so-called better Dog foods and the ratios are all over the place for them so I picked a middle ground and I am happy with it. Some Dogs need specific foods I know, but unless they have a real dietary problem or need, do you think you need to spend the crazy prices some people do for Dog food?

The reason many of us feed ready made Dog foods is simply because we don’t want the chore of making it for them and we worry we may get ir wrong.

There are a million Dog food recipes to make at home on the Internet so there really is little to worry about. If you are concerned about what goes in to Dog food why not start making your own. We worry way too much about giving them a perfect diet.

On to what this post is all about.

The 10 Best Dog Foods

I would really like for you to give your 10 best Dog foods in the comment section so feel free to leave what you think are the best Dog foods. Here is what mine are:

RAW MEATY BONES
Raw chicken, including necks, wings, the whole carcass etc
Kitchen scraps
Any suitable dried Dog food
Olive oil
Free fruits
Fish (raw)
Eggs (raw)
Left over kitchen stock (liquid from boiling cabbage etc)
Any food we would otherwise throw out

I know that is not what you were expecting. You were expecting a list of the top then best Dog foods to look more like a list of the best Dog food brands. I really think that these brands are often overrated.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that in some cases certain breeds have very strict dietary requirements, but most Dogs can, and more importantly will, eat anything.

Do you throw boiled water that cooked potatoes away, Do you throw away slightly gone off fruit away. Do you, in fact throw any food away?

Dogs have completely different constitutions to us. They can happily eat food that would make us extremely, and violently, ill.

They work in a totally different manner to us and are built to eat food that is well past its best and raw meat with no ill effects.

Don’t think of your Dog as anything like you. Their dietary needs are different and they can eat so much more than we can.

How To Expand What Your Dog Eats

You may decide to implement what I have talked about here. If you do think that just feeding your favorite brand of Dog food day in and day out is not ideal and you can see the adverse consequences of such a restricted diet then here are a few pointers:

Introduce changes slowly. A Dog only ever fed one type of food will take a while to adjust.
Choose some good quality hard bones to start such as Beef bones from the leg. These are hard to chew, kepe the Dogs occupied for hours, and will be the best at cleaning their teeth and stopping that bad Dog breath.
Start adding the water you cook food in to the Dog food rather than just running it under the tap. You should make a conscious effort to add water to any pot or pan you have cooked in to gather up all the nutrient rich bits and pieces left over after cooking.
Replace expensive Dog treats with something you make yourself or buy a big bag of chicken wings. They will thank you for it no end.

The key is to start changing your Dogs boring and unfulfilling diet slowly. We still give dried food every day but they also get bones. If spoiled food does not go on the compost heap the Dogs get, and love, it.

Every time we make eggs or fry something or boil something the remains are scraped out and stored ready to be given to the Dogs at the appropriate time

Never give scraps to the Dogs unless it is their meal times. You don’t want begging Dogs. If your Dog does beg now then chances are it is because you have given it scraps at inappropriate times.

If they do not know what the food you are making tastes like then they won’t beg for it. Simple.

And The Best Dog Food Is…..

Obviously for me it is Raw bones. They don’t get hem as much as I would like but they are a large part of their diet. their coats will gleam, their teeth will be dazzling, they won’t poo as much and they will stay out of your way for hours every day munching away.

Try this slowly if you think that maybe just regular Dog food may not be the perfect way to go. I thank you.

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Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul – Know It, Love It, Win It!

Three Dog Blogger — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 08:21:34 +0000

This is a slight interruption to the online Dog training series. I never allow people to promote their products normally here but I received such a nice email from Sean that in this instance I made an exception. There is a great prize up for offer so please enter if you can. A winner will be picked randomly from the comments section next Saturday 15th at midday (for me in Spain) so feel free to leave a comment and hopefully win a prize. The following is a guest post from Sean representing Chicken Soup for the Pet lovers soul.

Any pet owner knows how important it is to feed your pet healthy, nutritious and nourishing food. Whether you allow your pet to eat freely with a constantly filled bowl or at specific times each day, making sure your pet is happy and full is one of the most important things.

Flash-forward to the next time to you realize that you’re running low on pet food. You take a look at the bag (or the empty Tupperware container you bought years ago that is now cracked and covered in food crumbs) and start to think, “Is this really the best food for my dog?” You may have done some research early on, but at some point your pet food became a part of your grocery shopping routine…and odds are that you probably don’t pay too close attention to what’s in the bag or can you’re buying.

Take a moment to think it over. Is it time to consider food that IS good for your pup? We think it is!

The folks over at Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, who proudly proclaim that their food “is holistically formulated for the well-being of your pet,” are teaming up with The Three Dog Blog to help make sure your dog is being fed as well as possible. To do this, they are supplying one Three Dog Blog reader with a “Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Prize Pack”, featuring a bunch of goodies…and of course, a sample of their pet food.

One, $30 gift card to PetFoodDirect.com to be used on whatever the winner’s pet needs are
One, sample of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul (formula of the winner’s choosing)
One, copy of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul book

So how do you win this fun prize pack? Well, it requires only a bit of self-educating towards the well-being of your dog. To enter:

Go to the Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul website: http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/.
Once there, take a look at their Pet Care tips (http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/pet_care/dogs/) and find one that you did not know about previously.
Then look through their various Dog Food options and pick the one that best fits your dog (http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/products/dogs/).
Once you’ve found your new Pet Care tip and Dog Food formula, post both in the comments section of this post.

At the end of the contest, I will randomly choose a winner and you will be shipped the prize pack! Better yet, you will have learned some new tips for taking care of your little friend AND potentially have some new food on the way.

Know your dog, love your dog…that’s the best way to do it!

(This contest is open to US, Canada and Mexico residents only.)

Good luck everyone and don’t forget to leave your comment before next Saturday.

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All Natural Dog Food – Homemade Dog Foods

Three Dog Blogger — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:23:30 +0000

The following is an interview my good friend Maggie graciously spent the time to answer. She and her partner feed their Dogs homemade Dog food. They feed what would be considered an “all natural Dog food diet”. In my post on homemade Dog foods I questioned many aspects of making food at home for the Dogs. I wondered just how much work it actually involves, how expensive it is, and just how time consuming is it to prepare yet another set of meals.

Maggie has been preparing healthy Dog foods for their two Dogs (hey dudes), for quite some time now. If you have ever wondered just what goes in to preparing homemade Dog foods, should it be cooked or raw, and the many questions that surround it then read this fascinating interview and a lot of your questions will answered.

Tell us a little about your Dogs
We have two – Gnasher and her son Spit. Our friend Nat the Leg found Gnasher in the road with 11 puppies and over 200 ticks, she had nasty chain marks around her neck too. She was quite difficult in the early days but always polite and affectionate. She is still assertive but thankfully now much more relaxed in her new life. Spit is a lean machine, always on the look out and just as affectionate but he has to pick his moments or else Gnasher will come and gnudge him out of the way!

Firstly what inspired you to make homemade Dog food?
We had had the dogs for about 6 months and I was (unusually!) browsing in the charity shops when I spied a book called “Give Your Dog a Bone” it was priced at 50pence so of course I could not leave it on the shelf.

The logic inside was irresistible:
• although dog behaviour has changed dramatically their entire digestive system and most importantly the way they utilise the food is fundamentally the same as it was when they were wild scavengers,

• that by serving cooked food you not only destroy most of the goodness available to your dog but you can convert parts into dangerous chemicals which promote cancer and other degenerative diseases over time,

• and finally that you would not expect to eat a perfectly balanced meal each time you sit down to a plate of food and nor should your dog.

Dr Billinghurst reckons pretty much any commercially manufactured dog food falls down on all these points (and more but don’t get me started!) It is cooked not raw so it’s a product your dog is not designed for and nor does it provide a balanced diet over a period of time as the dog would do in the wild.

Also as everything is mixed in one big dollop you may find too much of some essential elements and not enough of others and in any-case which ones will/can the dog digest with so much bombardment? It’s like a Russian roulette of feast or famine on a plate, every day. Would you do that?

Do you feed mostly raw food or a combination of the two?
We feed mostly raw food as recommended in the book. They call it BARF – Bones and Raw Food. He suggests 60% raw meaty bones balanced by a combination of lots of raw vegetables, some offal and meat, eggs yoghurt, brewers yeast, small amounts of grains and legumes and some table scraps. We do sneak in the odd bit of cooked food. For example they love chicken stock (no salt !) so I use that to mix in with lots of raw veg on the basis the veg is more important. I have a funny feeling Sir Alph knocks up the odd Dogbetti Bolognese when I’m not looking and one Christmas we made them a goats head stew (with eyes and tongue – dude, it was green!) and I have to tell you they went WILD.

Just a note re the raw veg, Spit has eaten it since early days and views it as normal grub but Gnasher is more suspicious so we have to disguise it more for her!

Was it easy to learn how to make all natural Dog food?
Yes! The difficulty is tracking the raw meaty bones. In England most butchers get their meat pre-prepared (don’t be fooled by those stripey aprons they probably have no idea how to gut a chicken!) and here in Spain they sell the bones for quite a lot of money. We rely heavily on chicken carcasses and whole chickens. Luckily our butcher is generous with their bones and they usually give us a doggy sack. In England we buy a product called Duck which is frozen raw food and then have to root around for bones to supplement it.

Does it take a lot of time to prepare homemade Dog foods?
Longer than shaking croc out of a bag. Depending on the meal it might take 10 or 15 minutes. We always remove the spikey bit (Do you want a video??** Mrs. Three Dog Blogger could oil us) from the leg bone of the chicken and although it’s tempting to chuck ‘em a carcass each we tend to chop them up a bit first. The veg meal is more of a palava. Dr Billinghurst says that the veg (or indeed fruit) should resemble to contents of a wild animals stomach –i.e.raw and totally crushed.

You have to break down the cellulose walls because dogs don’t digest cellulose so they get little to no value from the veg and they simply pass straight through (ever seen a bit of carrot in their poo after left over stew?) This means using a juicer, an old fashioned hand meat mincer (I have two!) or a food processor (providing you run it for long enough so it is crushed not just chopped). Other than that it can be like making mud pies which I have always enjoyed!

How long have you been feeding a non commercial diet to the Dogs?
About 5 years now and I cannot see us changing back.

Have you seen an improvement in Gnasher and Spit since you began feeding them
homemade Dog food recipes?
Well it’s tricky to say as we have been feeding it to them pretty much the whole time. People (and vets) often remark how good their teeth look, especially Gnasher who is about 8 now and could be the star player in any toothpaste advert that you care to mention. When we go to England I’m surprised at the number of times people say how fine they look and what do we feed them – but perhaps this is being doggie polite UK style?

At 6 months old Spit caught Lischmania which is a horrible degenerative disease of the Mediterranean. He is now 5, completely recovered and despite the life-long essentially toxic, treatment necessary to keep the parasites at bay he is fit and healthy and displays none of the long-term side effects such as slow to heal or skin problems.

One other thing – poo. Often people say to me, I can’t give my dog liver/bones/eggs as it will give them the runs. Never a problem here, all very consistent and easy to deal with, their system is used to a variety and can cope!

Do you think it is more expensive to feed the Dogs natural homemade Dog food
recipes?
It shouldn’t be but for urbanites it generally is, depending of course of how much you pay for your commercial food. It takes a bit of investigation but it is usually possible to find an inexpensive source of raw meaty bones and the rest is pretty cheap. I doubt if there is any data to support how much you might save on vet and especially dental bills by providing a BARF diet but there will be a balance somewhere there. Also as the book says, the commercial food gives out enough for the dog to get by on but it is later in life that things begin to tell. So I guess it’s a bit of an insurance against the future too.

Can you give us some examples of recipes for Dog food?
Well I use the book quite a lot, there are plenty in there and even a section for vegetarians. Other than raw meaty bones and chicken my standbys are:
• Chicken stock, crushed raw veg topped by a few speckles of mincemeat
• Yoghurt and raw egg
• Raw egg, veg and mincemeat (A.K.A Steak Tartare –Alphas pay good money for this in restaurants I tell them)

To all of the above I add a crushed kelp tablet and a teaspoon of brewers yeast which are the two supplements I use.

Would you recommend feeding homemade dog food for other Dog owners?
Yes, yes and yes and at the very minimum some raw meaty bones every week. When we do mess up and have to feed them some croc they are noticeably hyper-active afterwards, bit like kids after burgers and coke.

Anything you would like to add?
Thank you Mr Billinghurst for writing such a fab book – buy it!

Many thanks to Maggie for taking the time to answer my questions. As any regular readers know I have talked about the benefits of raw meaty bones for your Dogs teeth and the fact that it stops bad Dogs breath, as well as the many heath benefits. Maggie only confirms this with her experiences over the last five years.

It was Maggie who graciously opened our eyes to the benefits of raw bones by lending us the above mentioned book. We have not, however, switched to only making all natural Dog food. Learning how to make Dog food at home does not seem quite as complicated as I once thought and I am sure that after a few attempts it will become easier and easier. I am also quite surprised that the actual time taken to prepare the food is not longer, which definitely makes it easier to consider as an option.

Do you think preparing all natural Dog food that consists of mostly raw food is something you may now consider?

How about making sure you at least supply some raw meaty bones once a week?

May the Doggie Force be with you all,

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Homemade Dog Foods. Natural Homemade Dog Food

Three Dog Blogger — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:43:09 +0000

I have talked quite a bit amount the fact I like to feed the Dogs Raw Meaty Bones on occasion, as well as the Dogs eating Chicken Bones. I like to keep the feeding of the Dogs quite simple, partly from a time point of view and partly an economic one.

There have been so many recalls and reports about what is actually in the commercial foods that we buy (both for us and our Dogs), that I am wondering whether it may be worth rethinking the way we feed our Dogs. Homemade Dog Foods, just as Homemade Food that we eat, means you can control what is in the Recipe. Luckily we grow most of our own Veg so a lot of the time we know exactly what we are eating, and it is great to know that no chemicals have been involved.

Many swear by an all Raw Food Diet for there Dogs, which I really don’t think we can afford to do, especially because it contains a lot of expensive Meat, but I wonder if some natural homemade Dog Food, prepared at least a few times a week may be worth giving a go. Homemade Dog Diets are certainly becoming more favourable.

Homemade Dog Foods

Dogs need a balanced Diet, the same as we do. But how many of us actually eat a perfect Diet? Dog lovers, and Pet Food Companies (who have a vested interest) often tell us that we must give a Dog a very precise Diet that has been tested, analyzed and contains all the recommended daily amounts etc etc. But would it really matter if our home made Dog Food Recipe wasn’t exactly what a Dog should be eating every day?

A Natural homemade Dog Food that was given a few times a week, as long as it is relatively healthy can do no harm, surely? Is homemade food better than commercial Dog Food? We shall see.

Problems With Homemade Dog Foods

As yet I am unsure whether to start making homemade Dog Food. There seems to be quite a bit involved if you wish to switch from just buying bags of dried food. The book that I always recommend, and that is shown in the sidebar, gives a few basic recipes and recommendations for food other than Bones. It is very comprehensive about what Dogs should eat and goes in to great detail about the benefits of Raw Bones, but doesn’t have tons of recipes.

The problems I can see with healthy homemade Dog Food is always fretting about getting the right Food for your Dog. I am not obsessed about being perfect, heck my Diet is far from it, but I wouldn’t want unhealthy Dogs either. There is also the consideration of what Human Foods are safe for Dogs to eat. We do not want to feed our Dogs Human Foods that are dangerous for Dogs.

What Is Involved With Making Healthy Homemade Dog Food?

The problems I envisage are ones of time and ingredients. It will obviously be extra work but will the benefits be worth a few extra hours a week. Many authors believe it is worth the trouble.

If I do begin to feed homemade Dog Foods then there are the Vitamins, Minerals, Oils etc to be considered. It all needs to be balanced overall to ensure the health of the Dogs. I kind of feel like I am talking myself out of it as I write.

The Benefits Of Natural Homemade Dog Food

Advocates of this style of feeding, including the author of Raw Meaty Bones , state that after a short while of a diet based on Raw Food and home made Dog Food are much healthier. An improvement in overall condition is noted as well as shinier Fur, brighter eyes and much smaller stools (now that would be good)!

The advocates also talk about the fact that the Dogs don’t need to eat nearly as much. The reasoning being that better quality food i.e Raw Meaty Bones and other Raw and cooked foods of high quality are absorbed much better by the Dogs. This cuts down on waste and results in a much better absorption rate.

Can Dogs Eat Human Food?

I am a firm believer in absolutely never feeding scraps to our Dogs. I have been there with our previous Dog and it was nothing but hassle. Nowadays absolutely no one is to give scraps to our Dogs unless we say so. Normally Human Food is saved and fed to the Dogs at their meal times. No begging makes for an easier life.

This brings up the question of whether Dogs should eat Human Food. In reality, for the most part, the answer is no. A few bits and pieces won’t hurt but they have very different needs to ours. For a start, there are many dangerous Foods for dogs. I have listed many Foods that Dogs should not eat, and it is worth a read if you haven’t already. On top of this are different dietary needs and the fact that many Foods should not be cooked if fed to Dogs. If feeding Vegetables for example, they really should be Raw, not cooked. Human Foods that Dogs can eat needs to be considered carefully. Lots of Foods that Humans eat are very dangerous for Dogs and foods that Dogs cannot eat are quite considerable.

A Home Made Dog Food Recipe

I have browsed around the Internet a bit looking for natural homemade Dog Food Recipes and there are quite a few. To be honest though I am not impressed with that many of them.

An awful lot of them consist of cooking all the food. Cooking Chickens and making a Vegetable stock with cooked Rice etc just doesn’t seem right. Is that so different from the Commercial Foods. I think I need to look more closely at an all, or mostly Raw Diet, if I am going to change.

One thing I have noticed is that in Europe all Dog Food must come from Food fit for Human consumption, I could find no such regulations for the US. If this is not right then please let me know.

The basis for the best home made Dog Food Recipes I found were founded on a few basic ingredients:

Raw Meat

Raw Eggs (some with shells)

Pureed Vegetables

Yoghurt

Simple stuff but great for the Dogs. I know Dogs love Raw Eggs, they will nick the Raw Eggs I collect from the Chickens every day given half the chance.

Does anyone already feed mostly natural homemade Dog Food? Has your Dog improved because of it?

Do you think Raw homemade Dog Food is better than cooked?

I am sure many would like to hear your experiences.

May the Doggie Force be with you all,

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