Quality of Dog Food - A Movie Clip from Hit and Run

I just wanted to share an amazing clip from a movie we watched last night.  While not about dogs at all, there is a 5 minute scene in the movie that has now made this our new favorite movie. 

 



I might add that this also gives us one more reason to love Bradley Cooper! The movie is called Hit and Run, and overall was much more entertaining than I had imagined it would be. I recommend you see the whole movie if you like action type comedies. 

My Experience in a Raw Food Diet for Dogs

In a blog post we published in January “Choosing a Top Quality Dry Food” we outlined what to look for should you choose to feed dry kibble to your dog.  I hinted that I would like to try feeding a raw diet, but didn’t want to further elaborate until I had some experience.  

Well, the good news is we have been feeding raw since February and LOVE IT!  The dogs love it, they eat better, they drink less water (which makes me feel better about bloat and the heat this summer) and best of all, they poop so much less.  We’re talking about two 170+lb dogs that poop as much as mini poodle.  Their coats are healthy, Boone’s skin allergies have all but cleared up, they are very physically fit and I know exactly what it is that is going into my dogs.

The work I put into it is much less time consuming than I originally had anticipated as well.  While it does take more effort than pouring some kibble in a bowl, it isn’t like I have to butcher the cow each meal either.  I try and stick with feeding them approximately 3 lbs per day.  When I first started out I was weighing everything, however after a month or so I can estimate close enough the scale is unnecessary.  I feed on average 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat.  I do feed some veggies, while not a staple in thier diet they do act as a very health filler and the dogs love them.  Sometimes I puree various raw veggies and put the paste in cupcake pans and freeze it.  The dogs love them, I even mix in eggs or broth sometimes for added yumminess. I also feed whole sweet potatoes sometimes with meals or just as a snack. 

I will add that even with some of the recent recalls, should I need to switch back to a dry kibble, Diamond Naturals Large Breed 60+ is still my dry kibble of choice. If you are thinking of switching to raw or have questions about raw diets, I don’t claim to know it all, or even much at all, but I will give you my honest opinion in regards to my experiences. 

Choosing a Top Quality Dry Food

UPDATE: January 2016 - This post is several years old.  I have been feeding a raw diet for nearly 5 years now and it is in my opinion the best thing I could ever do for my dogs. If you are looking for advice or opinions on a specific brand of food please follow the protocol below and visit dogfoodadvisor.com to find out their rating. I have fed raw so long I can't comment on any one food other than what is outlined below and at dogfoodadvisor.com

I personally feed my dogs, and always have fed, Diamond Naturals Large Breed 60+lb dog food.  I’m seriously considering switching over to a raw diet because it is the absolute best thing you can feed your dog, however it takes a little more planning than I’m sure I can handle right now.  If you do choose to feed a dry kibble to your dog, be it an English Mastiff or a Toy Poodle, below is a list of criteria we believe a food must meet to be considered a quality kibble. 

• Food contains NO corn and doesn’t have a lot of grains in the top ingredients.
• Company has disclosed where the food is manufactured.
• Food contains a good amount of animal protein in the top ingredients (prefer a named meal as #1 or at least a named meat as #1 followed by a named meal in the top ingredients).
• Food contains NO meat or poultry by-products.
• Food contains NO synthetic Vitamin K.
• Food has only named ingredients, especially in the fats and proteins.
• Food contains NO gluten meals.
• If food contains grains and vegetables, they are whole grains and vegetables, not fragments.
• Food contains NO artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. For instance, no BHA, BHT or Ethoxyquin.
• Food contains NO added sweeteners.

And remember, a top food is only top if your dog likes it and does well on it.   All of this information was taken from a list my friend puts together for the forum, Mastiff Online Community.  Here is a link to the article which contains a list of foods that adhere to the criteria above.  This list, in my opinion, is what I would consider the Dog Food Bible! 

On a side note, while it is outlined in the article, I wanted to bring attention to this: Please use caution in feeding grain free foods to growing dogs! Many grain free foods have calcium and phosphorus levels that are too high for growing giant pups. Feeding those foods can harm your puppy. So the general rule is steer clear of grain free until your dog's growth plates have closed, usually around 2 years of age.