People and dogs had been living together as best friends for thousands of years before we started spending our money on kibble and cans. Dogs were allowed to round up a lot of their own food, and anything that was going to the pigs could also go to the dogs. It wasn't until human food went from something grown locally and made in the home and became increasingly mass-produced (bottom-line for the business owners and stock-holders surpassing nutrition and taste as the main concern) that "dog food" became a common commodity. Indeed, it may not be a coincidence that the rise in canned dog food came at the same time as the rise in automobiles and the decline in "hayburners."
At a time that people are becoming more and more concerned about where their own food comes from, they are more likely to ask the same question about what they feed their pets. If they are becoming skeptical about canned stew and chicken nuggets, it isn't a big leap to scrutinizing the dog's dinner as well.
Interestingly, we are easily convinced that a dog's nutritional needs are a.) too difficult for the layman to understand, and b.) completely taken care of by any bag or can of dog food we can find in the grocery store. We've even been convinced that dogs can't eat "people food" without getting sick. (This is not completely without merit, but that says more about what we allow on our own tables that isn't good for us, either.)
If you are ready to take the next step, you'll have a number of things to consider. I'll tell you what my family does and you can do your own research to make your decision.
1. Raw or cooked
We do both because we keep table scraps to feed Jack, but like to feed him raw meat as often as feasible. We've done enough research to find out that the digestive system of dogs can handle things that would literally be disgusting to us. When dogs are out catching moles, they don't set the oven to 350 degrees. They may, however, bury them for a few days to -- how can I put this delicately -- develop B vitamins in their catch.
2. Bones or no bones
After a lot of research, we decided that it makes sense that if the bones aren't cooked, the problem of bone splinters is no longer a problem. When Jack proudly came back from the woods with a now-dead baby turkey,which he buried in the ashes of the fire pit until it was ready to eat two days later, I decided not to worry about bones. Bones are part of what they eat.
3. Grains or no grains
Dogs are omnivores -- one reason that they probably started hanging around with humans in the first place -- but they don't naturally go looking for refined flour. Dogs are happy to eat whatever is in the stomach of prey, so they certainly can eat grains if they are not a main part of the diet.
4. Organic or "conventional"
Don't get me started about living in a world where "conventional" mean the way we've done it since after World War II, and "alternative" is the way it's been done since humans first domesticated animals and tilled the soil. In any case, factory farms produce food that is about minimizing the cost of production, while maximizing shelf-life and profit. With its web of subsidies and lobbyist and deep pockets, it is unnecessary to think about the effect it has in the long run on the planet and those who are consuming what they are producing. In the mean time, we try to buy locally raised meat and produce, but a sale is a sale, and the whole family has its share of CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operations) meat.
The steps we take to keep a happy and healthy dog:
--We combine raw meat and bones with table scraps (including vegetables.)
--We don't feed him grapes, raisins, chocolate, or onions. We're still not sure why these things have been repeatedly listed as so bad for dogs, but they're easy enough to omit from the dog bowl, so we just do.
--We feed him once a day so he can get that carnivore's full belly and then go migrating with him.
Remember that a lot of money is invested in keeping you buying dog food. Follow the money, love your dog, and have faith in yourself.
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