So glad to hear she's settling in!

THANK YOU!!!

Finally, someone who understands and believes the new school of dog nutrition! Too many people are caught up in the old school thought of hwo to feed dogs, including owners, vets, and dog food manufacturers.

As BF mentions, not all dogs are hardy enough to follow the "new" recommended diet, but the average healthy dog is.

I don't often switch Puka's dry food (dinner) but I switch the protein source of her raw food every bag (breakfast). Last bag was vension and the bag before that was chicken. The bag I have now is duck and I think I will go with rabbit the next bag. I also alternate each bag between two brands I like: Nature's Variety which is 90% meat and Primal which is much less meat and more veggie but is human grade (no sick or diseased animals or by products).

Puka is very healthy--no skin problems, no weird behaviors, never gets sick. I also don't vaccinate her beyond her initial series of puppy shots and one rabies shot I got her. The only time I've had to take her to the vet the past 5 years, aside from her knee surgery and getting spayed, was because she threw out her neck playing with a toy and got all stiff (gave her a cortizone shot).

You can buy bagged raw food?

Yup! It comes frozen in medallions, patties, and chubs. Puka is so small, I can get away with a 3 pound bag of frozen medallions and it lasts about a month. I put a few day's worth in the fridge so they can thaw. Then she gets 2 medallions for breakfast mixed with just a little hot water to take away the chill.

Here's the link to Nature's Variety. It even has info on what they call the rotation diet (changing the source of protein).

http://www.naturesvariety.com/



And here's Primal: http://www.primalpetfoods.com/

Dip, just because you believe in this type of nutrition doesn't make those of us who don't (including VETERANARIANS, WHO GO TO SCHOOL FOR YEARS YEARS YEARS to learn about this type of thing) wrong.

While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I do not appreciate you calling us 'old school' and saying that we don't understand.

We are not unresearched, I can assure you, and we understand pet nutrition quite well.

Thanks, I'll check those out later (from home). Every 'raw' diet plan I've ever seen required me to get real friendly with my butcher and spend more time on the dogs' food than my own. Not gonna happen. If I can buy better food already prepared though - I might give it a shot.

I already use a high-end dry food with chunks of real veggies/fruit and no corn or wheat. Supplementing that with soemthing like this would work quite well, I think.

If you have a Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet near your home, they have a good selection of raw food that you can buy frozen/bagged.

I have bought a bag now and then and used pieces of the thawed meat for training...

Madison, I'm sure Dip didn't mean to insult you or others who adhere to what has been the primarily accepted mode of pet nutrition.

My vet espoused the same as your's until my last visit. Then she said that she's changing her mind and believes that dogs (and cats too) would benefit from a more well-rounded diet including both wet and dry food. She even went so far as to say there's a belief that dry food was readily accepted by vets and owners because it's so much easier to feed.

Bottom line, I no longer have to feel quilty about giving my dogs scraps in their dinner.

Thanks MC, but we have *nothing* near our home. Seriously, the closest major city is over an hour away, and they aren't much larger/more retail-diversified than us.

In the same vein - do either of you know anything at all about the Natural Balance food rolls? They are basically giant meat sausages that you keep in the fridge and slice off and appropriate amount of per feeding. I can get those by mail-order (they ship them overnight in cold packs) and have considered them as one of my girls is getting older and I'd like to supplement her with some meat.

Natural Balance is pretty good stuff.
In my neck of the woods, they only carry it at Chuck & Don's and Petco, and I haven't noticed many people using for anything other than treats (cutting off pieces).

I kind of think of the rolls as somewhere between wet and dry, but the ingredients are pretty much the same (i.e. protein is the first ingredient and then there's a whole lot of other 'stuff' like in regular dry food and most canned foods (at least the good ones )

Haven't looked into them that much, thought, other than reading the ingredient panels...

I know. I'm being overly sensitive.
Sometimes her posts rub me the wrong way. I usually ignore them, but on this subject in particular I feel pretty strong about my knowledge, so I guess I spouted a bit.

I also agree with the wet and dry mix for dogs that can handle it; my point that started this whole thing was to try to keep some dry food in the diet because it's better for their teeth.
On that point, I will not back down. I will take advice from professionals (or 'kooky vets' as some people call them) on that, continue to use dry food and brush my dog's teeth once a week.
It's worked for me in the past, and it's working for me now.

And I would do table scraps once in a while, too, but my husband is COMPLETELY opposed. Freaks out if I try to sneak one.
One of his pet peeves in life is a dog begging for food, and since he puts up with my constant need to have multiple dogs and allow them on the furniture, I will give him that one thing.

Becca, there are some raw food mixes that come freeze-dried that you may be able to mail order also. The ones I've seen (can't remember the name) are like a flakey/course powder you mix with water. Seems easy enough and then you don't need room in your freezer. Some come fully balanced with meat already dried in them, and others come just with everythgin btu the meat, which you pick and add fresh yourself.

Not really table scraps in that it's mixed in with their dinner and they get fed before we eat. They must lay on their pillows while we eat or suffer the consequences. Poor spoiled babies.

Well, my girls already both get more table scraps than they probably should (not just meat) - as well as any raw trimmings left after I prepare the meat. I'm a big believer in "well-rounded" diets so they're both allowed whatever veggies/fruits/etc. they want. The heeler mix will actually steal apples off the cutting board if I don't watch her - she loves them!

We had a Springer Spaniel that would eat plums as high as he could reach on the bush - seed and all. He'd also eat very ripe tomatoes - if I noticed one was ready to pick, I'd have to go ahead and pick it or it would be gone when I got home. Guess we both liked them at the very ripe stage.