"Real" Food that are ok to feed dogs

[NS]

Hi, I was wondering if there is a list of foods on DK that some started that lists foods that are ok to give our dogs?  I tried giving our puppy yogurt and he threw up a few hours later, I mentioned this to our local pet store and she was horrified that I would give my puppy yogurt.  I know many of you regularly give your dogs yogurt for the probiotics and pumpkin for the fiber. Are there any other "clean, nutritious" foods that you give your dog?? 

Thanks!! 

[Jen and Annie]

Not at all, I appreciate learning more when I can.  I feed a raw 'prey model' or "raw meaty bones" diet because it just makes sense to me.  No matter how many years they were separated from wolves (i truly thought it was only a few hundred years - I might be thinking of when the selective breeding for size, speed, and into separate and distinct breeds was 'started - huh), they are still members of the same species so it just makes sense to me.. My girls are thriving on the diet, and that is definitely not to "knock" kibble at all - I fed kibble for many years prior to switching to this way of eating for them.  The easiest thing for me is that I know exactly what they are getting in their bodies, and I dont have to filter through ingredient labels this way, or worry about recalls, or worry about where ingredients are sourced from, things like that.  What I give them is what they get, LOL. Dogs digestive tracts are still very short like other carnivores, and I have never worried about feeding them this way.  Really, there are probably going to be countless articles and studies from both sides of the fence...

I like the way my dogs look and feel eating this way, each time they eat it's like they have never eaten before, they love the diet... not to mention far fewer visits to the doggy dentist because the bones keep their teeth clean... they do get starches in small amounts with their pureed veggies, but the bulk of their diet is raw meat and edible bone..  I do know that the raw diet is not for everyone, I researched it for months before switching, and there are good quality balanced kibble diets that can be purchsed with little fear of recalls or harmful ingredients.  We probably won't change each others minds, LOL.. I agree, as long as its nutritionally appropriate and balanced, do what works for you.        

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No, I don't think we are going to change each other's minds, and we don't have to, lol.

But in the interest of presenting accurate information about these issues we are discussing, it should also be noted that dogs digestive tracts are not really very short like all carnivores. Dogs do have shorter digestive tracts than humans, but their digestive tracts are nowhere near as short as those of obligate carnivores like cats. A cat's digestive tract is less than 4 times the length of its body, and this is true of all species of obligate carnivores, while a dog's digestive tract is 6 times the length of it's body, which is more in keeping with the length of the digestive tracts of other omnivores or non-obligate carnivores.

[Jen and Annie]

what is this "candy" you speak of?  Is it some sort of exotic fruit?  Tell me more...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, some of it is fruit flavored, lol!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In the case of this study, the point is not that dogs are adaptable, but that in the thousands of years since they separated from their wolf ancestors, there have been involuntarily physiological changes in their digestive systems which are markedly different from those of wolves. The study has documented this.

The Smithsonian is in the minority with that classification, and the taxonomic classifications of several subspecies of Canidae, including dogs, is in dispute

.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canidae   Nevertheless, there are both carnivores and omnivores within the Canidae family. Not all member of the same species have the same physiology or the same diets.

Again, everyone has to be comfortable with the kinds of foods they choose to feed their animal companions. There is no one single right way or wrong way, except what is right for you and your own pets.There are dogs who thrive on all different kinds of diet, and there are dogs who fail to thrive on every different kind of diet. You make personal choices and you do the best you can, just as you with your children. What's right for me, my family, and my dogs may not be right for you, your family or your dogs, but that doesn't mean my way is right and your way is wrong, or vice versa. We all love our dogs here.

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It breaks mine, too. But I don't believe that most of that has anything to do with whether their food is cooked or raw. I know that you believe otherwise, and that's where we will have to agree to disagree.

 

[Donna K & Quincy]

I grieve for all the dogs on DK who have to subsist on a diet of krabble 

Andrea, I for one find this comment offensive and I do believe you mean kibble.

[Julie and Charlie]

I disagree that feeding raw is the only way to go. I see the evidence as weak, as best, for the reasons you mentioned. Personal philosophy, but it's not "evidence based" until someone is able to look critically at risks, benefits, and overall outcomes. And frankly, I am not sure we're there yet on raw.

Raw Food Diets in Animals, a critical review

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's no use, Julie, some of these raw feeders are like religious fanatics who have found the "one true God", and all the rest of us who don't believe as they do are going to Hell. Never mind evidence, you don't have to see God to know he's there, do you? LOL

[Jen and Annie]

As was mentioned before - there are many studies and articles on both sides of the fence.  For instance Dr Frances Pottenger did a study with cats, and found favorable outcomes and increased health in cats (carnivores) when fed a raw diet.  http://www.doctoryourself.com/pottenger.html  - As with medication and FDA approved supplement studies - we have to think about who is paying for the studies - who is interested in the results. 

I didnt want to get into a huge debate about raw food vs kibble... The fact is, we can each feed our dogs what we want to feed them, and if we are prepared for whatever comes as a result of their diet (positive or negative), then why bother pitting articles against one another.  I could google all day to find more articles and studies in favor of raw food, and anyone else could find just as many articles against it...

My personal opinion is that it is the best diet for my dogs - whether others agree or not is irrelevant, and won't change my mind - just as I will likely not change anyone elses mind.  The raw food debate is a hornets nest.  Am I passionate about the raw diet? Kinda - I have seen great health in my dogs.  Is their health attributable to their diet?  Maybe? 

[Julie and Charlie]

I agree, time to retire from this discussion.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jen, I love you, but the Pottenger study again? That's about cats. There is no question in anyone's mind that cats are carnivores, lol.