Recently there have been many recalls on dog food.  This can be very frightening for pet owners and cause reluctance to purchase pet food...relax.  This happens with human food too and we just throw the item away and move on.  What we should be paying more attention to is what our pets should and should not be eating daily.  There are way too many companies or brands out there to choose from.  Too many formulas such as, wet, dry, all natural, grain free, no corn, less fillers, you name it and it is on the shelf at the pet store.  When we shop for ourselves at the grocery store there is always some type of product gimmick being pushed to sell an item.  There is fat free, whole grain, all natural, low carb, etcetera.  It is the same for dog and cat foods.  For example, there is no evidence showing that grains are bad for dogs.  Companies threw the words "grain free" on the dog food bags and jacked up the price and people came running.  I'm guilty too of running out and purchasing anything that is new on the market and it is a mistake.  Anyone can sell anything but is it good for us or our pets?  All of those cans and bags on the shelves can be overwhelming and leave us standing in the isle not knowing what to buy.  Well here is some advice that will narrow things down and make it somewhat easier.  First we must take our dogs to the veterinarian and discuss any problems we may be having with our pet's digestion.  What does the stool look like and how often is our pet pooping?  Ask what puppies need in their diets during the first year of growth.  What does an adult or senior dog need?  Do we have a large dog or small dog?  The vet will help us with any concerns and give us the proper advice on what to feed our dogs and how much.  Also, is our dog a mutt...a rescue from the street or is it a thoroughbred...maybe purchased from a breeder?  This is important to know because mutts usually have stronger digestive systems than full bred dogs.  The weak or malfunctioning digestive tract in some full bred dogs comes from overbreeding.  If we have a full bred dog we should feed it only high quality dry food that has very limited ingredients such as, chicken and rice formulas unless a veterinarian tells us otherwise.  Also, we should not feed our dogs human food ever.  People love to cook for their dogs as though they are children and have the idea that it is healthier for them.  Full bred dogs especially smaller breeds tend to get Pancreatitis.  The enzymes in the pancreas cannot break down the fat in the food along with chemicals and toxins and our dogs will get very sick and this is irreversible.  Also, we should not feed our dogs human food from the kitchen table, counter or couch.  We only do this because it makes us feel good but is what we are feeding our dogs good for them?  If your dog has a distended abdomen in might not be because the dog is overweight.  This is one of many signs your dog may have pancreatitis.  High quality dry food contains vitamins and the right kind of fats and proteins and is formulated specifically for dogs nutrition.   The nutritional information is broken down for us right on the outside of the bag.  Our dogs cannot get these nutrients from human food nor in the correct amounts at each feeding.  Feeding our dogs is not one size fits all.  It is not like running and grabbing a happy meal.  We must figure out what is healthy for our dogs specifically and not fall for gimmicks or a great dog food commercial.  I have been caring for dogs for over two decades and I always feed all of my dogs dry dog food that have very limited fillers such as corn, wheat, soy and potatoes, without any problems at all.  That is not to say those ingredients are bad for your dog.  You just want less fillers and more of the things that have more nutritional value for your dog in the food.  The first five ingredients on the nutritional label should read something like: deboned chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, peas, salmon and blueberries.  Beef by products are actually okay and provide protein.  However, it may also contain more fat than your dog can digest. The following ingredients should be the vitamins and minerals and explanation of amino acids and fats.  Protein and fat percentages are explained separately somewhere on the bag.  My favorite brand had been Merrick for their limited ingredients although they have been recently flagged by the FDA for having too much fat in their grain free formulas.  It is one of the higher priced brands and there are others out there much less expensive and are equally as nutritious so use the information on the Merrick bag that is not grain free as a reference and compare to less expensive brands which are also not grain free.  There are a few right in the grocery store that are acceptable.  Anyway, not all brands were good for all of my dogs.  Large dogs require dry food for large dogs only, while small dogs eat foods specifically designed for small dogs.  Sometimes the calories were too high and one of my dogs would gain too much weight, other times a dog could not tolerate chicken and get sick or maybe a dog just did not like the food at all and refused to eat it.  Having several dogs and feeding them several different brands of food can become problematic and expensive so in cases like these I would try to find one food that would be good for all of the dogs under the circumstances if possible.   So if you have a puppy, pick a dry puppy food brand that has a short ingredient list that is easy on your wallet and you plan to stick with the same brand when moving to adult dog food.  If you have an adult dog which you feed adult dry food and a puppy which you feed puppy dry food use the same brand but separate the dogs when feeding so one does not eat the other's food until your puppy is a year old and you are ready to feed both dogs the same formula.  If you need to switch brands go very slowly.  Mix very little of the new food into the old and continue for at least a week or longer adding more of the new food a little more every few days until the dog has adjusted to the change successfully.   If you just switch brands without easing into it the dog will have terrible diarrhea.   Sometimes I grab a can of pure pumpkin and mix a little in each feeding to help with digestion.  It slows digestion and absorbs water to lessen the chances of loose stools.

In short to simplify...

feed your dog high quality dry food only, unless directed by your veterinarian. 

Good Luck,

Jess

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