• What's the best food for my dog?

Well, that depends on your dog. I don't believe there is any one perfect food for every dog. We feed and recommend a variety of foods for optimal health, whether it be dry kibble, dehydrated or home cooked.  Does it make sense that your dog will benefit from some variety and  the antioxidants and naturally occuring vitamins in fresh foods like you do?

• I don't have a lot of time to prepare a special food for my dog. What do you suggest?

My advice for busy pet owners....buy the best natural kibble you can afford (see our favorites listed at the bottom of this page)  and add fresh foods to it daily. Yogurt, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, fresh meats, rice and veggies left over from YOUR dinner.  Canned wild salmon is another favorite at our house. Even just a tablespoon added to your dog's dry food will be a welcome addition. There are also several wholesome canned foods and pre-mixes that can be used as a "booster" for kibble.

• I have heard people talking about a BARF diet. What is it and why don't you recommend it?

BARF is an acronym for Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. There is much research on these diets and while the people who use it think it's the best, we do not believe the meats in this country are clean enough to be fed raw. These diets are also tricky to balance and are quite time consuming if you decide to make it yourself. There are many frozen prepared diets available from specialty stores. This would be our choice if we were to go "raw". Prairie, Steve's Real Food and Aunt Jen's all make an excellent raw frozen product.  We do recommend raw DEHYDRATED diets, like Honest Kitchen . You mearly add water for a complete healthy meal.

• You talk about "home-cooked" meals. What is that and what are the benefits?

This is normally what we feed. (See our recipes.)  A human grade meat source such as turkey, chicken or lamb cooked with limited whole grains, potato and veggies. (like a stew) We use Dr. Harvey's Pre-mixes  which contain veggies and organic whole grains or their grain-less version Veg-To-Bowl.  Soak and add fresh cooked meats. This is a snap to prepare in large quantities and freeze. Great for busy pet-owners.

• My dog has allergies and the vet wants to put him on steroids. Can't diet help with this? I don't want my dog on these drugs with their known side effects!

YES! Diet CAN help! Good for YOU to not just accept steroid therapy and do some research on your own! My first suggestion to the owner of an "allergy dog" is to switch food to something natural and simple, meaning not a lot of ingredients. One protein source and one or two additional ingredients like rice or potato. This is where home-cooking can be SO beneficial. You can limit the ingredients and add only what your dog can tolerate. Boosting the immune system can also help with allergies. There is a great book written by a vet, "The Allergy Solution for Dogs" that I highly recommend as a must read to treat allergies.
Most commercial foods are LOADED with grains, which dogs just don't need, and many are allergic to them and go undiagnosed for YEARS.  If a food switch doesn't help (which I can almost guarantee it will) then you can seek advice from an veterinary allergist who specializes in these issues.
I personally would never give my dogs steroids for anything other than a life threatening illness with no other option. Steroids and allergy shots only mask the symptoms and can cause long term damage to organs and do nothing to solve the real problem.

• Our dogs are healthy and eat a natural diet, but we want to start giving them supplements as they get older. There are SO many out there, all claiming to be the best. Which ones do you recommend? How about for arthritis?

Here's another reason to feed a natural diet: No supplements are really needed! We do use and recommend a digestive enzyme (so the dogs get the most from their foods)  and a fatty acid supplement almost daily. We use herbal supplements for specific results (like for digestive upset).  We use immune boosting herbal supplements a few times a week for our older dogs.  Several companies make a multi vitamin, which could also be used.
Arthritis in older dogs is commonly treated with Rimadyl or Metacam. Neither of these potent drugs should be used long term and dogs have died from just one dose of Rimadyl. We do advocate herbal supplements & enzymes for inflammation, chondriotin supplements and a fatty acid can also help. Keeping your dog's weight in check is also important for healthy joints.

• My dog was just diagnosed with cancer and we are working with our vet for treatment. What type of diet should we be researching?

Cancer LOVES sugar....any type of sugar, which can come from grains and all carbohydrates. There are certain carbs which are low glycemic, meaning they don't raise blood sugar at such a rapid rate and they burn slowly. Cancers don't love them as well. Beans, legumes, nuts, sweet potato and green veggies such as zucchini, spinach, kale and broccoli are good for cancer dogs, along with a clean, fresh protein source and purified water.
Many people recommend a raw diet when dealing with cancer. http://www.caninecancerawareness.org/

Our list of favorite kibbled diets:

• Flint River Ranch*- the only baked kibble on the market
• Timberwolf Organics
• Nature's Variety
• California Natural
• Wysong

*available in our Natural Food Store-click on link to learn more

KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS! The more you know, the better off your pets will be!

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