[nagdu] dental care and raw feeding

[Julie J.]

Robert,

I'm not as knowledgeable as some on this list about dog food.  Hopefully 
they will chime in.

You were told correctly that dog food does have to meet certain 
standards in the U.S.  The problem is that those standards are extremely 
lacking.   There's loads of very scary information available about dog 
food manufacturing.

I currently feed both of my dogs, Taste of the Wild High Plains 
formula.  I recently switched them from Flint River Ranch.  I have no 
problem with the FRR food.  I have found that my dogs do better with a 
completely grain free formula.  Belle is okay as long as she doesn't get 
corn, but Monty doesn't do well with any grain.  He's better with oats 
or millet and I most certainly cannot give him corn or wheat.  It's 
easier for me to feed both dogs the same food, so the switch to Taste of 
the Wild.

About teeth cleaning...I don't do it, never have.  I realize this is not 
what most/all of the guide dog schools suggest.  Another reason I owner 
train, I guess.  I do provide lots of things to chew on, including 
bones.  I don't give raw bones though.  I don't put any dental cleaning 
stuff in their water and I don't give them dental specific chews like 
greenies.  Belle is close to 8 and her teeth are still white.  Maybe 
it's luck or maybe the entire dog dental product industry is a money 
making scheme, I don't know.

There are some really good web sites comparing dog foods with very 
specific criteria.  The scale is clearly explained so you can decide for 
yourself if you agree with their ratings.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/


There are several different approaches to raw feeding.  The prey model 
is the all meat, organ and bone, I think you were referring to in your 
post.  There is also a raw feeding method that does include other food 
groups.  sorry, I know next to nothing about raw feeding.  I looked into 
it at one time and tried it, but it's not for me.  It's work and I'm 
lazy. *smile*

Oh, I also wanted to say that many veterinary schools get free dog food 
from the various dog food companies.  when I went to school for 
veterinary technology we were taught the nutrition portion of our 
training using materials provided by Science Diet.  They also provided 
free dog and cat food for the kennels.  So of course when you get done 
with the nutrition education you are going to think their products are 
the best, since the training materials were designed with their products 
in mind.  So unless my vet has had additional nutrition training or has 
researched it extensively themselves, I tend to rely on my own nutrition 
research.  It's not a lot different than human medicine.  all too often 
healthy eating is not something covered extensively in medical school.

Good luck!  I hope you find what works for you!
Julie