Commercial dog food has been around since the 1930s when cereal companies were trying to find something to do with their rejected grain, wheat, rice, and corn that failed the USDA inspection. The meat industry also had the same problem.


Someone got the idea that if this rejected food was not fit for humans, they could mix it together and call it pet food and make a lot of money from something that would normally be unusable.

Smart advertising planted the idea in everyone’s mind and the dog food industry was born. The problem is that most of this stuff is made mostly from grains and cereal, with some meat thrown in for flavor.

A Poor Excuse For Dog Food

That’s not dog food — that’s an artificial diet created for the benefit of the grain and meat industry, and the pet food corporations.

Almost all artificial diets are heavily based on grains and cereals, but dogs are not made to eat grains and cereals.

Their digestive tract is designed to eat meat and protein. Grains and cereals are carbohydrates that require a totally different digestive tract than dogs have.

Better Food Can Mean Longer Life

Many dogs are allergic to so much grain and cereal. They can develop chronic digestive problems, or itchy skin problems leading to foot licking, or face-rubbing.

Renowned holistic veterinarian Dr. Jane Bicks claims that the maximum life span of a dog is between 25 and 30 years, but the average dog only lives approximately 10 to 14 years.

Dr. Jane claims that this difference is caused mostly by poor nourishment. For example, a lot of canned dog food on the market is made up of 50-60 percent moisture. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for nutrition.

In addition Commercial Dog Food is often loaded with salt for taste, dairy by-products, chemical preservatives, and sub-standard ingredients. They are also loaded with carbohydrates, which are not what a dog’s digestive system is really designed for. Most of them are not the best dog food for your four legged friend.

Home Cooked Meals

One method of feeding your Golden that has been gaining popularity over the last few years is home preparation.

It involves preparing the meals for your Golden the same as you would for the rest of your family, using ingredients like fresh beef, chicken, lamb, turkey and fresh vegetables and fruits.

The meats can be served raw, or very rare, and the fruits and vegetables are best served chopped small and frozen. I have also found that my Golden loves yogurt, cottage cheese, and regular cheese.

Another method is to serve the above, but mixed with a good quality commercial kibble or dry dog food. You will want to find a kibble that has a high content of beef, lamb, and chicken protein, and a low content of cereals and grains. Sort of like a homemade dog food, with fresh foods. Your pooch will thank you.

You will want to try and find a kibble or dry dog food that also has a very low content of by-products, or preferably none. By-products are any part of the animal they wanted to throw in there, and I am sure it’s not good. Yuck.

Vitamins can also be good for your Goldens health. Vitamin C is a good one to start with. Start slowly and work up to 1000 mg. per day.

If you start to quickly your dog may develop diarrhea. I also give my Golden a vitamin E twice a week.

I truly believe that the dog food that is available in the supermarkets does not have our pet’s best interest at heart.

Doesn’t Sound Too Appetizing To Me

One only needs to read the label on the back of most any of the commercial dog food available to see that they are filled with cereals, grains, chemicals, by-products, and very little good stuff. It’s pretty easy to see, that many of these commercial brands, are not the best dog food, you could be giving your pet.

You have to wonder why dogs do only live between 10 and 14 years. Why is that? Is it the breed, or is it what we feed them?

I am not a nutrionist, and I am not a veterinarian, so don’t take this page as professional advise, but I know that when I decided to change my 3 year old Golden Retriever Molly’s diet from commercial dog food to a mix of quality kibble and home made meals with vitamin supplements, the results were very noticeable within about 6 weeks.

The first noticeable difference was how much happier she was to eat her food. When I would give her the old food she would often ignore it for as long as an hour before going to her bowl. Now when I come to her bowl she is already there waiting.

I also noticed after about 6 weeks that her coat looked better. She had also stopped scratching. I had her checked at the vet several times, and kept her well groomed, but she would always lay on the floor and scratch or chew herself. That has decreased by at least 80%. She also has more energy, and just looks healthier.

I am sold on preparing Molly’s meals. It makes me feel better that I am taking better care of her. I also think there could be long term rewards with this program, such as a longer life for her, and hopefully avoid any of the major problems that Goldens can have, like joint problems, cancer, and internal problems.

It has been shown that what we eat has a big influence on how healthy we are, and I would believe this would apply to dogs as well.

I also know that everyone does not want, or have the time to fix homemade meals for their dogs. I also keep dry food on hand in case I run out of fresh meals for my dogs. I have found two brands that I trust.

The first is Paul Newman’s own dog food. I use the organic version. It has none of those nasty fillers, it’s organic, and I trust his company. You can buy his dog food in places like wal-mart and some grocery stores.

The second one is from a company called Merrick. It is a family owned company, and they don’t import anything. Everything is made on the premises. If you go to the site you will see what I mean.
Merrick Pet Care
These two companies offer a good dog food in my opinion, other than making it yourself.

Make Healthy Meals And Treats Your Dog Will Love

Below are some very easy recipes for making dog biscuits and other dog treats. Your dog will love you for them. They are also healthy for your pet.


IN BETWEEN MEAL DOGGIE TREATS

Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons favorite dry dog food
2 cups water

Place dry dog food in a blender. Pour water in and let set for about 5 minutes to soften the dog food. Blend well using different speeds. Pour into an ice try and freeze. Dogs love them. You can also add a teaspoon of peanut butter or honey to the mix, for a little added flavor

DOGGIE FROZEN TREAT

Ingredients: 1 banana
3 oz. Plain yogurt
2 oz. Water

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into small plastic or paper cups and freeze. Dog’s go nuts for these.

FLO BRAKER’S FAVORITE DOG BISCUITS
(reprinted from the Marin Humane Society newsletter) http://www.marin-humane.org

Ingredients: 3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups multigrain oatmeal (or old fashioned oats)
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1&1/3 cups water
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg

Adjust rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the whole wheat flour, multigrain oatmeal, wheat germ, powdered milk and garlic powder in a large bowl to blend thoroughly.

Blend the water, peanut butter and egg until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. The dough will be stiff. You might find it easier to knead the mixture with your hands.

Roll or pat the dough to a ½ inch thick rectangle. Cut out the biscuit shapes using a 3-inch bone-shaped cookie cutter. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 1 ½ hours. For crisper, drier dog biscuits, bake an additional 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Store in an airtight metal container. Yield 3 dozen biscuits.

DOGGIE POPS

Ingredients: 1 quart fruit juice ( orange, cranberry, grape, or apple,) or whatever you have.
1 banana mashed
½ cup yogurt

Mix ingredients together thoroughly and then freeze. Dogs really enjoy this in the summer when it’s hot. If you have kids, they love them too.

FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER AND YOGURT TREATS

Ingredients: 1-32oz. Container of vanilla yogurt
1 cup of peanut butter

Put the peanut butter in a dish and melt it in the microwave. Mix the melted peanut butter and the yogurt in a bowl. Pour the mixture into paper cups and freeze. ( When the mix in partially frozen, take a large dog biscuit and stick it all the way into the mixture) it’s like a Popsicle stick and will add to the dog’s treat.

COOL DOGGIE TREATS

Ingredients: Fresh fruit (apples, peaches, watermelon, bananas, ect.)
Fruit juice (unsweetened, apple, pineapple, cranberry, ect.)
Yogurt
Honey
Cinnamon

Place the fruit in a blender. Add the fruit juice. Add some yogurt to thicken, a little honey to sweeten, and a ½ tsp. Cinnamon. Freeze in small cups or ice trays. Your dog will love them.

These are all easy treats to make for your pet, that is sure to bring a smile to their face, and don’t worry too much about the measurements being just right. Dogs don’t complain.

Make Healthy Meals And Treats Your Dog Will Love