What did your dog(s) eat today?

[Roxyluvsme13]

Well, if one has dogs in perfect health on the current diet of "kibble" then how does one judge it's not best for them? Any criteria or metrics that can be measured? Any scientific studies published in the major Vet journals which measured these criteria? If not then it comes down to personal opinion and something that borders on religion.

Eh, true I suppose. I'd still much rather feed Raw.. and you really just made me realize that even though Roxy's on one of the lowest quality kibble's out there, she's perfectly healthy..

[Kfamr]

I agree Vela. Just because they seem to be healthy on the outside does not mean they are on the inside.


I mean.. lets think for a moment. McDonalds is the equivalent to Kibble N Bits. If you ate McDonalds everyday would you be healthy? NO.

[K9soul]

I have no desire to get into a debate on raw vs kibble or even kibble vs kibble here, however I'd like to relate this personal tidbit.

My collies spent much of their lives sub-par kibbles. Not grocery store brands, but still not the best. Willie did great in shows and looked great, Cody was beautiful too, but they suffered a lot of problems as they got older that now I truly wonder if they had been on a more nutritious diet, they might have functioned better and even lived beyond their 12 and 13 years, which is still considered pretty good for a collie. Willie got to where he couldn't tolerate certain dog food kibbles and kept developing allergies to them when he got older. Cody had joint problems and weakness, by the end he couldn't get up on his own from laying down and needed help. Willie got ear infections and had eye problems and got bladder crystals and infections more frequently as he got older. They both had hot spots and skin problems. They were from completely different lines and were not related but they were both always on the same foods. They really started showing deterioration around 8 and even more after 10.

Like Cody, Tommy was forming some seborrheic cysts. He had one on his chin and one on his hip. He's about at the age Cody was when Cody started forming his. I moved them to Innova EVO this spring, a grain-free, by-product-free kibble, and three weeks ago switched them to raw dinners. A few days ago I was grooming Tommy, and to my amazement, the cyst on his chin was completely gone, and the cyst on his hip was almost gone. His coat is thicker than it ever has been and I continue to see evidence of changes since they went off grainy kibble. I don't need a scientific study to tell me what's what, I have only to use my thoughts on what makes sense and my own eyes on the differences it is making.

In my job in medical transcription, I've seen time and time again "scientifically studied" and approved drugs and treatments that suddenly have been found to be dangerous and pulled off the market/recalled. So I'm just personally wary and skeptical to let scientific studies determine my beliefs and choices in and of themselves.

By the way, I found this a pretty interesting article on raw and scientific studies, why there haven't been any and why there probably won't be.
http://rawfed.com/myths/research.html

Anyway, sorry for the long post here...

My two got turkey wings for breakfast. They're getting some ground beef and beef liver and banana/yogurt frosty paws later.