There are four primary dog feeding strategies:
There is no definitive answer as to which dog feeding method is best.
This article summarizes each method, and presents their pros and cons. Based on this, we can decide what to feed our dog, based on his lifestyle and preferences.
1. Dry Dog Food (Kibble)
When considering which kibble to feed our dog, it is important to keep these things in mind –
- Note what the main ingredients are.
- Look for a kibble with meat as its primary source of protein.
- Avoid kibble with wheat, corn, or soy as its main ingredients. For sources of carbohydrates, potatoes and rice are easier to digest. Many dogs are allergic to wheat and corn.
- Avoid any food with wheat or corn gluten. Here’s why.
- Avoid kibble with too many “by-products” in their ingredient list.
- Avoid kibble with many generic ingredients, for example poultry meal or fish meal. Instead, look for chicken meal or salmon meal.
- Avoid kibble with artificial coloring and preservatives, for example BHA or BHT.
- Avoid kibble with too much filler material, such as corn hull.
A good rule of thumb to distinguish the major components of a food is to look for the first named source of fat in the ingredient list. Anything listed before that, and including it, make up the main portion of the food, other items are present in much smaller amounts to add flavor, function as preservatives or because of their dietary benefits (e.g. probiotics, vitamins and minerals).
~~ [ Excerpt from the Dog Food Project ]
I have done a fair amount of research into dry dog food, because both my dogs have sensitive digestive systems. My Shiba Inu is allergic to wheat, and my Siberian Husky is allergic to most types of grains (wheat, corn, oats), as well as some types of fish.
Here are some good kibble brands that are well-reviewed by many dog owners:
- Wellness CORE – My dogs are currently on Wellness CORE. They seem to really love the kibble and are doing well with it.
- Orijen – This was actually my first choice during our kibble switch-over. However, my Sibes are allergic to some types of fish and all their kibble formula contains fish.
- Blue Wilderness – Very well reviewed and the chicken formula has a similar ingredient list to Wellness CORE.
- Nature’s Variety Instinct – This kibble has a simpler ingredient list with two main components – chicken meal and tapioca. It also has a 42% protein content which looks good.
- Taste of the Wild – I have never tried Taste of the Wild, but they also have a well reviewed grain-free kibble with good ingredients. I love their cover art.
- Innova EVO – On March 2013 there was a voluntary recall of EVO products. As a result, we decided to switch over to Wellness CORE.
** Note that all of the above brands are grain-free, high-protein kibble. There may be some concern over high-protein dog food causing kidney disease, but this is a myth that has been debunked.
Just be careful not to give high protein food to large breed puppies as it may cause overly rapid growth, which will stress bones and joints.
Other dry dog food brands:
Canidae is often recommended as a good, medium-cost quality kibble. I have never tried Canidae, but their ingredient list looks sound.
Solid Gold: I did not include Solid Gold because their high protein kibble, Barking to the Moon, contains generic fish meal as its primary ingredient. Instead, we want to look for salmon meal, herring meal, or whitefish meal which is in Orijen 6, and Wellness CORE Ocean.
Pros
- Better for dental health because it is less likely to stick on, and stain teeth.
- Easy to transport and use in dog obedience training, handling, and dog grooming.
- Easy to stuff in dog toys.
- Balanced nutrition for our dog.
- Has good fiber content, resulting in more regular stools.
Cons
- Does not smell or taste as good as the other dog foods.
- Our dog may not want to eat kibble, and instead try to hold-out for something better.
- May make our dog thirsty. Therefore, provide free access to water all day long.
- Cannot be sure about quality of ingredients. There have been a fair number of dog food recalls on kibble.
2. Wet Dog Food
Once we have finished our research on dry dog food, we can just get the wet or canned versions of our favorite kibble brands. Doing this will ensure the same high quality ingredients, and packing process.
I only give my dogs a small amount of wet food everyday. They get their wet dog food in the form of frozen Kongs, which they work on at night while in their crate.
Pros
- Tastes good.
- Will not dehydrate our dog.
- Balanced nutrition for our dog.
Cons
- Difficult to handle and stuff in toys, unless frozen.
- Difficult to use for training, handling, or grooming.
- Not as good for dental health.
- Cannot be sure about quality of ingredients. There have also been some wet food recalls.
- Expensive.
3. Homemade Dog Food
The most difficult part of feeding our dog homemade food, is ensuring that it has the proper nutritional balance.
The American Veterinary Medical Association warns against feeding our dogs table scraps. Table scraps tend to be too rich, and may contain foods that are poisonous to dogs. The AVMA also discourages using homemade food as our dog’s primary feeding method.
The AVMA does not recommend that people attempt to prepare home-cooked meals for their pets because pet nutrition is very complicated and unique to species and individual animals.
~~ [ Excerpt from Tips On Cooking Your Pet A Home-Cooked Meal, AVMA ]
If we absolutely want to try this dog feeding method, the AVMA recommends the book Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative
by Dr. Donald Strombeck, or the www.petdiets.com website.
I will sometimes microwave some simple people food for my dogs, but only as a supplement to their mostly dry dog diet. In particular, my dogs really like melted cheese, boiled chicken, microwave sausage, and bacon.
When I need my dogs to endure an unpleasant dog grooming session, e.g. nail grinding or teeth brushing, I will sometimes microwave them a mix of salad greens (lettuce, and carrots), boiled chicken, vienna sausage, cheese, and a very small amount of bacon bits.
Pros
- Very tasty.
- Our dog will probably work hard for homemade food.
- High quality, human grade ingredients.
Cons
- May not have balanced nutrition for our dog.
- Difficult and dirty to stuff in toys.
- May be time-consuming to prepare.
- Expensive.
4. Raw Diet (BARF)
A raw diet consists primarily of uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs. Sometimes eggs, vegetables, fruits, and vitamin supplements are added to create a more balanced meal.
Whether to feed our dogs a raw food diet, is a hot debate with strong proponents and opponents.
Pros
- Very tasty.
- Bones help to clean teeth.
- Nutrients are not destroyed by cooking.
- May lead to better health.
Cons
- May not have balanced nutrition for our dog.
- Bones can splinter and become a choking hazard or cause intestinal perforations.
- Raw food may carry bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli.
- Difficult to use in training, or to stuff in food toys.
For a more comprehensive discussion on the pros and cons of a raw diet, check out this wonderfully researched article by Alisa, or refer to the links below:
- Wikipedia: Raw Feeding.
- SPCA International: Understanding Homemade Diets and the Pros/Cons of a Raw Food (BARF) Diet.
Useful Dog Feeding Sites
We’re using the same kibble as the breeder and he’s had no ill effects (it is grain free already, yay!)
Thankfully, the breeder had him acclimated to handling when we picked him up. He’s been VERY tolerant of all family members so far playing with and touching him. We have pretty much been transferring him from lap to lap (he’s been a cuddle bug in the house, but turns into a hyper explorer in the back yard.)
He and the cats are also just kind of ignoring each other so far.
We got his collar today and putting it on him was a complete non-event (once again thanks to the breeder.) He scratched at it twice and hasn’t even noticed it since. I’ve put it on and off several times with no problems. The leash, on the other hand, he started biting within seconds. I’ve found if I walk quickly and just ahead of him, he’ll worry more about keeping up than the leash though.
He’s eating a bit now and will “sit” if bribed with chicken. He LOVES chicken.
His crate and not sleeping with us is NOT making him happy, but it’s only day two, so I have hope. š
By the end of the week, I may be crying about him – but the first two days have been pretty good.
Hey Hey
I was curious how you found out that your dogs were allergic to wheat (and fish etc)? š
With my Shiba he had the runs pretty much as soon as we got him. After doing some research, I took him off of his kibble (given by his breeder) and put him on a boiled chicken/rice diet. After a few days, things got a lot better. His kibble contained wheat, so I got a new puppy kibble for him that was wheat free and he was good after that.
Later on, when I took him to puppy class, he got some Natural Balance food rolls from one of the trainers. He loves those treats but he started to get the runs again. After checking out the ingredient list, I discovered that the Natural Balance food rolls contained wheat.
So I am pretty sure he is allergic to wheat.
I went through a similar process with my Siberian. She was good as a puppy, but when I switched her from puppy to adult food, she started getting the runs and I found that the key ingredient in the adult kibble that was not in her puppy kibble was oats, so it was probably the culprit. After I switched kibble brands, to a grain free kibbble, she was good.
Nowadays I feed both my dogs Innova EVO which is high protein and grain free. It seems to work well for them.
Thanks for the info! I’m going to give that a shot! Hopefully he gets the hint quickly that he needs to eat the food when I give it to him. It’s hard watching him not eat as it is, let alone if I have to take it away from him! I’m a sucker for those Shiba eyes. Guess I have to be strong!
Thanks again!!
So recently Reptar decided that he’s too good to eat. The only way he seems to voluntarily eat is if I throw a couple pieces of kibble on the floor and start of pseudo game of fetch. We’ve been transitioning him to his new adult food for a while now and he seemed like he really liked it in the beginning”. This concerns me because I know he is not getting enough nutrients and he’s already eating (when he does eat it) really healthy and good dog food (Blue Buffalo). This is new, very new maybe a week or so.
I have even tried putting them in toys and making it more fun since he likes the “throwing food” game but he’ll just empty it all out of the toys and leave it on the floor.
Could it be cause it’s summer time and he’s just “too hot”? Any tips or advice or ideas? Thanks as always!
I went through the same thing with Sephy. Oh Shiba! – LOL.
After I had him a couple of months, he decided he didn’t want kibble anymore.
I started by adding in wet food – which worked for a while, then he would just pick out the wet food. Then I ground up the kibble and mixed it in with the wet food – which worked for a while, then he stopped eating the whole wet/dry food mix. I tried adding cheese, bacon, etc. – but he would just pick out the good stuff.
Finally, I switched to a high protein kibble brand and just set up a strict schedule for him. I would put the kibble out for him. If he didn’t want to eat it after a while, I took the kibble away and set it out next meal time. He didn’t eat the first few times but then he got hungry, so he started eating his kibble again. š
As you say, I have also observed that Sephy doesn’t like eating as much when it is really hot. Even now, he will sometimes skip a day of eating to clear his system. Based on my observations, a day is the most time he will go without eating.
Finally, when Sephy is hungry (because he scorned his kibble), he will sometimes come over to beg from me with his little Shiba whining. I ignore him when he does that – he only gets dessert after he finishes his regular meal. š
That’s a great one-stop hub of pros and cons for all the different diets! We feed our dogs home-cooked – I’ve always wondered about switching to raw but I’ve been worried about infections.
Lovely pictures of your dogs!
Glad you solved your dog’s allergy problems Brunettemom. My dogs give you two paws up! š
i just want to comment on anyone that was asking about what to feed your pets that have food allergies, i can tell you from experience about 4yrs at least that my dog had reocurring ear infections, pain. odor til we switched his food/treats the past 2months it is completly gone and vet was so impressed with the results she asked for the name of his foods/treats, am happy to share the information with anyone that wants it, here ya go http://www.ourlifeofriley.com thats my dogs name š ok thanx hope this helps you
For a fantastic low mess, low worry raw diet try Natures Variety. It is a pre-formulated raw diet offered in proteins such as organic chicken, beef, lamb, venison, and rabbit.
Her is the ingredients list for Chicken:
INGREDIENTS: Chicken, Raw Ground Chicken Bone, Turkey, Turkey Liver, Turkey Heart, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove
>taken from:
http://www.naturesvariety.com
It comes in many convienant sizes and is already in pre-formed patties. Just cleanse your utensils and bowls afterward and theres no worry, no fuss. I defrost 2-3 days worth at a time by putting frozen patties into glass tupperware and put it in the fridge, pulling out what I need at that feeding. I have been incorporating this diet with EVO or Orijen, and green tripe(greentripe.com) plus a weekly raw meaty bone or turkey neck. I have a 14 year old 65 lb girl thats doing fantastic and all 6 of my dogs have never had to have their teeth cleaned! Do your research, give it a shot. Your dogs will be as close to possible to their ancestral diet, their body will function beautifully and they will be happy.
Yeah I stopped feeding rice to my dogs because it was too sticky and may be bad for their dental health.
Thanks for the article Toni. It has a lot of good information about dog nutrition. The Dog Food Project is also a great place to get good information on dog feeding.
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main
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I guess I was wrong about feeding rice to my dog. I read this interesting article on http://www.englishbulldogpuppyblog.com/uncategoriz