Should You Feed Natural Dog Food to Your Dog?

With recent recalls of pet foods due to contamination that resulted in the deaths of many dogs, pet owners are wondering whether they should start feeding natural dog food to their dogs. There is no doubt that natural dog food producers have seen a 30-40% increase in their natural pet food sales since the contaminated pet food was recalled in the spring of 2007. Is a natural dog food diet the answer?

Part of the problem is defining what a natural dog food diet is and what it is not; The definition varies according to whom you ask. Some believe natural dog food is feeding your dog a diet of human-grade quality food. Others believe natural dog food is feeding your dog a diet of raw foods and bones, also called a BARF (bones and raw food). There are also commercial natural dog food products available as a way of feeding your dog a natural food.

Many people believe they can just cook up some chicken and feed it to their dog as a natural dog food, but this can be very dangerous. Dogs need to have a nutritionally balanced food diet and focusing on just one item is not going to give your dog the proper vitamins he needs to stay healthy. Dogs need to have the correct combination of protein, fats, carbohydrates and vegetables to have a balanced diet.

 What are you currently feeding your dog now? Look at the first five ingredients on your dog food nutritional label to find out what is in the food. The first five ingredients should not be wheat, rice, corn, soybeans or wheat gluten. Instead it should be meat protein such as lamb, beef, fish, chicken or turkey. Dog food labels list their ingredient information based upon how much of each item is in the product, so the first five items make up the bulk of what is in your dog's food. If you see meat proteins, then you know that the product is not made up of grain fillers.

Many people swear by the BARF diet, but creating a BARF diet is not for the weak-stomached. You will need to become good friends with your butcher because he will be the one who can provide you with the raw bones and meats that you will be feeding your dog. Dogs with severe food allergies tend to do very well on the BARF diet, so if your pet suffers from allergies you may want to give it a try. If you aren't sure about BARF, or need more information, do an Internet search on the BARF diet so you can read extensive articles on the topic to determine whether it is something that you want to feed to your dog or not.

If BARF makes you want to get sick, then you might want to try to make food for your dog at home. I would only recommend you doing this if you buy and read a book on cooking dog food such as Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats or Andi Brown's Whole Pet Diet: Eight Weeks to Great Health for Dogs and Cats.

Using commercial pet products that claim to be natural dog food is fine to do, but please make sure that you are reading the nutritional labels. Do not purchase anything to give to your pet if the first five ingredients contain a grain product because you know that there is more gain in the food than protein. If your dog has a food allergy, the grain is most likely the cause of the allergy and feeding a product like that to your dog will only exacerbate the situation.

Some people like to point out that natural dog foods cost a lot more than other dog food, but I disagree. The natural dog foods might cost more per pound, but you must take into consideration the fact that you will be feeding your dog much less of this food because it isn't full of fillers. The protein dense natural foods cost less per day than the cheaper unhealthy brands of dog food.

No matter what you decide to feed your dog, you can supplement the food with fresh foods that you add to the dish. Below is a list of items that you can easily add that will significantly improve the quality of your dog's food:

Canned fish with bones – sardines, mackerel and pink salmon (packed in water, not oil) contain fatty omega 3 acids that provide trace minerals. The bones in the fish are cooked so they are very soft, yet add calcium to the food.
Canned pumpkin – this is just the actual pumpkin, not the pie mix. Pumpkin is a healthy vegetable that can help if your dog is constipated or has diarrhea.
Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese – adding the low fat versions of these cheeses adds calcium and protein to your dog's diet.

Eggs – you can feed raw or cooked eggs to your dog
Fruit – dogs love to eat apples, bananas, blueberries, papaya and pears.
Liver – dogs like the taste of liver, but you can only feed this in small amounts or it can lead to diarrhea. You can buy liver freeze dried if it makes it more palatable for you.
Vegetables – carrots, celery, cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, asparagus, and zucchini can be fed pureed raw or can be steamed.
Yogurt or kefir - plain flavors are preferable to those with added sugars.

Some foods are toxic to dogs. Below is a list of foods you should never feed to your dog:

Chocolate – is so toxic that many dogs have died from ingesting chocolate.
Grapes and raisins – have caused kidney failure in otherwise healthy dogs.
Macadamia nuts – are toxic even in the tiniest amounts.
Onions – have caused anemia in dogs. Small amounts are not harmful, but why chance it at all?
Raw salmon and trout – these fish can carry parasites that cause salmon poisoning. Cook this fish before serving to your dog or buy the canned salmon which is already cooked.
Xylitol – a natural sugar sweetener often found in gum, is toxic to dogs.