Nutritional Requirements of Dogs

Dogs need protein, ground vegetables, vitamins and minerals. They do not do well on corn, corn meal, rice, soy, potatoes, starch, "filler" or animal by-products.

The quality and freshness of the food is paramount.

Realities of Commercial Dog Food

The business pressure on the dog food industry to reduce costs and improve profits has reduced the trust in their claims. Dog food ads are pretty, while most of the commercial food is very poor. Be aware that the expensive brands with fancy or scientific sounding names offer very low quality nutrition.

Feel better by feeding better -- not by buying a brand.

The Beginning of Commercial Dog Food

Before the 1940's dogs ate what humans ate. Ever since commercial dog food began we have continually discovered that it is lacking in quality nutrition and that we can't just pour a bowl out of a bag and have healthy dogs.

We have slowly found that the nutritional requirements of dogs is not met with over-cooked meat by-products, and adding corn, rice, or other vegetable filler and a few vitamins and minerals. Commercial dog food manufacturers have struggled for generations to find out what has been missing and why dogs got sick, died, and had diseases. The numbers are unknown and difficult to pin down. After all, pet food companies are the vets best friend, and sponsors of all the top dog shows!

Who Makes Sure Dog Food Is Safe in The USA?

No one is currently charged by US law to perform that job.

The dog food industry wants you to think that there is a group checking on the nutritional value in dog food, but that is not true. Dog food bags and commercials want you to think that The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is the guardian of health, but they were formed (in their own words) to "aid in the production, labeling, distribution, or sale of animal feeds." They are an industry group dedicated to commerce and formed to proactively control the government watchdogs.

AAFCO promotes selling animal feed and they are not experts on nutrition. They are expert at controlling the government.

To make informed decisions about what to feed their dogs, owners need to learn about nutrition and the history of dog food.

Dog Food Checklist

Do you want your dog on a limited diet, or full nutrition?

Do you want your pet's food damaged by over-cooking?

Do you want undamaged elements like dogs have been eating for millions of years?

Do you trust 60 years of experience by pressure-induced business with ever reducing quality and a track record of thousands of sick dogs before adding missing nutrients?

Would you rather trust 60 Million years of natural selection over 6 month studies where it is acceptable for 20% of the dogs to die?

Never let a wolf guard your hen house or trust a animal food "approval" agency like AAFCO.

What about supplements?

It would be great if it was that easy, but most supplements are too limited and some are not good for dogs. We only suggest special fish oil, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Read Feed 'em Right Part III for more information.

The best is a wide ranging raw diet. Just like what humans should be eating, and the way world-class athletes are now learning to eat.

Cooking breaks down even the best nutrition.

A raw diet is digested optimally throughout the dog's entire digestive system. Some nutritional elements need to make it past the stomach and must be absorbed in the intestines. Cooking breaks down the food too far and offsets the time-phased digestion process that nature has tuned for millions of years.

Did you want food that has been tested for millions of years, or food that was tested for 6 months and 80% of the dogs survived?