What do you feed your dog?

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When I was a kid. Dogs use to eat mostly food scraps . Or fresh food made for them. I know that Adessa used to cook for our dog. Often rice with carrots and other vegetables and fish or meat. The butcher even used to have some specific meat that people would buy for their dogs. Of course that was long ago, and since then,commercial dog food took over – with the help of vets that educated people explaining that not only dry food was good for our dogs but it would also help with the “end results “ of the digestion, making it easier for us to pick it up as we should. Many brands appeared with prices that varied.And people would buy it. It wasn’t the norm to read what it was in that food. People just trusted it was good. Now we are more aware. Food dog scares and sensationalist reports about dog foods are all the rage. People are starting to look at the list of ingredients in their dog food and not liking what they see. Consumers are educating themselves, which is a good thing. And they are starting to see that the dog food industry is only that: A business. They don't have to care about our lovely pet. They don't have to worry about his health. They just need to make money. Dog food can come in a variety of ways. There is the commercial dry food ( kibble) that has many variants, some better than others. One can try the regular dry food sold in supermarket and such- although I wouldn’t recommend it – or step up for premium and super premium dog foods, dehydrated foods, or even organic or holistic dog foods. Or, go further and introduce a raw diet or homemade dog food. Each person has preferences but convenience is usually high on the list, so not everyone is cut out to cook for their pet. Each type of food has it’s pros and cons. And there is plenty of information online where people can get information. Here are some of the sites that I visit: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/ http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grading_kibble http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html http://www.doberdogs.com/foodcht3.html Although I want to feed my dog the best available food, I know that results differ from dog to dog and even sometimes from time to time in the same dog. Also, a healthy dog may do ok in a “not the best brand”, while a dog with health problems will need the best possible food. Dry food can be ok. But it is important to know what is in it. The first link I post is a good place to start to get an idea. It’s easy to explore and has lots of very good information. Raw food seems to be in fashion nowadays. Some people praise it some… hmmmm “what’s the big deal?” When feeding raw food it’s important that the products are fresh. Bacteria can ruin the experience. Homemade dog food can work if the person really learns about dog nutrition and specially their dog’s nutritional needs. But it can be time consuming and might need vitamins and other supplements. Money hasn’t been abundant in the past few years, but I had to cross out most brands sold in supermarket/grocery stores as soon as I read the ingredients. It wouldn’t do. I opted for premium/super premium dry food I had been feeding tazz dry canidae which used to be a bit better than what it is now, although still superior. Since his health is not the best, I do make an effort to provide the best food I can. For some months now I have been feeding him orijen. It’s kind of expensive, however the recommended portions are way smaller than the cheaper brands, so the difference is not as much as all that. That was the first thing I noticed with higher quality brands. Tazz was full with much less canidae than the other supermarket brands that suggested that for his size and weight he should have about 4 cups per day of kibble, the brand I use suggests 1 to 1 ¾ cups per day.Big difference that brings the price down by much of course. In the end, there is not best brand, but if possible people should choose from a variety of the best brands and see which one works well with their dog. So…..what do you feed your dog?