Best Dog Food & Cat Food Options for Your Healthy Pet!

When we first brought home our Welsh Corgi puppy we noticed he had no real interest in his kibble. He would let it sit for an hour or so before he would finally eat some of it. We thought he was just not a big eater, but as we learned more about health from reading Earth Clinic we decided that real food HAD to be better for him than kibble so we switched his diet to real people food. (By this time, he was a very skinny little dog, about 1 year old) We fed him things such as eggs, chicken, beef, lamb, rice, cottage cheese, yogurt,and oatmeal. What a difference it made! First of all, he LOVED his food now! He would ask to be fed and gobble down his food. His energy level soared and his coat became so glossy and soft that people always commented on how silky he was.When he ate kibble he would zone out by 4pm and sleep from then on. After we changed his diet he played until closer to 8pm and had more energy on his walks. Now we have begun adding ACV to his meals and his energy has risen yet again. We love you, Earth Clinic!

THE BIG FAT WHOPPING LIE
aka "The Great Misconception"
They LIE. Major manufacturers of pet foods show you lovely staged commercials with fresh meat, crisp vegetables, happy bouncy animals, all the while telling you this garbage in a bag is good for your pet and 100% complete and balanced.

Complete and balanced is a myth. Here's what Randy Wysong, DVM has to say about a "complete and balanced diet" in his book "Fresh & Whole:Getting Involved In Your Pet's Diet":

"A 100% complete processed diet requires:

1. 100% complete knowledge of food.
2. 100% complete knowledge of nutrition.
3. 100% complete knowledge of #1 & #2 requires 100% complete knowledge of every science.
4. Since #1,2 & 3 are not possible, the 100% complete processed diet is a myth."

Did you know that ingredients are far more important than the "Guaranteed Analysis?" If it has 28% protein, how much of that is from an animal source and how much is from grain? What is the animal source? If it is not labeled, as chicken, turkey, lamb or beef but simply states "Animal Meal", "Meat and Bone Meal" or "Animal Fat", exactly what animals are we talking about here? Scared yet? Here comes your answer.

Any of the above, if not from a named protein source can come from ANY mammalian tissue. That's right. This includes cats, dogs, road kill, horses, 4D animals (Dead, downed, dying and diseased) and any other critter they want to throw in the vat.

"The National Animal Control Association has estimated that animal shelters kill over 13 million household pets a year. Of this total, 30% are buried, 30% are cremated and the remaining 40%, about 5 million pets, are shipped to rendering factories to be recycled and used in pet food." This information has been confirmed in great detail by Ann Martin in her book, Food Pets Die For.

Are you getting it yet? These large multinational companies have no interest in anything but finding a way to turn nutritionally devoid byproducts of the human food and rendering industries into a profit. Do they care about your pets? NO. They care about your bank account.

Pet food only became well known after World War II. Prior to that pets ate what we ate and suffered few diseases. Since that time we have become brainwashed by clever marketing and even our sage vets into thinking that the stuff in the bag is best. This is not the case. What is best for our pets is what it best for us. Wholesome, fresh minimally processed foods.

Here is what Lew Olson, PhD in Natural Health, has to say about the dog food industry in her August 2005 B-Naturals newsletter: "...several marketers of the new dog products were stating that their products were superior, as they were able to utilize waste products such as grain hulls, sweepings and meat unusable for human consumption. Another argument was that fresh meat was just too expensive to feed dogs, and that it actually made them too 'finicky' While it was noted fresh meat and vegetables were superior, they argued that dogs could be fed more economically with these factory waste products, and still do well. ...The sales of dry processed dog foods picked up considerably after World War II. Mill operators and grain dealers were finding a good source for their by-products in the dog industry. Slaughterhouses were also available to sell non-human grade, diseased meats, unusable parts, and meat by-products to pet food manufacturers. This created a market for products that previously had been discarded. Since many of these meat sources were non-human grade, the practice became common to mix these with the grains and cook them together for many hours or days to kill bacteria and disease. The final mix was then formed into pellets that were easily bagged for convenience of feeding."

MMM. Sounds delicious! Is this what you envision when you see a Beneful commercial? Here is further evidence from the same article that shows the beginning of the conspiracy. "In 1969, according to Dr Kronfeld DS PhD DSc MVSc from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, the pet food industry utilized veterinarians to proclaim that all meat dog foods were incomplete. He reports the editor of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association also agreed with this, and said dog foods needed to be fortified with nutrients, too much protein was harmful and some carbohydrates are necessary for the dog's health. ... The second selling point was developed by a professional marketing campaign. Dog food companies began labeling their dog foods as complete, with no additional foods or supplements being necessary. In fact, they began warning the public that adding table scraps could actually be dangerous to the dog's health. An active campaign was developed in 1964 through the Pet Food Institute, to inform the public of the dangers of table food scraps, and the importance of feeding processed dog food. This was accomplished through press releases to one thousand newspapers, articles in 16 magazines, including Redbook and Good Housekeeping and airing this information on 91 radio stations." Good PR isn't it?

Did you know that FiFi, laying their in your living room is actually the same species as the wolf? Until 1993, dogs and wolves were classified as separate species. This change was formalized in the 1993 publication: Mammal Species of the World, A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, edited by D.E.Wilson and D.A.M. Reeder, published by the Smithsonian Institution in association with the American Society of Mammalogists. This reference book is the final authority of the scientific community on mammal classification.

Let me exercise your common sense for a moment. If dogs and wolves are the same species and have the exact same nutritional requirements; Why aren't wolves in the zoo fed dog food? If dog food is the "be all, end all of nutrition", why don't zookeepers dole it out to their captive wolves? Why? Because it isn't species appropriate and they know better, that's why! All commercial dry pet foods contain species inappropriate ingredients. These so called safe ingredients are why we are seeing alarming rates of cancer, diabetes, thyroid disorders, liver and kidney disease, allergies and a host of other ailments in our pets. Here comes question number two. Would you feed steak to a horse? If not, why do you think it is ok to feed your captive wolf a bowl of cereal?

Wolves, like Dogs, are what are described as obligate carnivores, which means they will scavenge for food -any kind of food dead or alive or otherwise - in order to survive. However, this also means that given a natural choice or preference they will choose a meat and bone diet for their optimal health to thrive. Have you ever seen a wolf in a corn field? NO?! Then why is ground corn or any other grain for that matter such a large part of most commercial pet foods? Because it is cheap and the grain proteins inflate the "Guaranteed Analysis" making you think that there is actually some meat in that bag.

Why didn't my vet tell me this?" you ask. Because sadly he does not know any better. Guess who provides the textbooks and other learning materials for his limited nutrition classes in vet school? If you are smart and I know you are, then you got it right. The dog food companies, mainly Hills. Your vet will fight you tooth and nail about raw feeding, or even feeding a homemade cooked diet, but listen to your heart. Try it for one month and see the difference for yourself.

If this makes sense to you, I bet you are wondering what to do next. Do you run to the butcher and buy everything he has? No. You start reading books. Research the internet. Like any nutritional program, you can make mistakes and need to be aware of the basics before starting. Is every meal going to be complete and balanced? Absolutely not. You achieve balance over time by varying the ingredients. Is every meal you eat complete and balanced? Of course not. The same applies to our dogs. Be sure that you have mastered the basics before starting. It's not rocket science and is actually easier than you think. There is a great article on my forum that tells you how I got started and gives step by step instructions. Visit my website and take a look. In addition to that here are a few excellent sites to start with.

http://www.dogaware.com
http://rawfed.com
http://www.rawdogranch.com

If you need help, go to http://groups.yahoo.com and join the K9Nutrition email list. There are thousands of members on this list and all are seasoned pro's at helping people to create diets that work for them and their pets. Or you can send me an email. I'll try to help as much as I can.

I routinely use 1(med) clove of garlic in a 2 litre stewpot that yeilds 72 oz of dog food. consisting of 2 cups brown rice, 2-3 small potatoes, 3 carrots, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 stalk celery, 1tbsp basil, 1/4 can chick peas, 1 med zucchini, or broccoli and two apples, I sometimes include 1/8 cup cottage cheese, to this I add' a ratio of 1/3 pureed mixture of either beef or chicken liver, chicken gizards and hearts. In additional after cooked I sprinkle in 2 tbsp of a 2:1 ratio of calcium/phosphorus supplement, which also includes proteins, fats,vitamins, minerals and advanced micro -nutrients. Am I overdoing it by adding the calcium vitamin supplement?

I have a big lab/golden mix who has protien allegies. I ahve tried to find some kind of meat he can eat but to no avail. He is on a home made veg diet. He has NO doggy smell. None at all. I worked in an organic pet store and people would comment that certain types of meat would make their dogs smell worse, so if you have a problem I would try changing to a human grade dog food and changing the main protein source and see if you notice anything. I make my own food but after being the business for years if I had to buy food it would be any food from the Natura company. Either Innova or California Natural.

I have four little Yorkies and they only eat HomeMade Dog Food. I cook a whole chicken and remove all fat, skin and bones. Then mix it will cooked rice. They also love raw veggies like chopped carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Of course, I also give them vitamin supplements because no recipe can include everything they need, but they are actually mostly vegetarians and eat very little meat. Sometimes cooked chicken livers, but only a little, they are high in Vitamin A and' too much vitamin A is toxic. Also NO onions or raw or spoiled garlic, these are poisonous to them. But I do add cooked garlic and oats sometimes. Both are good for the heart.

Just wanted everyone to know, that is has now been OVER a year, since I have put my Peke on a ALL Natural Diet. NO STORE BOUGHT dog food. Since my dog has had Bladder Stone problems, I have had to reduce her protein levels, give her veggies, with organic brown rice. AND, I topped it off with ACV. She gets a teaspoon daily with her food..and is in the BEST EXCELLENT condition she has ever been. I have recommended MANY MANY dog people to go onto this web site, and consider changing thier dogs diet, if they are having problems. I AM SO HAPPY..that my Dottie is in the best health EVER. Thank you Earth Clinic

I recently started to add 1/2 teaspoon of flax seed oil and 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to my dogs' food (Blackwood + ground turkey or ground beef). After 4 days, their coats are looking AMAZING! Shiny and glossy as can be. Also, they have no doggie smell whatsoever (more time between baths, thankfully) . Their eyes are bright and buzzing with energy. One side effect though is that it sometimes stimulates the anal glands if you know what I mean (e.g., stinky discharge). Too much flax and acv and their stools get loose. They seem to do okay on the 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon range (my 3 dogs all weigh between 45 - 65 pounds). I think I will try adding canned pumpkin to their food as well to firm up the stools. One suggestion -- don't give the flax/acv to your dog for his/her morning meal if they don't have access to the backyard since they may need to go to the bathroom more than once.

me and my partner had 4 dogs that were eating a dog food brand that we thought was good , until the pet food recall! WOW we investigated the pet food industry and was amazed about the deadly stuff they put in dog food even the name brands. WE searched and researched for almost two weeks about the pet food industry, i swear we were very disturbed about what we had been feeding our beloved pets! Now we use a brand of dog food that is holistic and all natural called flint river, we thought so much of it that we became dists, of this food . So if you want a very good food for your pet you might wont to check it out. Thanks Walker

Had to destroy a perfectly healthy belgian,7 years old due to liver failure from a company that refused to acknowledge the "possibility" of either aflatoxicity or garbage purchased from china-poor dog was rescued from idiots abusing him right in our faces,no one claimed him,was a valuable dog---lasted only SIX days after being diagnosed with liver failure...-their wet food WAS on recall,but not their dry....dunno why not as both food types SHARED certain ingred. While going thru the breeders websites,they recommended a certain brand i had never heard of--PHD--and my dogs and cats have been eating it for a year now. A very concentrated food type and they also recommend raw meat with it too. Animals are looking good,ALL TARTAR is gone from their teeth! and they seem years younger. Being this food is very packed with nutrients,you only give a small amount daily,is delivered right to your door and doesn't really cost that much more than sacks of pedigree etc.which do not produce health and wellness.

To: Krisanne from Birch Run, Michigan Diamond Dog Food was one of the recent recalls for tainted dog foods.

To everyone who has a dog or cat with seizures, I'm sorry for that, it's the worst. I have a seven year old German Shepard that started having them when she turned two. I took her to the vet and they put her on medicine, that "might harm her liver over time" I gave her the pills for three years, with still a few seizures. One day I went into PetSmart and was talking to the salesperson about animals,when it led into my shepard and her problem. She told me that her boxer had them to and that there is an additive in dog food called BHT or BHD that is found to bring on seizures.In amazement and anger I decieded to buy a dog food without this additive in to see if it was true and if it would help. I bought a very expensive bag of food that cost $39.99 a bag, not caring as long as it was true. Long story short, it's true! After that I started searching around for a reasonable priced bag of food because we have a 102lb.not fat just big,Golden Retriever too,and they eat alot! I found a great bag of food at Tractor Supply called Diamond brand food. Just look on the back of your food bag if you see the three letters BHD or BHT,I really can't remember the exact three letters but it starts with a B. If it's in there I would change. Even some of the brands you think would be O.K. are not. Please try this it has been great with her not having seizuers any more. Good Luck I hope it helps.

My cat kiki was a little on the chubby side. She was a stray so she is aggressive for food. I ALWAYS fed her MAX cat or Nutro from Petco. in 2006 she began throwing up- i thought Hairballs because Kiki usually doesn't have a problem eating anything. She loves to eat. She began throwing up more and more. I now realize it was the possibility of contaminated DRY food. Thats all she ate. by the beginning of 2007 Kiki lost alot of weight and i didn't know what to do. I took her to the vet and $500 later (their magic number), Nothing of renal disease. It was when kiki was surprised by a neighbors pit bull and was attacked - Broken ribs- and a few more things but she is OK, she is a LUCKY cat! The specialist hospital she was in showed me the Renal Disease low testings on that. She is very affectionate but since she was basically starving, from always throwing up, She would throw up and throw her body down to lay down lethargic and just looked depressed. She would have an upset stomach for 3-4 hours after eating she would lay alone her stomach would be swishing, she would lick her lips alot when she was going to throw up and then throw up volume. Digested food and water. Since renal disease is kidneys and they are for pulling the toxins out I was about giving her the RIGHT food. I finally found her combo a dry food called Nature's Recipe at petco and wet food from Trader Joes. I put peti greens, eggshell calcium, the Digestive Enzymes and a product called RENAL G.O. they have. I have been adding it to her food DAILY in her wet and dry food sprinkled on top. This has now been steady since Oct 2007. Pets Friends makes it and they have helped me have Kiki gain weight I also put 2 drops food grade hydrogen peroxide in her water bowl since 2/08. Her coast is awesome and she used to get little rashes and none since the diet changes and all this. Now I have my loving kitty back feeling full!

I now want to help her joint pain from her Pit Bull Attack. She was in it's mouth it shook her- and no internal bleeding one puncture wound that was only her skin layer and she was in shock when I got to her ( I was at work) but I think I will try a ACV bath with a Hydrogen peroxide rinse.

If anyone knows any more body pain I can help her with that would be great.

She is my best friend Hi have had her since i was 19 she is 13 now. She is a grey Korat.

Thanks Everyone who posts here I hope this helps.