I say that a raw diet is the best, and it is "cheap", too.
Its a lot safer, too. There are too many unlisted, and unknown chemicals, and meat by-products in commercial food. It seems as if many people have forgotten about the pet food recall that happened not too long ago, and have gone back to feeding the dog foods that may cause them to get sick and/or die.
Here are some useful links on info about the B.A.R.F. diet
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=B.A.R.F.+diet&btnG=Search&meta=
2007-09-11 08:55:10
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Instead of adding wet food to the canidae, why not add a bit of cottage cheese and mix it in? It's healthy and doesn't cost much if you are adding about two-three tablespoonfuls in with a cup of kibble.
Home cooking is the healthier option to packaged dog foods, because you pick product and know exactly what your dog is eating by quality and freshness of product, and you can provide a balance that meets the needs of your dogs. The problem with this is, it is a lot more work, but if you make it up in advance and have the freezer space, and you are good at organizing your time, you can make a weeks supply of food once a week, freeze by portions. Put the next day's portion in the refrigerator the day before serving. Heat a bit in the microwave but be sure to stir to make sure there are no hot pockets to burn a dogs mouth.
When I home fed my dogs I used (by portion) 1/2 meat (chicken or turkey or lamb or venison, or beef- more often the poultry) and the other half was a mixture of carb-(brown rice or sweet potato/yam, white potato and veggies- either peas and carrots, asparagus and carrots, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower, yellow or green squash, bit of cranberry, steamed and mashed)
Supplements I added to the food included a bit of Norwegian Cod Liver Oil and sprinkled on brewer's yeast with garlic (formulated for dogs).
Occasional treats were: apple slices (no seeds), frozen banana slices, holistic hard dog biscuits (homemade or store bought)
3x week raw beef heart sliced and cubed and added into food (excellent source of taurine)
You can also sprinkle some acidophilus over their food, or give them some probiotic yogurt.
Run this by your Vet if you are considering this.
2007-09-11 08:42:46
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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I would say go back to the Evo, but measure out the amount you give them, if you weren't already. You can actually feed a little less in quantity of a higher quality food! Another option that is good quality is Solid Gold. I think it's worth it, especially in light of the gluten contamination scare. If you have guts of steel, you might want to look into feeding raw meat and bones (called, funnily enough, the BARF diet). You can buy bulk chickens, rabbits, etc and freeze them, then cut them up when you are ready to serve the dogs dinner. I haven't tried this myself because I am squeamish, but I have heard from friends that their dogs' coat, teeth, and overall health show a vast improvement. Just remember, NON-COOKED bones only! Cooked can splinter and cause big vet bills, negating any of your cost savings.
2007-09-11 08:43:23
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answer #3
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answered by Whatwhatwhat 1
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Honestly, I feed a raw prey model diet... it is the healthiest and the cheapest way to feed dogs in my opinion.
I feed three dogs (1-37 lbs, 2-55-60 lbs.) and I spend about $75-100/month on their food. This is far cheaper than the $200 or more I was spending for really good kibble.
It has also improved their health dramatically. No doggie odor, no doggie breath, no fleas, no ear problems, no skin issues, etc.
Please look into a raw prey model diet.
www.rawmeatybones.com
www.rawfed.com/myths
www.rawlearning.com
www.rawfeddogs.net
and here is a yahoo group you can join to get help getting started and get support while feeding this way:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
Good luck.
2007-09-11 08:48:53
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answer #4
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answered by Jocelyn7777 4
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ALL dog foods that come in a bag are "commercial" dog foods-anything sold for profit is "commercial". Some good ones that are priced right are Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Canidae, and Healthwise. Others that are decent foods with a low price include: Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice, NutriSource, and Kirkland brand. Blue, Innova, California Natural, Solid Gold, Wellness Super5mix, Merrick, Prairie, Halo, Natural Balance are good foods, but are not what I would consider cheap at all. The Chicken Soup, Canidae, or Healthwise would be my first choice, were I looking for the best value. Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice would by my first choice of the lower priced foods. MONGO: Beneful is as far from natural as you can get: chemical preservatives, chemical colorings, added sugar and salt-it's like you're trying to kill your dog slowly!
2016-03-18 04:09:31
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answer #5
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answered by Janet 4
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We had this problem, but now we feed raw.
As for the Canidae, we used Nupro Dog suppliment that makes like a gravy on the evening meal. The morning meal was usually a little yogurt or a microwaved egg.
2007-09-11 08:57:48
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answer #6
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answered by willodrgn 4
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Pick the highest quality dog food you can afford to feed and that is available near you and stick with that.
I really like Chikcen Soup for hte Dog Lover's Soul it rates out very high and is a great food. AS long as your has no issues with it.
Check some of the web sites for the differnt food and fond one you like that you have a distributor near you.
2007-09-11 08:34:56
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answer #7
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answered by tlctreecare 7
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In the long run, it is far cheaper to spend money on the Canidae, or similar quality food, than to pay vet bills when your dogs get older and have health problems because you fed them cheap stuff.
I did feed my 6 Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul - this is far cheaper than Canidae and pretty good quality. Problem was 3 of my dogs started scratching and itching because there is cranberry in this food, as a preservative I imagine. 3 did fine on it, so you might want to try it - it's a bargain considering it is good quality, not supermarket junk.
2007-09-11 08:30:44
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answer #8
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answered by rescue member 7
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The B.A.R.F. diet is the best and they need less food than with bag food it turns out to be less money. I have been feeding my dog on raw meaty bones all his life. Vet says he is the healthiest dog he as ever seen. He is well muscled, sleek coat and very happy. You also fed them raw veggies and eggs. look it up and try it.
2007-09-11 10:34:47
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answer #9
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answered by raven blackwing 6
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Most dog food is made up of the same ingredients. We raise Yorkshire terriers and we just feed them pedigree dry small crunchy bites. We have never had a problem with this type of food. We just go to walmart and pick up a big bag. Cooking food for them will be expensive. And this raw diet that they have come out with is shown to be bad for them. But it's your animals so feed them what you think is good for them.
2007-09-11 08:34:04
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answer #10
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answered by luvmyyorkies 3
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