How to Feed Your Dog

Although dogs are in the classification of carnivore they are not obligate carnivores like cats. What this means is they can utilize nutrients from varied sources to stay alive. Although our domestic dog has descended from wolves they have been living with humans for thousands of years and have adapted to a more varied diet than their wild cousins.

What to Feed Your Dog

We recommend a whole food diet over processed food. Generally, a biologically appropriate raw food diet is our first choice however there are times, and individual dogs, for whom a home cooked diet may be the better option. In an attempt to make it easier for people who wish to home prepare a diet for their dogs I have boiled down the basics to a percentage formula:

50%-65% - animal products (meat, fish, dairy, eggs, raw bones)
10%-15% - organ meats
25%-40% - vegetables and other plants

Animal Products

Meat – beef, lamb, venison, rabbit, turkey, chicken etc. Can be fed raw, cooked or browned on the stove top.
Fish – try to stay mostly low on the food chain like sardines, anchovies and mackerel. Avoid salmon – Pacific and Atlantic as well as tuna and shark due to high levels of contamination in these fish.
Dairy – cottage cheese, yogurt (goat milk yogurt is more digestible) and raw milk. Organic dairy is always preferable as are pasture raise eggs.

Organ Meats

Kidney and liver are the most readily available. Our Multi Glandular supplement is another easy way to provide organs and glands to the diet

Vegetables and Other Plants

Try to rotate various vegetables so your dog has a variety and not just the same sweet potato and green beans. We like lower starch veggies like zucchini and squash and lower oxalate greens like organic leaf lettuces. Veggies should be steamed and greens liquefied. You can also add berries like cranberries, blueberries etc. in small quantities.

Grains: I did not add grains to this plan because they can be pro-inflammatory, feed yeast and people tend to lean too heavily on them at the expense of other ingredients in the diet. If you want to add grain then small amounts of quinoa or oatmeal are good choices.

*[IMPORTANT] Calcium – this is a critical nutrient that MUST be added to a home-prepared diet to ensure balancing out the phosphorous in the meat for the proper calcium to phosphorous ratio. If feeding a raw diet, then raw bones (bones should not be cooked because they can splinter) will do the trick. If you are cooking the diet (or are a raw feeder uncomfortable with bones) then our Natural Bone Calcium is an easy way to add the nutrient profile found in whole bone to the diet.

Adding additional calcium is not necessary if feeding a commercially prepared/packaged diet as these companies already add a calcium source.

Daily Multi Plus – Our whole food multi vitamin includes our digestive enzyme & Probiotic blend along with New Zealand glandulars and multi-nutrients from USDA Certified organic plants.

Omega fatty acids supplement – We recommend either Nordic Naturals Omega 3 Pet or Organic Chia seed Oil.

How Much to Feed Your Dog

To determine how much to feed your dog a day the basic rule for a dog who is ideal weight is 2.5% of their body weight per day. If you are feeding your dog twice a day then divide this amount between both meals. You must use a kitchen scale to properly determine the proper amount of food. Break your dog's weight down to ounces and use ounces to determine the amount of food.

Example:

Your dog weighs 25 lbs and you want a maintenance diet of 2.5% of his body weight. His weight in ounces is 400 ounces (25 x 16 (ounces in a pound)). 2.5% of 400 equals 10 ounces (400 x .025). Meaning your dog would get 5 ounces of food twice per day.

Here is a percent feeding calculator used by Primal Pet Foods:

1.5% Weight Loss
2.0% Non-Active
2.5% Maintain Weight
3.0% Slight Weight Gain
3.5% Significant Weight Gain
4.0% Kittens/Puppies (8 weeks-1 year)
4.5-8.0% Kittens/Puppies (4-8 weeks)
4.0-8.0% Pregnant/Lactating

The above are guidelines, keep in mind that everyone is an individual so start with the percentage that seems right for your dog but don’t be afraid to make adjustments if you think it is too much or too little for your dog.

For those who home preparing is not an option (although in severe illnesses it might be a good idea even if just for the short term) the following are some companies that make prepared diets in various categories that do an above average job:

Recommended Diets for Dogs

Best: To be included on “Best” list food must be sourced from organic and/or sustainable agriculture, include bones as a calcium source (if raw) and organ meats. Animals must be treated humanely. No HPP processing of raw diets. Minimal to no synthetic vitamins or chelated minerals.

Good: To be included on good list food must be sourced from USDA certified ingredients that were fit for human consumption. Some of the companies on the list will source better ingredients than others with more information available on their websites. The cleaner the sourcing of the ingredients the better for your pet but also usually more expensive as well. These formulas will include some synthetic vitamins and/or chelated minerals but use far less than most other companies.

Raw Food Diets for Dogs

Pros

• Feature whole food nutrients, usually in the form of a biologically appropriate ratio for dogs. We do not recommend those “complete” diets with added synthetic vitamins and minerals. If you like, add a high-quality, whole food vitamin supplement such as our Daily Multi Plus to provide your dog's daily needs of enzymes, probiotics and extra nutrients and antioxidants.
• Nutrients are in a form easily recognized and utilized by the body
• Maintains healthy gastric hydrochloric acid levels for proper digestion
• Lower high-glycemic carbohydrates so animals fed these diets usually maintain a healthy weight and avoid disease related to fluctuating blood sugar levels - especially when compared to the average high carb kibble diet.
• Have appropriate moisture content so animals fed these diets avoid urinary and kidney diseases experienced by dogs fed dry kibble and high carbohydrate canned food diets.

Cons

• Some people have a concern with bacteria that may be present in raw pet food. With proper raw meat handling this fear is baseless. The following is our educated response:
  The natural pH level of a dog’s stomach is a pH of 2 or lower. Pathogenic bacteria need a pH above 4 to survive and multiply. So pathogenic bacteria will be killed by gastric secretions in a healthy dog's stomach. When fed a processed diet a dog’s stomach pH can rise to a pH of 4 and above. This makes pets fed kibble and canned foods much more susceptible to bacteria than raw fed dogs. This is shown in the number of animals that have been sickened by kibble and canned food diets and the resulting recalls. When you think back to the number of recalls and the thousands of animals that have died or become sickened, what was responsible? The answer is kibble and canned food diets.
• These diets can of course be more expensive for obvious reasons – they use real meat and other ingredients – a BIG difference in quality for sure!

Raw, whole food diets can change a dog’s life, we have personally witnessed this numerous times, so the next time you hear the fear mongering from your veterinarian or a friend or neighbor, realize one thing: their fear of raw food diets for dogs and cats is based in ignorance.

BEST Raw Food Diets for Dogs

Small Batch Pets
Viva Raw
Solutions Pet Products
Wild Coast Raw (only available on West Coast)
Dr. B’s Longevity (only available on the East Coast)

GOOD Raw Food Diets for Dogs

Darwin’s Natural Selections
OC Raw
Raw Dynamics
Shine

Specialized Raw Diets for Health Issues:

Shine – Kidney Diet (raw frozen)

Any other raw food diet you may find locally made with high-quality, human-grade ingredients in a biologically appropriate ratio for dogs that does not use synthetic vitamins or other additives.

Pre-Mixes for Dogs

Pros

• Are an easy way to provide whole food nutrients to your dog without all the preparation of a home-prepared diet. If you like, add a high-quality, whole food vitamin supplement such as our Daily Multi Plus to provide your dog's daily needs of enzymes, probiotics and extra nutrients and antioxidants.
• If you aren't going to feed a prepared raw food diet or make a home-prepared diet then this is a good choice.
• Allows you to use the meat that is best for your dog so you can customize the diet for any special needs your animal may have. Also allows you to provide the meat raw, lightly browned or cooked.
• These diets are typically dehydrated at lower temperatures when compared to the higher temperature processing of kibble and canned diets so more nutrient content of the food is preserved.
• Because this is whole food it helps maintain healthier gastric hydrochloric acid levels for better digestion when compared to processed pet foods.
• Are easily rehydrated so they provide appropriate moisture content for all animals but especially those with kidney issues.
• Nutrients may be more easily digested by older or debilitated animals because the dehydration process does begin to break down the food.

• Since you have to feed the ingredients that are included in the diet, this does not allow you the full customization of a home-prepared diet, though you can select the protein source.
• Most include the addition of a blend of synthetic vitamins and isolated minerals which we usually try to avoid when possible as we prefer to get nutrients from whole foods.

GOOD Pre-Mixes for Dogs

Dr. Harvey's Raw Vibrance

Cooked Whole Food Diets for Dogs

Pros

• Feature whole food nutrients, usually in the form of a biologically appropriate ratio for dogs. We do not recommend those “complete” diets with added synthetic vitamins and minerals. If you like, add a high-quality, whole food vitamin supplement such as our Daily Multi Plus to provide your dog's daily needs of enzymes, probiotics, various nutrients and antioxidants.
• Nutrients are in a form easily recognized and utilized by the body
• Maintains healthy gastric hydrochloric acid levels for proper digestion
• Generally do not contain too many high-glycemic carbohydrates so animals fed these diets usually maintain a healthy weight and avoid disease related to fluctuating blood sugar levels
• Generally provide appropriate moisture content for all animals but especially those with kidney issues.
• Some animals just don't do well on raw food for various reasons. Nutrients in cooked foods may be more easily digested by older or debilitated animals because the cooking process does begin to break down the food making it easier to digest for some animals.

Cons

• Proteins may be denatured which means they will be altered from their raw form to some degree. Since canines have evolved on a diet of raw food the effects of this are hotly debated.
• Some nutrients are damaged in the cooking process such as certain vitamins, enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Using our Daily Multi Plus can help with this issue.
• Using an enzyme formula is important because cooking destroys digestive enzymes.

BEST Cooked Food Diets for Dogs

Evermore Pet Food (www.evermorepetfood.com) – superior sourcing of ingredients

GOOD Cooked Food Diets for Dogs

All Provide – Dr Judy Morgans food is called Pup loaf which is the better option available through All Provide’s website.
Emma Lou’s – pressure cook in small batches which retains more of the natural nutrients
Milk Pet Foods – no synthetic vitamins.
Raised Right

Dehydrated Diets for Dogs

Pros

• Maintain a better, less processed nutrient content than kibble or canned diets.
• Easier to digest than kibble pet foods.
• Reconstitutes (absorbs water) better than freeze-dried foods.

Cons

• They are still processed (the meat can be heated to 170 degrees or more) although less so that kibble and canned diets. Air-dreid varieties we have listed od not use heat for drying so are good choices They are not “like raw” as some marketing has indicated.
• Many use synthetic vitamins and isolated minerals.
• One that we know of sources all ingredients from China (we do not sell this food), so research the company thoroughly beforehand.
• Using an enzyme formula is important because heating destroys digestive enzymes. If you like, add a high-quality, whole food vitamin supplement such as our Daily Multi Plus to provide your dog's daily needs of enzymes, probiotics and extra nutrients and antioxidants.

GOOD Dehydrated Diets for Dogs

Raw Bistro
Amore (air dried) – no synthetic vitamins
Sundays (air dried) – no synthetic vitamins
The New Zealand Natural Pet food Company(air dried) – “Woof”

Pros

• Convenience

Cons

• Moisture content is very low - 5% compared to 75% for raw diets!
• Usually low in protein and high in carbohydrates. The opposite of what dogs need to thrive.
• Often use proteins with a low Biological Value (meaning they are not as easily utilized by the body and/or don't provide the optimal ratio of essential amino acids)
• Have been found to be very high in the herbicide glyphosate.
• The vast majorities don’t use human quality ingredients and many utilize Four-D animals.
• Processed food diets no longer contain digestive enzymes and naturally occurring beneficial bacteria and other important nutrients because of the high heat used.
• Supermarket quality foods are high in grains and other fillers. Many grain free diets must use starches, such as potato, as a binder, that is a high glycemic carbohydrate and some animals may have difficulty digesting it properly.
• Using an enzyme formula is important because cooking destroys digestive enzymes. If you like, add a high-quality, whole food vitamin supplement such as our Daily Multi Plus to provide your dog's daily needs of enzymes, probiotics and extra nutrients and antioxidants.

Recommended Kibble Diets for Dogs

We are not comfortable making recommendations for kibble diets as we don't feel even the better kibble diets are a good choice to feed a dog. However, you can take a look at the two foods below. Open Farm appears to source their ingredients better than others and Nature's Logic relies on whole foods as opposed to synthetic vitamins for the nutrition in their dog food.

Open Farm - (https://www.openfarmpet.com/)
Nature's Logic - (https://www.natureslogic.com/)

Canned Diets for Dogs

Pros

• Convenience
• High-quality, meat-based, canned diets are an alternative for consumers that don’t wish to feed a raw food diet because of the higher moisture content found in canned diets compared to kibble.

Cons

• Most commercial brands are grain-based and low in meat content.
• Many metal can liners contain hormone-disruptor bisphenol A (BPA).
• The vast majorities don’t use human quality ingredients and are made with Four-D animals.
• Processed food diets no longer contain digestive enzymes and naturally occurring beneficial bacteria and other important nutrients because of the high heat used.
• Many contain fillers and soy based palatability enhancers (MSG).
• Many are going to contain synthetic vitamins.
• Using an enzyme formula is important because cooking destroys digestive enzymes. If you like, add a high-quality, whole food vitamin supplement such as our Daily Multi Plus to provide your dog's daily needs of enzymes, probiotics and extra nutrients and antioxidants.

GOOD Canned Diets for Dogs

There are so many out there. Select the canned foods with the highest meat content, least amount of fillers, no synthetic vitamins (when possible) and all, or the majority of, the nutrition comes from whole food sources. If they are packaged in BPA-free cans then all the better.

K9 Naturals (www.k9natural.co.)
ZiwiPeak (www.ziwipets.com)
Nature's Logic (www.natureslogic.com)

Freeze Dried Diets for Dogs

Pros

• Freeze drying can retain important nutrients close to their original nutritional state and offer storage convenience since they do not need to be kept in the freezer.

Cons

• Because the freeze-drying process draws so much water out of cells these diets are extremely dry, much more so than even kibble or dehydrated diets.
  They also do not rehydrate well so even if you mix in water the food will fail to thoroughly absorb the moisture all the way through. This can lead to chronic, low level dehydration (because the added water more quickly leaves the body as it remains separate from the food) which can contribute to kidney damage and nutrient malabsorption.
  REMEMBER it is not true that these foods can just be placed in a bowl and fed dry!

If you choose to feed a freeze-dried diet we recommend that you put it through a blender or food processor with water to insure thorough rehydrating prior to feeding. Many of the companies under Raw Food Diets for Dogs above also make freeze-dried diets.