Which pet food do you buy? I've used a variety of brands and for about a year I made my own after learning of all the recalls of dog food and pets dropping dead from some of the brands on the shelf but after a while I decided to just be careful on the brands I got and get store brand again. Making their food got to be a bit of drama and I was concerned about them not getting the proper nutrition. What brand do others use and that you haven't had issues with?
After my cat got sick and had trouble urinating after regularly feeding him Whiskas, I have never bought cat food again. So now, I just feed him table food. It's much safer that way, and he hasn't gotten sick ever since.
I know I keep hearing alot of issues with regular pet food it's scary and after reading what's in some of this food like road kill and I've heard stories about euthanized animals in there too with flea collars still attached it's like... seriously? No wonder pets are getting sick! It can be frustrating because trying to put their food together yourself and making sure they're getting the correct balance of nutrition can be time consuming.
I only feed my pets what I would eat. I still can't believe people think that pet food is actually good for their animals. There are plenty of animals out there in the wild, and stray animals too, that don't get their dinner at the grocery store. They've been perfectly fine for thousands of years, and will continue to do so. If you switch from highly processed pet food to real food, you'll notice a big difference. Your pets' coat will have a nicer shine, they will have a healthier disposition, and it won't smell as bad when they go to the bathroom. The reason why it usually smells bad is because the body is getting rid of indigestible garbage. If you feed your pet quality food, all of the nutrients are digested. Protein is the most important thing. Make sure you give them meat and fish, and don't be afraid to give them raw meat. They actually need raw meat because it contains Taurine, an essential amino acid that is found in meat but is destroyed when heated. You can look this up online. If you change over from pet food to real food, start gradually by mixing the real food with pet food. Slowly do more real food and less pet food until they are on all real food. It's best not to rush these changes, as it will take a while for their system to get used to it. But it is definitely the best thing you can do for your pets. They are called "obligate carnivores" because it is absolutely a MUST for them to eat meat.
For this reason my parents' German Shepard only eats real (raw) foods, such as chicken, turkey, liver, beef, eggs, and added nutrients such as fish oils to help her coat (she has dry skin). I personally only feed my dogs foods with meat as the main ingredient, with no grain products in them... which is hard to find!
I've just got a new puppy and what you have said has completely opened my eyes. I never thought my dog would be able to eat what I eat and of course I'm going to do lots of research on this to make sure I'm not going to feed her anything bad. I just thought I would have to buy her some good dog food but I have never considered real human food. It's a good idea and I like it
I feed my chow Holistic recipe dog food and she's responded to it well. Her fur is thicker and shinier. She had shedding issues in the past with some bald spots and our vet said she was not getting enough nutrition. When we switched her to Holistic her fur growth started improving. It must be the added omega 3 and 6. We used Eukanuba in the past but it was not omega 3 and 6 enriched.
