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Raw dog food
A popular alternative to processed, commercial foods is a raw dog food diet. Raw food is the most natural dog food a canine can eat, because in the wild, a dog (or wolf) would eat a live animal. We've all heard that it's bad to feed bones to our dogs because they'll splinter and harm the stomach, but raw dog food proponents say that this only applies to bones that have been cooked. Raw bones will not splinter.
Raw food diets are often referred to as BARF, which stands for "biologically appropriate raw food" (though some folks refer to it as "bones and raw food"). It generally focuses on chicken with bone in, beef with bone in, veggies and fruits, and there's a lot of information on it out there. In short, you can throw your dog a whole raw chicken or a whole fish and a bunch of carrots every day and he'll thrive. One of the leading proponents of a BARF diet is an Australian veterinarian named Ian Billinghurst, who suggests that a dog eat two percent of its body weight per day. For example, a 50-pound dog would eat about one pound of food per day (this varies, of course, in terms of how active the dog is, how old, metabolism, general health, etc.).
In the U.S., Natural Pet Systems Inc., distributes Dr. Billinghurst's BARF Diet products via its website, Barfproducts.com. The products are delivered in freezer packs, with 24 pounds of food per pack (*est. $90 plus shipping). The ingredients are certainly sterling, and include beef hearts, lamb hearts, chicken, pork, finely ground beef bones, beef liver, kidneys and tripe, with fruit and vegetables among the lesser ingredients. Exotic things like bok choy and dried kelp powder make this truly unique.
Nature's Variety is another raw food provider (*est. $28 for 6 pounds). It offers a line of frozen products made up of 95 percent USDA-inspected meat and raw bone and 5 percent organic fruits, vegetables and oils. Though availability is far from universal, it can be purchased from several online suppliers and local pet shops.
Of course, if you have the time and inclination, you can make your own homemade dog food. Homemade dog food recipes are time consuming and messy to make at home, but it certainly can be done. A typical homemade dog food (raw food) meal might include chicken backs, necks, or wings, a couple of beef ribs and an egg. Fish is also highly recommended; an entire raw fish is considered a real treat.
We found some good recipes and information on homemade dog food and raw dog food at the following websites:
Nutrition information
We found some excellent sources that discuss canine nutrition, but these were the most helpful and interesting:
Written by a self-educated animal-health enthusiast, DogAware.com has a ton of information on feeding, general dog care, and other articles:
The Dog Food Project doesn't make specific product recommendations, but includes helpful listings of ingredients to look for and others to avoid, along with explanations of why. An article on "Common Fallacies of Dog Food Reviews" makes for thought provoking reading. The site is also a good place to see news regarding and commentary regarding dog foods, including recalls.
Animal Ark.com, which belongs to a no-kill animal shelter in Minnesota, contains a lot of advocacy information in addition to some excellent information on dog food ingredients:
Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute is an advocacy group that maintains a good website. We found excellent information here on pet food manufacturing, as well as canine nutrition:
ThePetCenter.com is owned by pet food retailer PetFoodDirect.com, but has a wealth of independent, informative, veterinarian-written articles for pet owners, including information of dog nutrition.
During the large-scale recalls of pet foods in 2007, the FDA and the ASPCA set up websites to keep pet owners informed. While those pages are no longer being updated, both agencies are good sources for information about dog foods and any recent issues involving them
The FDA also maintains a web page that explains government regulations regarding pet foods. It clarifies what information a pet food manufacturer is obligated by law to place on their labels. It does not give any specific information on which ingredients are healthy, but it is a great resource for learning about the basic requirements of your pet:
"Pet Food: The Lowdown on Labels," by Linda Bren, is a great article from the May/June 2001 issue of FDA Consumer magazine. It covers ingredients and other labeling issues. Linda Bren explains that pet food packaging may carry descriptive words like "senior," "premium," "super-premium," "gourmet," and "natural," but these terms have no standard definition or regulatory meaning:
Manufacturers' websites have dog-care tips along with ingredient lists and protein/fat breakdowns:
Blue Buffalo (Blue Wilderness dog food)
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
Natural Pet Systems (Dr. Billinghurst's BARF Diet)
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Adult Dog Formula
 from Amazon.com New: $22.99 In Stock.
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Canidae Chicken, Lamb and Fish in Chicken Broth Canned Dog Food
from Amazon.com
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