Good morning and welcome to Doggie Dialogue:
Often, our clients frequently ask us, “should we feed our dog raw food, or kibble?”
Well, here’s what we can tell you based on our 30-year experience with canines. We have done BOTH. Our six police dogs were on dry kibble, yet our new family dogs (Jaxon and Daisy) are on raw.
Here are some helpful things to consider with regards to dry kibble and raw food:
When choosing DRY KIBBLE:
· look for the first ingredient to be protein
· look for the second ingredient to be essential fatty acids, high level of omega 3 and omega 6
Keeping these two points in mind will help you nourish and protect your dog’s skin, in turn, this aids in preventing dryness and helps control inflammation.
BENEFITS of kibble
1. reduces dental plaque
2. promotes healthy gums
3. kibble is easier to store and there often appears to be less risk with regards to spoilage
4. kibble often tends to be more cost effective
Most vets carry high quality food/kibble
As a canine owner, it is always important to ensure that you are doing the necessary research with regards to what is in your canine’s best interest, and your financial budget. For example, if you research companies such as ROYAL CANIN you would receive helpful information regarding their commitment canine nutrition and health. ROYAL CANIN employ qualified veterinary nutritionists and spend the necessary money it takes to formulate and test their foods.
When choosing RAW FOOD:
· important to ensure that it is muscle meat/bones whole or ground
· organ meats, such as liver/kidneys
· vegetables, broccoli, spinach, celery
· eggs, apples
BENEFITS (raw)
1. healthy skin and teeth
2. provides a nice shine to your canine’s coat
3. smaller stools
4. more costly
In our experience, we recommend not to mix kibble and raw together, as kibble is often slower to digest. Both our dogs, when transitioning to raw from kibble, did experience a little diarrhea for a day. Now they are on raw only and doing great!
If you have any questions regarding raw dog food, we recommend asking the expert, Lori from HERONVIEW RAW and NATURAL in Pickering.
https://www.heronviewrawandnatural.com/