BARF DIET

BRAND COMPARISONS

02/25/2009: Earth Clinic writes: "Interested to know where your dog food is manufactured? We just came across this website while looking for more information on the brand we feed our dogs. From reviewing the site, we discovered that the brand we buy (Blackwood) does not manufacture their own food. In fact, the wet food and dry food is manufactured in 2 different places! This appears to be the case with many small companies.

11/07/2008: David from Jacksonville , FL writes: "Taste of The Wild : This food is grain free and fairly good on price. My golden has been on it for two years and we love it. Because there are no grains, there are no allergies or skin problems. Unfortunately i cant afford to feed my dog strictly raw diet food, but we do supplement some raw food each month. Taste of the wild provides your dog with exotic sources of protein, so he doesn't get bored. Quail, duck, turnkey, venison, bison, real salmon and a few other meats are the basic sources of protein. This along with feeding him raw bones and some raw food assure me that my dog is healthy and isn't experiencing any discomfort."

Within 6 months she was given a clean bill of health (although not as good, I think Natural Balance helped in this process). Since then we have also fed Wellness brand (she need loads of protein) because of the added vitamins and minerals, but with shipping it is alot more, where Flint River includes shipping and can be ordered from a distributor out of state to avoid sales tax (We order from Arizonia and it ships from Southern Cal that day!) Now at 2 1/2 she is healthy and beautiful, weighing in at 70+. She also can eat Chicken brand (vets told us to avoid it), but loves the trout and Lamb.

At ALL cost do NOT feed Science Diet, purina or any other national brands...always go for smaller healthier alternatives. I believe the extra cost will be saved in vet bills later....pay more now, or a lot more later."

09/22/2008: Katharine from Charleston, SC writes: "I would like to comment on the Whole Foods 365 brand of pet food. It is easy to think that all products carried at Whole Foods are great and natural...I used to. I looked at the ingredients in their 365 brand pet food. Their adult dog kibble contains the following:

Chicken by-product meal, rice, corn meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract), corn gluten meal, ground wheat, beet pulp, natural flavors, flax seed, dried egg product, canola oil, brewers dried yeast, salt potassium chloride, taurine, l-lysine, rosemary extract, l-carnitine. Vitamins: choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin D3 supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement. Minerals: zinc, polysaccharide complex, iron, polysaccharide complex, manganese polysaccharide complex and polysaccharide complex, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, calcium, iodate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite.

Among the first ingredients are by-products, corn, wheat, beet pulp and so on. NOT GOOD INGREDIENTS! Not only are they not good sources of protein, but they cause a number of problems. I caution everyone to stay far away from corn, wheat, soy, or by-products with your pets!"

09/11/2008: Akeela from Bloomfield, Ct writes: "Newman's Own Organics: Does anyone have any feedback on this brand of dog food. My senior lab/shepard regained vitality and finally healed her elbow sores on this diet. I now feed this to my rescued pitbull terrier along with 1/2 boiled egg in the morning and give blueberries, broccoli and chicken as "treats". She's got a glossy coat and tons of energy. But, you never know. It's still dog food from a bag."

Lamb, Lamb Meal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Deboned White Fish, Ground Oats, Oil Blend (Olive Oil, Salmon Oil, and Evening Primrose Oil), preserved with mixed Tocopherols (a natural source of Vitamin E) and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sea Salt, Dried Whole Egg, Brewers Dried Yeast, Fresh Whole Garlic, Fresh Whole Sweet Peas, Fresh Whole Sweet Potatoes, Fresh Whole Carrots, Fresh Whole Green Apples, Ground FlaxSeed, Dried Kelp, Dried Chicory Root, Yucca Shidigera Extract, GrapeSeed Extract, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Lactis, and Lactobacillus Casei, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E Supplement), Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Manganese Proteinate (amino acidchelate), Copper Proteinate (amino acidchelate), and Zinc Proteinate (amino acidchelate), Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, and Vitamin B12 Supplement"

HOMEMADE CAT FOOD RECIPES

09/13/2009: Shekanahh from Tulsa, Ok writes: "Natural Cat Food: I just read a person's comments that they rescued a stray kitten and cooked up a batch of chicken stew with lots of veggies. While rescuing kitties is commendable, and the chicken veggie stew may be a cut above canned or dried, it is still not the natural diet of a feline.

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPES

08/25/2009: Mannalis from Tulsa, Oklahoma writes: "I'd like to thank everyone for their posts, they are very informative. My sister has a Maltese and we feed him name brand food. We notice that he sleeps a lot, and he's not at all interested in his food. We have been in the process of switching to all natural and Organic foods and would like to switch Maverick (the maltese) to Organic as well, it would be nice to give him homemade recipes but he tends to throw up a lot of the human food we give him, except lettuce, tomato, and carrots, plus we don't have much time to prepare homemade food for him. Although we love him and from reading all of your posts I can tell that he will do a lot better on Organic and Natural foods. Anybody have any suggestions on simple recipes, Natural dog foods, or supplements we could give him? I heard something about flaxseed oil. Input and Suggestions are very much appreciated.

P.S. we would like to switch him to organic as soon as possible!

God Bless,
Manna"

04/26/2008: Pat from New Albany, Mississippi writes: "I had a dog that nearly died from what I thought was a premium commercial food. After that I started making my own home made recipe and they are thriving on it. In a large turkey fry pot, I put in one bag of chicken quarters 8~10 quarters costs about $5 at Wal Mart. After they boil about two hours on medium i pull them out and clean the meat off the bone and set aside. Next in the broth I cook 1 med bag of black beans and 1 med bag of red kidney beans. As the beans near ready I add a medium bag of brown rice and let it cook. As the rice is close to done I add 2 small bags mixed frozen vegetables and two cans chopped spinach. After about 10 more minutes I add 1 small box of oatmeal. You have to play with the water level but by the time you add the oatmeal and it cooks you want most of the water absorbed. After all this is ready mix in the chopped up chicken back in. Buy some small reusable plastic bowls and freeze what you won't use in a day or two. The other needs to be refrigerated until ready. Lightly warm in microwave and serve. They love it!"

01/08/2008: Pauline Dennison from Citrus Heights, California writes: "Just wanted everyone to know, that is has now been OVER a year, since I have put my Peke on a ALL Natural Diet. NO STORE BOUGHT dog food. Since my dog has had Bladder Stone problems, I have had to reduce her protein levels, give her veggies, with organic brown rice. AND, I topped it off with ACV. She gets a teaspoon daily with her food..and is in the BEST EXCELLENT condition she has ever been. I have recommended MANY MANY dog people to go onto this web site, and consider changing thier dogs diet, if they are having problems. I AM SO HAPPY..that my Dottie is in the best health EVER. Thank you Earth Clinic"

01/02/2008: Sheri from FAIRFIELD, California, USA writes: "I have four little Yorkies and they only eat HomeMade Dog Food. I cook a whole chicken and remove all fat, skin and bones. Then mix it will cooked rice. They also love raw veggies like chopped carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Of course, I also give them vitamin supplements because no recipe can include everything they need, but they are actually mostly vegetarians and eat very little meat. Sometimes cooked chicken livers, but only a little, they are high in Vitamin A and' too much vitamin A is toxic. Also NO onions or raw or spoiled garlic, these are poisonous to them. But I do add cooked garlic and oats sometimes. Both are good for the heart."

12/20/2007: Claudia from PDX, Oregon writes: "I have a big lab/golden mix who has protien allegies. I ahve tried to find some kind of meat he can eat but to no avail. He is on a home made veg diet. He has NO doggy smell. None at all. I worked in an organic pet store and people would comment that certain types of meat would make their dogs smell worse, so if you have a problem I would try changing to a human grade dog food and changing the main protein source and see if you notice anything. I make my own food but after being the business for years if I had to buy food it would be any food from the Natura company. Either Innova or California Natural."

12/01/2007: barb haven from WINDSOR, canada writes: "I routinely use 1(med) clove of garlic in a 2 litre stewpot that yeilds 72 oz of dog food. consisting of 2 cups brown rice, 2-3 small potatoes, 3 carrots, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 stalk celery, 1tbsp basil, 1/4 can chick peas, 1 med zucchini, or broccoli and two apples, I sometimes include 1/8 cup cottage cheese, to this I add' a ratio of 1/3 pureed mixture of either beef or chicken liver, chicken gizards and hearts. In additional after cooked I sprinkle in 2 tbsp of a 2:1 ratio of calcium/phosphorus supplement, which also includes proteins, fats,vitamins, minerals and advanced micro -nutrients. Am I overdoing it by adding the calcium vitamin supplement?"

11/06/2007: Kathryn from Pewaukee, Wisconsin writes: "When we first brought home our Welsh Corgi puppy we noticed he had no real interest in his kibble. He would let it sit for an hour or so before he would finally eat some of it. We thought he was just not a big eater, but as we learned more about health from reading Earth Clinic we decided that real food HAD to be better for him than kibble so we switched his diet to real people food. (By this time, he was a very skinny little dog, about 1 year old) We fed him things such as eggs, chicken, beef, lamb, rice, cottage cheese, yogurt,and oatmeal. What a difference it made! First of all, he LOVED his food now! He would ask to be fed and gobble down his food. His energy level soared and his coat became so glossy and soft that people always commented on how silky he was.When he ate kibble he would zone out by 4pm and sleep from then on. After we changed his diet he played until closer to 8pm and had more energy on his walks. Now we have begun adding ACV to his meals and his energy has risen yet again. We love you, Earth Clinic!"

09/19/2007: Cindy from Bushnell, Florida, USA writes: "I have changed my 4 dogs diet since the scare with great help from a holistic DVM here in Florida. I have 3 Jack Russells (yes I have a horse farm) a Chihuahua. Ages range from 6 to 13. They are now eating a raw food diet (comes frozen, I slice and rebag) with veggies, missing link suppliment and Flint River. The change in these dogs is amazing. They don't smell like dogs...beter breath, super coats and overall better health and happiness. They love raw bones. I freeze the bones for 48 hours then thaw. No more dental problems! God Bless Earth Clinic! Cindy in Florida"

09/09/2007: Jesse Smith from Jacksonville, Fl writes: "Since the pet food scare, I started making my own pet food. everything I use is organic. the base is chicken, Beef, Fish(salmon) ,veal or Lamb. I then mix in brown rice which is made from the broth of the meat. I then add peas, corn, carrots,and soy beans. My dogs just love it. I generally make enough to freeze so I have plenty on hand. My cats get almost the same except for the brown rice. they don't seem to like it. I have found that it is much cheaper to make my own. I just have to give up some of my time on Sundays to keep my pets happy."

07/28/2007: Michele from Phoenix, Arizona writes: "I was appalled when the news about unsafe dog and cat food started breaking. I feel there is probably more to it than what we are being told. I wanted to switch my dog to something that would be healthy yet safe. I am leery of the RAW diet because I feel there are many risks involved with it as well. So I started home cooking for my dog. I found a recipe online that includes meat (cooked), vegetables, and grain. However, I started to worry that it might not include all the vitamins and minerals she needs. So now I feed half home cooked and half a supposedly very high quality commercial food. I also give her a dog vitamin and a flax oil capsule daily. At this point in time I feel we are all taking a gamble with our pets no matter what we choose to feed. And if toxic ingredients are in pet food, I have a sneaking suspicion they are in human food as well."

INTESTINAL PROBLEMS

RAW EGGS

RAW FOOD DIET

Thank you very much in advance. Looking forward to your feedback!"

My 2 large breed dogs (Rotweiller & German Shepherd) have been on a raw diet for almost 2 years and are doing great. I have gotten most of my information from a Yahoo Group called 'rawfeeding'. They have over 13,000 members, up from 8,000 when I joined 2 yrs ago.

The dogs get only muscle meat, raw bone that is connected to the muscle meat and organs (the squidgy type) for vital nutrients. 80% meat/10% bone/10% organ

I advertise on different sites for freezer burnt meat and get a great variety. My freezer is always full. Chicken is best to start with for the first month, then start adding other meat gradually.

My guys have chicken, beef, pork, venison, elk, buffalo, rabbit, fish, etc. They haven't turned anything down, yet.

Stay away from processed meat like bacon, sausage, ham, lunch meat, hot dogs, etc. I rarely eat that food, either."

04/27/2008: Suzanne from Southeast, Michigan writes: "My 9 yr old lab mix and my two bichons have been on a raw meaty bones/raw food diet for two years now. Because they're eating raw bones, their stools are harder because there's no filler in the food like there is in dry food; harder poop clears out the anal glands. They also have no more skin allergies, super clean teeth, healthier gums, skin and coats, way lower volume of poop, the list goes on. The book Raw Meaty Bones is a good place to start. Commercial dog foods are awful for dogs."