Dear Darcie, My dog won’t eat. (This was a long question so I’ll shorten it up.) I’ve tried all the kibbles and dog foods that I can buy from the big pet store, vet, and grocery store. My dog turns up her nose. I’m worried. Nicole
Dear Nicole,
I’m with your dog. The list of foods (current and popular dog foods on TV commercials, in the vet’s office, and in local discount stores) you gave me are foods I would never feed to my dogs. Yes, I know they are supposed to be the best, the makers told you so and your vet sells that stuff. How can they all be wrong? Your dog thinks they are wrong and so do I.
Dog food makers spend billions of dollars in advertising and pretty packaging convincing you that if you love your dog, you’ll feed their foods. And it works, doesn’t it? Those are the foods you buy. You trust them. If they would only use that money to put good food into the bag instead of buying advertising space with it to convince you it’s the right thing to do. Do you know how many dogs die of cancer or visit their vet for “allergy” symptoms? Right. Tons of them. It’s a crime, in my opinion.
I would advise you to start a raw food diet for your dog. I always say, “If Nature intended for dogs to eat cooked foods, they’d have pockets for their matches.”
SitStay.com has some books on raw diet, they are all good, you can’t go wrong with whichever one you choose. See our Discussion Boards on raw diet, too. Search this blog for raw diet, too, I talk about it often.
I think you’ll find that within two weeks of starting a raw food diet, your dog will not only look forward to meal time, she’ll also thank you for becoming so smart.
And there is nothing wrong with feeding your dog your table scraps. I think that rumor was started by the dog food companies. LOL! Do it smart, though. No wheat, no flours, raisins, chocolate, white onions, and no cooked bones. You might find that your dog does better without grain. My dogs don’t get grain.
Even if the dog food you’ve been buying started with the best quality simple foods (they don’t) that are usually pictured on the dog food bag, they cook the nutrition out of it, bag it and sell it back to you at a profit. Keep your hard earned money and feed your own good food to your dog, right from your own kitchen. Skip the middle man, know what your dog is eating, and use your money to buy toys and stuff from SitStay.com instead.
Have you ever left a bag of bread on the counter for too long? What happens? Mold. That could be part of what your dog is turning her nose up to in that bag of dog food. Trust your dog. She’s more than likely right, there are often molds in those brands and yes, it causes cancer and all manner of other stuff. I know! It’s incredible, isn’t it!
This is how I change to a raw food diet with a new puppy or a rescue dog. Feed the last meal of whatever the dog is eating today. No food tomorrow, just lots of water and maybe a bully stick or a raw bone to chew on. Choose a raw bone that the dog can’t really eat, it’s only for chewing pleasure. The next morning after that, start with a small amount of raw food. If they do okay, no tummy upset from a change in diet, add a little more. Raw chicken wings are a good meal at our house. I almost never see tummy upset with a change to raw.
You might see a little diarrhea but it doesn’t happen to all dogs. The dog is eliminating that old junk from his digestive system, you might see some jelly looking stuff in the poop. Perfectly natural. After a while of a raw food diet, your dog’s poop will turn white after a day or so in the sun. If you pick it up and squeeze it, it will turn to powder. Your dog may have a little harder time pooping, that is good, it will naturally express her anal glands for her.
Our great grand parents fed table scraps and raw bones to their dogs and those dogs lived a long and good life without vet bills.
Try it. Your dog will love you for it.
If you want convenience and not make your own good food, you might like some of the raw foods on the market. I especially like Nature’s Variety raw. You can find it frozen in your favorite food stores. Or go to www.naturesvariety.com to locate a store near you.
Darcie
