As guardians of our precious pets, we OWE them the best care that we can afford. Feeding a raw diet to your pet is the very best thing that you can do for their health and longevity. There are many raw diets available and we recommend that you discuss your options with your veterinarian or a nutritionist. We feed our dogs Oma's Pride Mix raw food, made by Miller Foods Inc, a meat processing company for the restaurant industry. It is a pre-prepared frozen raw food with meat/bone products; such as Chicken, Turkey, or Beef, which are made with USDA inspected meats that are the exact same meats sold for human consumption. The mix includes fresh vegetables that are quick blanched then flash frozen. This process breaks down the extremely hard to digest initial cellulose layer, kills any bacteria, salmonella and also allows the dog to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients. The Oma's Pride mixes include 70% ground meat/bone, 10% organ meats (liver/hearts/gizzards) and 20% vegetables. Oma's Pride mixes do not include grain as they are unnecessary carbohydrates. In the wild, a dog will only eat that amount of pre-digested grain that is found in the intestines of a "prey animal". This is an extremely tiny amount of the dog’s overall diet. To simulate the "prey animal" in the diet of your dog, this would mean that only a very tiny amount of over-soaked grain could be included in the diet. Considering the very low nutrient value of protein in the grain and because grain is not a natural part of the dog's diet, grain is omitted from the diet. In addition, the chronic consumption of grains will lead to a condition known as hyperinsulinemia which has many far-reaching effects. Many dogs are hypersensitive to grains (allergic to corn, soy or wheat), and we have found that when we did omit all grain from the diet that our dogs’ skin and ears greatly improved in a very short period of time. The raw diet is a great diet for dogs with cancer as cancer feeds off of carbs which is present in dry dog food kibble. Vegetables do have some carbohydrantes, but it is an insignificant amount. will receive the full spectrum of nutrients it needs digestive enzyme needed feeding amounts and price of food per day or month While it is true that raw meat of any type can include these microbes, what we need to understand is that our dogs’ digestive systems were designed to effectively deal with such bacteria. With very strong stomach acids and a short digestive tract, contaminates such as e. coli, listeria and salmonella pose no threat to the otherwise healthy dog. In over 20 years of experience, Dr. Pitcairn, in his book Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats (published in 1995) states that he has never seen an actual case of salmonella poisoning in the dog. Likewise, according to Dr. Billinghurst, he too has never witnessed a case in all of his thousands of patients who feed a raw diet. Unfortunately, too often when a veterinarian hears that his client has been providing raw meat to his dog, sometimes symptoms are misdiagnosed as salmonella poisoning without actual proof. This is why it's so important that your personal veterinarian is familiar with raw feeding. When a veterinarian is knowledgeable in the study of evolutionary diets, she is more able to provide you with an unbiased assessment of your dog's symptomatology. That being said, it is our experience after being in contact with literally thousands of other raw feeders that we have never come across a single case of salmonella or e.coli poisoning in dogs. However, we're not asking you to simply take our word for it. As always, we encourage people to do their own research and feel comfortable with their own conclusions. For us, the issues of salmonella, e. coli and the like are non-issues. |
Here are some of the better canned foods that we have heard about. This is not a complete list of the high quality foods available, which are growing all the time. For a more extensive list, see the Whole Dog Journal, which publishes an article on the best canned foods each January. You can also write to us for comments on any individual food you may be interested in. We have added links to Amazon as a source for many of these foods if you are unable to find them locally, though shipping will add substantially to the cost. Addiction ~ High quality ingredients. Exotic protein (venison, unagi [eel] and brushtail), grain-free, limited ingredient diets suitable for feeding to dogs with severe food allergies. We would not recommend feeding these foods to normal, healthy dogs, as it's better to reserve novel proteins for future use in case your dog ever develops food allergies. Note the vegetarian diet is not recommended (see Don't Bite on the Veggie Dog for more info on this topic). Artemis ~ Available in Europe and Asia, as well as the US. Human grade, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats. Available from Amazon. Blue Buffalo ~ Human-grade, hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients (confirmed with company). Available from Amazon. Canidae ~ Human grade, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients. Herring meal is ethoxyquin-free. All ingredients are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. Available from Amazon. Castor & Pollus Organix ~ Over 70% certified organic ingredients. Products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul ~ High quality, hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients. Offers higher-protein senior diet. Doctors Foster & Smith ~ High-quality ingredients, high meat content. Eagle Pack Holistic Select ~ Human grade, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients. Fish meal is ethoxyquin-free. "Eagle Pack Super Premium formulas are nutritionally balanced so pet owners can mix up to 25% raw food with the Eagle Pack formulas." Products are tested for melamine. Eagle Pack is EU (European Union) certified, which requires disclosure of the country of origin of their ingredients. They have eliminated Chinese-sourced ingredients except where it is not possible to do so (see above for more info). Available from Amazon. Evanger's for Dogs ~ Evanger's also makes all meat diets that are not nutritionally complete but can be used short-term for elimination diets (to determine if your dog has food allergies) or in combination with other foods. Several varieties are grain-free. Note the Vegetarian Dinner is NOT recommended (see Don't Bite on the Veggie Dog for more info on this topic). Available from Amazon. Fromm Four Star Nutritionals ~ USDA inspected meats, high quality ingredients. Several varieties are limited-ingredient and grain-free, with unusual proteins, which can help dogs with food allergies. One variety, Chicken Thighs, includes bones cooked to softeness, a natural source of calcium and other nutrients. Go! Natural from Petcurean ~ Human grade ingredients. Available from Amazon. Merrick Several varieties are grain-free, including their new Before Grain line (which is not a complete diet; includes a tripe variety). Merrick is available from Amazon. Natura makes several varieties of recommended foods. All foods have been tested by an independent laboratory and found to be free of melamine and cyanuric acid (see press release). "We have also directed our buyers to source ingredients from domestic sources and, in the few cases where an ingredient is only available offshore, we have instituted an elevated level of control and testing." Innova, EVO and California Natural are available from Amazon. California Natural a limited ingredient diet that can be helpful for dogs with food allergies Innova Evo grain-free, high in protein and fat (both of which are good for dogs, though fat should be limited to more moderate amounts for inactive dogs) and low in carbs. Now offering beef, chicken/turkey, duck, rabbit and venison varieties. Natural Balance ~ Human grade ingredients. Fish meal is ethoxyquin-free. Products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. Several canned diets are limited-ingredient, which can help dogs with food allergies. Also see the new Eatables line, and they now offer a frozen Raw Food Diet and cooked Frozen Loaves in select locations. Dry and canned foods available from Amazon. Nature's Variety Instinct, Prairie and Homestyle ~ Instinct is higher-protein, lower-carb and grain-free. The Venison variety should not be fed to large-breed puppies due to high calcium levels (the other varieties have much less calcium and should be OK). Homestyle is offering several new flavors that use unusual proteins (salmon, pork, bison), but they are mixed with more common proteins (chicken, turkey, beef), so not appropriate for dogs who need a limited-ingredient diet, and remember to save some of those exotic proteins for the future in case they're needed if your dog develops food allergies. Available from Amazon. Newman's Own Organics Available from Amazon. Party Animal "Organic" Gourmet Dog Food Uses organic (hormone- and antibiotic-free) meats and other high-quality ingredients. Several varieties are grain-free. Limited availability, can be found at Whole Foods (see their store locator for other sources). Performatrin Ultra ~ Human grade, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients Pet Promise ~ hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients from animals raised humanely on family farms. Solid Gold ~ Solid Gold offers a Green Tripe canned dog food with very limited ingredients, which can help dogs with food allergies. Available from Amazon. Spot's Stew from Halo Purely for Pets. Web site used to say they used human-grade ingredients, but this has been replaced with "highest quality ingredients," and there is no mention of whether their meats are homone- and antibiotic-free. Note these foods are higher in moisture (broth) than most canned foods, meaning you'll probably have to feed more than you would of other foods. Timberwolf Organics Offers four new canned foods, all high-protein and low-carbohydrate. Available from Amazon. Wellness from Old Mother Hubbard ~ Human grade ingredients. Products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. "Wellness® only uses ethoxyquin-free protein sources." Old Mother Hubbard also makes Neura Meats that are 95% meat, low carb. Wellness and Neura are available from Amazon. Wysong ~ Wysong also makes All Meat Diets that are meant to be combined with their Call of the Wild supplement. They include some exotic proteins (duck, rabbit, venison) that can be used in an elimination diet to test for food allergies. Also see WysongCanada. Available from Amazon. ZiwiPeak ~ New Zealand food made from human-grade, free-range, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats. Products are 85% meat-based and grain-free. Limited ingredients, may be good for dogs with food allergies. Widely available online; "Where to Buy" link indicates it is available at limited locations in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Available from Amazon. |
ACANA from Champion Pet Foods (also see Orijen below) ~ Premium Canadian pet food, uses human-grade, antibiotic- and hormone-free ingredients. Offers higher-protein senior and light diets, and a large-breed puppy food with appropriate amounts of calcium and protein. All ACANA diets are high in protein, which is good, and ACANA also offers two high-protein, low-carb diets called Sport and Extreme, and a salmon and potato variety that may be beneficial for dogs with allergies, though it also includes other ingredients. Available throughout Canada, with one US distributor in Florida (note the distributor in Florida will ship). Available in some European countries as well. Addiction ~ High quality ingredients. Addiction uses novel proteins (kangaroo, brushtail, venison), and limited ingredients suitable for feeding to dogs with severe food allergies. Offers raw dehydrated foods as well as regular dry foods. I would not recommend feeding this food to normal, healthy dogs, as it's better to reserve novel proteins for future use in case your dog ever develops food allergies. Note the vegetarian diet is not recommended (see Don't Bite on the Veggie Dog for more info on this topic). Artemis ~ Human grade, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats. Weight management variety not recommended for that purpose (see above for more info), but might be good for a dog prone to pancreatitis or fat intolerance. Now offering a high-protein, low-carb, grain-free variety called Maximal Dog. Available from Amazon. Also available in Europe and Asia. Back to Basics ~ Human grade, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients. Available from Amazon. Blue Buffalo ~ Human-grade, hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients (confirmed with company). Available from Amazon. By Nature, from Blue Seal, offers an organic chicken formula that looks very good. Their regular formulas are OK, but make no mention of using human grade ingredients. They have a pork and sweet potato variety that might be helpful for dogs with food allergies, though it also contains other ingredients. Canidae ~ Human grade, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients. Herring meal is ethoxyquin-free. All ingredients are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. Note their dry formulas are changing as of June, 2008. Available from Amazon. Canine Caviar ~ Human-grade, hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients. Offers a high-protein, grain-free Venison & Split Pea variety that may be helpful for dogs with food allergies, though it contains a number of other ingredients. Available from Amazon. Castor & Pollux Organix ~ Over 70% certified organic ingredients. Products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. Available from Amazon. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul ~ High quality ingredients. Offers higher-protein senior diet. Available from Amazon. Doctors Foster & Smith Dog Lover's Gold ~ Human grade, hormone and antibiotic free, free range ingredients. Also available in Europe. Eagle Pack Holistic Select ~ Human grade, hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients. Fish meal is ethoxyquin-free. "Eagle Pack Super Premium formulas are nutritionally balanced so pet owners can mix up to 25% raw food with the Eagle Pack formulas." Offers higher-protein senior diet. Dry foods are manufactured in their own plant. Products are tested for melamine. Eagle Pack is EU (European Union) certified, which requires disclosure of the country of origin of their ingredients. They have eliminated Chinese-sourced ingredients except where it is not possible to do so (see above for more info). Available from Amazon. Evanger's for Dogs ~ Human grade ingredients. Available from Amazon. Flint River Ranch (multiple distributors) ~ Human grade, hormone-free ingredients. "All Flint River Ranch pet foods and pet treats are Guaranteed Free of BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin." Fromm Four Star Nutritionals and Gold Nutritionals ~ USDA inspected meats, high quality ingredients (note the Classic line is much lower quality and not recommended). Surf & Turf variety is higher-protein and grain-free. Dry food available from Amazon. Go! Natural from Petcurean ~ Human grade ingredients. Now offering higher-protein, low-carb, grain-free varieties called Go! Now. Also offers a limited-ingredient Salmon & Oatmeal diet for dogs with food allergies. Available from Amazon. Merrick Pet Foods ~ Human grade ingredients. Now offering a new Before Grain grain-free line of foods (the dry foods are complete diets; the canned are meat only). Merrick is available from Amazon. Natura makes several varieties of recommended foods. They use human grade, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients. Dry foods are manufactured in their own plant. All foods have been tested by an independent laboratory and found to be free of melamine and cyanuric acid (see press release). "We have also directed our buyers to source ingredients from domestic sources and, in the few cases where an ingredient is only available offshore, we have instituted an elevated level of control and testing." Innova offers adult, puppy and large-breed puppy and senior varieties. Both their Senior Plus and their Large Breed Senior diets are higher in protein. Available from Amazon. Evo is a high-protein, low-carb, grain-free diet. The ingredients look very good, but we have heard reports of some dogs having problems on this diet, especially when used long term (problems include excessive water drinking in a number of dogs, probably due to the high protein content, and dry coat in a few, possibly due to the high calcium in the regular variety). We think it is better used as part of the diet, or as part of a rotation of foods, rather than fed all the time. Regular and Reduced Fat EVO varieties should not be fed to large-breed puppies under 6 months old due to the high calcium content. The Red Meat variety is lower in calcium and so it is safer, though the amount of calcium is still higher than is recommended for large-breed puppies. Mixing EVO half and half with a variety of animal protein sources (boneless meat, eggs, dairy, etc.) will reduce the overall calcium percentage in the diet to a more acceptable level. Available from Amazon. California Natural Often recommended for dogs with allergies, has the fewest ingredients. Available from Amazon. HealthWise Available from Amazon. Karma Organic Ingredients are good, but this food is lower in protein and higher in carbs than I like to see. Adding some fresh, high-protein foods such as eggs and meat would improve the overall diet. Available at Amazon. Natural Balance Ultra Premium ~ Human grade ingredients. Fish meal is ethoxyquin-free. Products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. Three limited-ingredient, grain-free varieties available, which may be good for dogs with food allergies: Potato & Duck, Sweet Potato & Fish, and Sweet Potato & Venison. Also now offering a frozen raw formula in select locations. Note that their Dog Food Rolls make great treats, but are not recommended as a major part of the diet due to the high amounts of sugar (sucrose). As always, the Vegetarian Formula is NOT recommended (see Don't Bite on the Veggie Dog for more info on this topic). Dry and canned foods available from Amazon. Natural Planet Organics ~ Many organic ingredients. Available from Amazon. Nature's Variety Prairie and Instinct ~ Human grade ingredients. Instinct is higher-protein, low-carb and grain-free (it uses tapioca). The Chicken variety of Instinct should not be fed to large-breed puppies due to high calcium levels (the Rabbit variety has much less calcium and should be OK for large-breed puppies, and the Duck & Turkey variety is in the middle). Available from Amazon. Newman's Own Organics ~ Human grade, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients. Available from Amazon. ORIJEN from Champion Pet Foods (also see ACANA above) ~ Premium Canadian pet food, uses human-grade, antibiotic- and hormone-free ingredients. Fish meal is ethoxyquin-free. All foods are high-protein, low-carb and grain-free, including their senior and puppy diets. Puppy diets have the proper amount of calcium (not too much, as is found in some high-protein foods). Also offers a 6 Fresh Fish variety that may be beneficial for dogs with allergies, though it includes a number of ingredients. Available throughout Canada, and distributors in the US are being added now. ORIJEN is also now available from Waggintails.com and from Amazon. Performatrin Ultra ~ Human grade, hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients Pet Promise ~ hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients from animals raised humanely on family farms. Their "Healthy Weight & Aging" formula is lower-fat but still higher-protein. We-re not thrilled with their use of corn gluten meal and soy flour, both of which are sources of incomplete, poor-quality protein, but feel their commitment to humanely-raised animals and high-quality meat products still makes this a superior food. Available from Amazon. Solid Gold ~ Offering a high-protein, low-carb, grain-free variety called Barking at the Moon for adult dogs (not recommended for large-breed puppies under the age of six months due to high calcium content). Available from Amazon. Spot's Stew from Halo Purely for Pets ~ New dry-food options from a company that used to only offer canned. Web site used to say they used human-grade ingredients, but this has been removed, and there is no mention of whether their meats are homone- and antibiotic-free. Taste of the Wild ~ several higher-protein, lower-carb, grain-free formulas. No mention of human-grade ingredients, and this food is made by Diamond, so it's unlikely. Exotic proteins are used, but not exclusively, so most of these foods wouldn't be a good choice for a dog with food allergies (for example, the High Prairie Canine Formula contains both bison and venison, along with lamb, chicken eggs, fish and other ingredients), but might help a dog who has problems with grains. Remember too that it's a good idea to reserve at least some exotic proteins for future use in case needed for an elimination diet or to treat severe food allergies. This food appears to be better quality than other Diamond brand foods, but is not in the same league with other grain-free formulas listed here. Available from Amazon. Timberwolf Organics Offers two grain-free varieties: Ocean Blue and Wild & Natural (the latter is also high-protein and low-carb). Note that ingredients for some products have changed (as of 12/07), and in June, 2008, they recalled some batches of Dakota Bison and Ocean Blue, so if your dog begins experiencing problems after doing fine in the past, it may relate to the change in formulas. See the Dog Food Project and Timberwolf Organics for more info (ingredient comparison here). Available from Amazon. TLC Whole Life Dog Food Ingredients are not human-grade or antibiotic-free, but uses whole grains and natural preservatives, including ethoxyquin-free salmon. Also offers free shipping. Wellness from Old Mother Hubbard ~ Human grade ingredients. "Wellness® only uses ethoxyquin-free protein sources." Also offers Simple Solutions using exotic protein sources (duck and venison) for dogs with food allergies. NEW: now offering high-protein, low-carb, grain-free product line called CORE for adult dogs, including a reduced-fat version (good for dogs who need to lose weight, or who have problems tolerating too much fat), and a fish-based variety called Ocean. All products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid. Wellness and CORE are available from Amazon. Wenaewe ~ Organic, also available in Europe and South America Wysong ~ Human grade ingredients. Also see WysongCanada. Available from Amazon. In addition to their regular foods, Wysong has introduced a line of freeze-dried prescription diets for a variety of conditions. These foods can only be ordered through veterinarians. |
 
4 lbs. of ground turkey (browned & drained) 1 can sliced beets including liquid 1 1/2 cup frozen or fresh cut green beans 1/2 cup brown rice (cooked) 1/2 cup pearl barley (cooked) 2 large yellow squash or 3 - 4 small squash (cubed) 5 organic carrots (sliced or shredded - about 1.5 cup) 1 sweet potato raw - cubed or shredded 1/2 cup fresh or 1 can shitake mushrooms including liquid 2 cups fresh kale broken into small bites Put 1 1/2 cup of (distilled) water in a 5 quart crock pot and add the following ingredients: cooked rice cooked barley squash - cubed into small pieces beets - sliced into smaller pieces green beans kale turkey - browned and drained Cook all of the above ingredients on low for about 2 hours. Check to make sure it has just enough water to keep it moist but not soupy. We have tried the ground turkey breast one time and did not like it as much as the ground turkey (which must include the dark meat.) Stir the food about every 30 minutes to keep it from sticking to the side of the crock pot. IMPORTANT: This recipe was given to us by our holistic veterinarian. Our holistic vet said that their diet requires twice as much calcium as phosphorus so you will need to add 5800 mg of Calcium Citrate (without vitamin D) to the entire crock pot and stir well. This should give you 12 cups of dog food. We fed our dogs about 1/2 cup of the food twice a day. They loved it!!! We put the remainder in tupperware and reheated it in the microwave about 20 seconds in a small glass dish. You can easily freeze a portion of the food until you are ready to serve. The cost for this diet is about $12. At Walmart, we bought the Jennie-O ground turkey in a roll in the frozen food aisle across from the meats. It is 17% fat and costs $1.39 per pound. We bought our veggies from Walmart. Obviously it is not required to use organic carrots, squash, kale, turkey, etc. but we do recommend using organic if you can afford it. We used a food processor to chop up the carrots, squash and sweet potato. The canned shitake mushrooms are in the grocery section at Walmart on the canned food aisle. IMPORTANT: Organ meat such as chicken livers or chicken gizzards and hearts should be included in this recipe ONCE or twice a week. We recommend going light on the chicken liver as it is such a rich meat for the dogs. We add about 8 chicken livers to the recipe OR a 1 lb. package of gizzards & hearts. If cooking this recipe 3 times a week, schedule the meat as follows: 4 lbs. turkey in 1st recipe (add 5800 mg calcium) 2 lbs. turkey & 1 package chicken livers in 2nd recipe (add 7000 mg calcium) 2 lbs. turkey & 1 package of chicken gizzards & hearts in 3rd recipe (add 5600 mg calcium) but do not forget to rotate around from chicken to turkey or beef, etc. We do not recommend feeding pork to dogs. Please discuss this recipe with your veterinarian before feeding to your dog. |
Wheat gluten found in dog treats, comes from overseas. This is a danger to our precious pets. We recommend the following nutritional treats to give your little angels. Our vet has approved each of these fruits and vegetables, but please discuss with your veternarian before giving to your babies. We also recommend that you carefully wash all veggies and fruits before giving to your dog. Apple slices Banana slices Peach slices Pear slices Cantaloupe Honeydew Melon Watermelon without seeds Papayas Mangoes Berries Baby Carrots Green Beans Cauliflower Sweet Potato Yellow Squash Zucchini Cabbage Raw Beets Brussels Sprouts Turnips Bok Choy Rutabaga Celery Cucumbers Broccoli (in moderation) Spinach (in moderation) Do NOT feed your dog citrus fruits such as grapefruit, oranges or lemons. Do NOT feed your dog grapes, raisins, onions, macadamia nuts or chocolate! |