| If you're like most dog owners, you probably | | | | population subsets. How do these 10 dogs fare |
| assume that commercial dog foods with brand | | | | in their lifetimes when they eat cheap kibble |
| names that are easily identifiable - Purina, | | | | every day? How about those 12 dogs who are |
| Iams, Pedigree, etc. - must be good for your | | | | getting a vegetarian diet all the time? And |
| pets, right? After all, millions of pet | | | | what happens to those 25 dogs who are being |
| owners buy them and feed them to their | | | | given a raw meat and bones diet? These are |
| beloved pets, and surely they wouldn't all | | | | the types of questions I've asked as I've |
| give their dogs something harmful. | | | | dealt with large numbers of dogs and their |
| Unfortunately, this may just be the case.Now, | | | | owners or keepers over the years.These have |
| before I get any further along, let me make | | | | in no way been controlled experiments, and I |
| it clear that I am not a veterinarian. I do, | | | | would never attempt to pass them off as |
| however, have a science background and | | | | authoritative or as adhering to any strict |
| education, and I've had more dogs in my care | | | | interpretation of the scientific method. In |
| in one year than most people will have in a | | | | other words, take my conclusions with a large |
| lifetime. As an observant and naturally | | | | grain of salt. I'm really just out to get the |
| curious person, I've paid close attention in | | | | wheels turning in the minds of all dog lovers |
| the past 20 years to the general health of my | | | | who read these words. |
| pets and those I've had in my care through a | | | | |
| rescue shelter I was involved with for | | | | After all of this careful observation and |
| several of those years. I've also picked the | | | | tracking, clear patterns have emerged time |
| brains of several top vets in my state in my | | | | and time again...Using Commercial or Wet |
| quest to get to the heart of the matter | | | | FoodDogs that eat commercial kibble or wet |
| concerning the best dog diet.What has become | | | | food have lots of health problems later in |
| abundantly clear is that one type of diet | | | | life and tend to die youngest. This is even |
| stands well above all others in terms of | | | | true when they've been fed "premium" dog |
| fostering good health and long life. More on | | | | foods, sadly.Using Vegetarian DietDogs that |
| that later...I've seen dogs fed commercial | | | | are fed vegetarian diets do better, but must |
| foods, both wet and dry, from the cheapest | | | | be given large amounts of alternative protein |
| brands to the so-called "premium" brands. | | | | sources to make up for the lack of it in |
| I've also seen dogs who were fed vegan or | | | | standard vegetarian fare. A purely vegetarian |
| vegetarian diets, as well as those fed raw | | | | diet is difficult to provide that will |
| meat and bones (known popularly as the BARF | | | | satisfy a canine's basic nutritional needs, |
| Diet). While individual dogs will do just | | | | but it is healthier and leads to slightly |
| fine on any of these widely divergent diets, | | | | longer life spans than any commercial brand |
| what I've looked for are general trends in | | | | diet. |