Natural Food Debate

chickywawa

Hi all,
I was at the vet today, and one of the ladies that works there is very much a dog food researcher. She has been feeding natural foods for a while, and asked if we were feeding Orijen. As of now, our dogs are on Natural Balance, but especially our senior dog doesn't seem to be getting what she needs from it. Although she feels fine, her bowels aren't moving as well (we give her canned for extra moisture once a day, she drinks a lot of water, and have a total blood panel coming back to us in the next few days). This same thing happened with Blue Buffalo, they did great for a while, then started pooping more and it didn't look as good (I love how poops can tell so many stories!)

Soo, I started switching the senior dog over to Acana; the prarie version I believe. And voila, poops look great, she feels great, and she loves it. I also love the food because its vitamins all come from added foods that are easily absorbed and digested instead of added vitamins.

Anyway, to the get to the point, the lady at the vet who is very well researched, noticed what appears to be a bad bag of Orijen (yes, it happens but shouldn't from reputable companies...). She also said that her dogs had begun to have diarrhea. This may have been from bad lots of Orijen....but the debate we ended up on was "natural foods may not actually be as good for dogs, they need corn and fillers in their diet for digestion." and she mentioned all the clients who come in who don't feed natural foods whos dogs look perfect. She said that no matter what natural food shes fed, they do great for a while and then end up with diarrhea. She also said she notices them urinating more and the liver enzymes of her senior dog are elevated (although this isn't being blamed on the food). She is believer in Purina Pro Plan and is planning to switch back to that.

I had mentioned the Orijen being too strong as it is very high in meat content and that we had tried the cats on it, but ended up feeding Acana instead for that reason...and again, they do great on it.

Does anyone have any insight, experience, or comments to this debate? I'm continuing to feed natural food as the dogs coats, energy levels, and spark have never looked better. Our epileptic dog also quit having seizures once put on a cheap preservative free food.

Krazy4Pets

There is no one-size-fit-all in dog food industry. Sadly we've been thinking the opposite for a long time. In this case, I would say that there is no right or wrong to feed natural food to your dog. You feed what is best for your dog. Each dog needs different kind of food based on the breed, life-style, age and so on, not to mention food allergy, medical history, and such.

Dawnben

(they need corn and fillers in their diet for digestion." and she mentioned all the clients who come in who don't feed natural foods whos dogs look perfect. quote)
This is not true and only someone that has listened to the reps from the dog food companies would make a statement like this. A dog should not be kept on one food for ever. You should find a couple of food that your dog likes and switch about every 3 or 4 months. Find food that is free of byproducts, corn, wheat, bone and meat meal and any kind of preservative except vitamin e. You want your dog to live a long healthy life free of disease feed real food not the left overs that purina and science diet use

chickywawa

That was my feeling after seeing how well our dogs have done on natural foods; however, I have also seen dogs that do well on cheaper brands and I haven't listened to the vet...although I don't think that's what neccessarily keeps them healthy.

Switching every 3-4 months makes since for the way our dogs go through foods. That's how we've been doing it.

Laurelin

The proof is in the pudding so to speak. If your dogs are doing the best on this food then by all means keep feeding it! We all have to feed the way that allows our individual dogs to thrive.

pawzaddict

^ I couldnt have said it better myself

LDMomm

We've never had that problem.

I can't imagine a well researched person suggesting that dogs *need* corn. Perhaps, her dogs are ingesting something besides the food that's giving them the problem.

Krazy4Pets

I found this link by accident and somehow it makes me think that natural food companies also care more about the environment.

Top scoring petfood brands in eco-friendliness ranking

Greenopia Los Angeles Environmental Ranking - Green Eco-Friendly Pet Food Guide