I know this forum is labled puppies and I see most of the post are on German Shepards, but I have some eating questions for my Bandogge (neo-mastiff/Amer. Staff. Terrier)
He is 20months and about 110lbs.

I feen him Artemis Power Formula ( http://www.artemiscompany.com/html/products/products_formula.htm ). I have talked to a few people about some issues he has and I also give him 'Missing Link Plus" and Cod liver oil daily.

My question is, is it okay for him to ONLY eat in the evenings...or should he be fed once in the morning and once in the evening? He usually eats around 4-6 cups a day which doesnt seem like a whole lot.

How do you tell if the dog likes the food? I mean he eats it...but he will walk away and not eat for hours even when there is still food in the bowl. But if I offer him a treat or a piece of ham or chicken he is ALL OVER it......so I know he is not full. It seems he would eat the dog food until gone...but thats not the case.

Also....is a raw diet better than the 'bagged dry food'?

How much more expensive is it than a 40lbs bag of food that is about $35 a bag? It lasts about a month or a little more.

Also...we have a few butchers in town...what are some good items to get from him and what do they usually cost and how much do you buy at a time? Is it usually stuff that is thrown out or not used by humans or the same items we eat? Freeze them? Refrid them?

I think raw is better no matter how you look at it. Next in line would be, in my opinion, a kibble made with all-natural, HUMAN grade ingredients (I feed Royal Canin when traveling, raw at home).

I wouldn't feed my dog something of a quality that I wouldn't eat myself - so if she's getting chicken necks or wings, they're from a bird that I would eat part of, too. I buy chicken necks and backs from a local butcher, 40lb at a time, for $14.25. It's rounded out with organ meats (whatever is on special) and fresh, pureed produce (again, whatever is in season is least expensive. Here in VA we've got a lot of variety). Some eggs and plain yogurt, too. I try and make up at least a week's worth of food at a time, put it in gallon freezer baggies, and freeze it. I pull one bag out at night and toss it in the fridge to thaw, so it's ready in the morning.

I've found that if I watch what I'm buying, buy in bulk when I can (a freezer is indispensable), and DON'T overfeed, my dog is healthy and so is my wallet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> My family eats better, too, funnily enough - I've been more educated in general about foods, etc., and am more careful about what we put in OUR mouths, too.

Ed's got super articles on his site about feeding raw, and that's what got me started researching and eventually to making the switch. My dog has NEVER looked so good, had so much energy, and been so healthy.

I hope that's helpful!

fyi - NO dog food contains human-grade ingredients. it is a commonly-used misleading statement by some pet food companies. by definition, as soon as the ingredient enters the pet food plant, it is no longer "human grade". for example - a major pet food company gets fish stick "sawdust" from Mrs. Paul's seafood company, and perfectly good chicken trimmings from Tyson's, but NEVER will say "human grade ingredients". ergo, no pet food can contain human grade ingredients.

check for out the fda and aafco definitions for yourself.

Innova, California Natural, Healthwise, and the new food made by Natura are an exception. They process their foods in a facility that is inspected by the same people who inspect plants that process foods that we eat. In fact, I believe their plant also DOES process stuff that we eat. I would have to go and find all that information again, but just wanted to point out that not all dog foods are processed in a dog food processing plant.