Regarding the Merrick canned food:

My personal rule of thumb for canned food is - if I will eat it, I'll give it to the dog. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I have tasted the Merrick food - and it's better that a lot of hot dishes I've tasted at potluck dinners <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I feed it rarely, as a treat (twice a year of so), but stick to raw for everyday food.

If I lived out in corn country and had a farm there would never be a need to ask the butcher for meat! Have you ever considered raising your own beef and chickens, etc?

Glenn

 Quote:

Well, actually, dogs don't digest cereal grains very well. I'm not saying they can't handle them at all, but they do lack sufficient amylase enzyme to efficiently digest a lot of cereal grain, especially the insoluble fiber grains (like wheat), as opposed to the soluble fiber in grains like oats.

I find this interesting, since one of the things my vet had recommended was ProZyme. He says his personal feeling is a dog's digestive tract is more based on enzymatic activity than bacterial. I wonder if the grain in the Merrick's was part of the reason for his recommendation.

I'll look at those links you provided Connie, and I thank you for them. And I apologize to both you and Glenn for attributing to Glenn some remarks that you'd made.

The debate about digestion and absorption I suppose could also be individual. I know horses who don't tolerate alfalfa well, but do great on grasses, and vice versa. Grains are overplayed in that species, too; now the big buzz in feeding is low glycemic/high fat diets.

And Annie, I so understand! People think I'm whacked when I reach into a bag of commercial horse feed and taste it. But there are many qualities such as sweetness or saltiness that smelling just doesn't cover. And I want it to be fresh and naturally sweet, with no hint of rancidity. Best way is to taste it. I've not tasted any canned Merrick's, but I have to admit it smells pretty darned good. Feed store owner tells a story about a customer who had a housesitter, who didn't realize that Grammy's Pot Pie belonged to the dog. He said it needed salt, but was otherwise very tasty. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Thanks again so much, everyone! This is a dynamite board with the best, most helpful people!

 Quote:

If I lived out in corn country and had a farm there would never be a need to ask the butcher for meat! Have you ever considered raising your own beef and chickens, etc?

Glenn, that's a reasonable question. We used to raise a lot of chickens, vealed out some dairy bulls, and had the most delicious milk fed pork. But all these different species take time and $$$ to produce products for the table. The commercial producers have their costs cut to the very bone, and it's difficult to compete with their efficiency.

Chickens are a good case in point. We used to keep chickens in the barn until one of the horses developed heaves (a respiratory issue rather like emphysema) from the dust the chickens created. I can slaughter chickens myself, but that takes time. I can send them out to slaughter, but that takes time and money. If I was to get another flock, I'd have to spend at least $2K building another freestanding chicken house, make it coon and coyote proof, and get electricity to it for lights and heat for the water year 'round. That's a lot of money to not save any money, and definitely a lot of time.

The profit margin commercial producers live off of would curl your hair, especially compared to their capital expenses. For a backyard person it's hard to compete, even for your own table. And even if you decide to do it, some morning you walk out and some $%&@#!! coon has gotten in during the night and killed your flock. Ugh.

My farm's all horses now. A year's work on a small flock of chickens can yield a hundred dollars or so. A year's work on a good horse can improve it's value by thousands.

Good question, though.

 Quote:

....He says.... a dog's digestive tract is more based on enzymatic activity....... I wonder if the grain in the Merrick's was part of the reason for his recommendation. .....

He is 100% correct, based on everything I've learned about canine nutrition.

But there are enzymes and enzymes, and the most important one for digesting cereal grains is amylase, and this is not an enzyme that dogs have evolved needing, using, or producing much of. (The pancreas secretes the enzymes they need for digestion.) Maybe Prozyme aids in breaking down grains.

And yes, there are individual differences between dogs. One dog might be sensitive to wheat or dairy or corn while another eats everything and seems to have a cast-iron stomach and great health. They all have the same basic digestive system, though, which is short and enzyme-active and not geared for processing a lot of cereal grains. It's the "a lot" where the controversy and the individual differences come in, I think.

I've never read about equine nutrition, but it makes sense to me that wild grasses would be what their systems have evolved to handle best.

 Quote:

Those of you that feed barf diets, how do you make it work on a day to day basis?

Well, I don't feed Barf. I feed prey model, if you want to label it. No grains, no veggies, no grinding. Makes dinner time really easy *lol*

If you want to do more thinking, I have more websites *G*

http://www.rawmeatybones.com
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/havens_home/feed.com
http://www.rawfeddogs.net
http://www.rawlearning.com

This thread should have been moved to a more appropriate topic. I'm surprised the mods haven't caught it yet.

Glenn

Mary Anne,
Cindy has a great article on her site about dog food, and some really good resources.
here are some links
cindy's site
dog food article
Good luck!!

I feed my dogs Canadae "All life stages" kibble. They are as healthy as the day is long, and it's a bargain...40lb's for $35.

How about "black Gold" 50 lbs for 20$