I am curious as to which dog food would be better to purchase. I have read about the All-Natural Diet already, but if I were to be gone for a while, I would have to leave something else for the dog which I do not have to monitor like I do when feeding the ingredients of an All-Natural Diet. Things like turkey and chicken bones fed raw and other foods I would want to be present when feeding this to my dog. However, if I was to leave for work or business, etc., I would rather feed a supplemental dog food that is set on a timer so my dog would get just the right amount I want to feed him. Only, I want to purchase one of the best brands that would fit into the All-Natural Diet of my dog and not a cheap or grainy dog food that would not be nutritious for my dog. I have heard of some brands that are recommended out there and I have seen Frawley's list too. I see on the list that one person has been feeding Innova which sounds very nutritious, but I was wondering also about Wellness. Does anyone feed their dog this brand and what does it do for your dog? The list of ingredients I see are: Fresh fruits and vegetables like apples, blueberries, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, flax seed (I think), and brown rice. It contains no other grains or white rice that I know of. Other ingredients are Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to promote a lustrous coat. There is alfalfa in it and you can choose from chicken, lamb, or Atlantic Whitefish. For some reason I read that one of the ingredients is tomatoes. I don't know why it does but I know tomatoes are not good for a dog. It also contains Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene. I would appreciate it if someone would offer some suggestions on what type of dog food would be best, in their opinion.

I feed Wellness to my dog. It is a holistic human grade ingredient kibble that is baked. However, it is still processed so I also supplement with raw ground veggies and fruit, and lightly cooked meat, canned fish, eggs, etc. I basically try to do the raw diet but without the totally raw meat. It's not that I have an aversion to handling raw, I love to cook and have filleted, chopped, stuffed and skinned many different kinds of meat and fish. It's the bone thing. I am trying to get up the nerve to give him a chicken neck over the holidays when I can supervise for a whole day.
He's also 9 1/2 now and has never eaten raw meat (although he's eaten and rolled in some pretty disgusting things). He has a cast iron stomach and has never had any gastrointestinal upset.
I feed kibble because because I'm not always home for some of his meals and someone else has to feed him.

Thanks for replying. Sorry I have been gone for a while and been busy. Your advice is right to the point and very helpful. Yes, that sounds very nutritious and that would be good to add what you said to the kibble so the dog will finish all of his food too. I also hear of this Salmon oil that can be put onto the food which sounds good as well. Someone told me that you could actually cook bones for a long, long time until they were soft but I have my doubts about that. I think I prefer your way and Ed Frawley's way. I would rather be safe and give a bone that isn't cooked so it won't splinter. What kinds of fruit do you feed? I've heard that some people feed their dogs apples and things like that but I didn't really know that dogs could be feed fruit. What do you recommend?

One option to consider is making about ten or twenty pounds of raw food into patties and freeze them. I have purchased stackable hamburger patty containers from Tupperware. I can make a two dozen patties and freeze them if needed. This way someone else can feed my dogs raw when I'm not home.

I am a little confused about the timer set up you mention. If you are going to go that route with an automatic feeder stick to just the kibble. Good luck though, as I have found that my adult dog will NOT eat kibble anymore. He refuses the stuff. Even the good stuff. Now cheap cat food on the otherhand :rolleyes:

I used wellness as a transitional kibble off the junk Eukanuba I had been feeding before I switched to the raw diet. It seemed to make the transition easier. The pup I just brought home was eating pedigree Pal (ACK!) and he is doing raw breakfast and lunch, with a small kibble(wellness)dinner. So far so good. I will take the kibble out of the equation once I am back from my road trip.

Dogs usually love fruit. My dog will eat apples, oranges(which he just chews the juice out of and leaves the membranes) and banannas are up at the top of his list. He likes various types of melons as well. I don't give much fruit because of the sugar and starch content, but if I am having some I usually share. The only thing I have come across that he won't eat straight from my hand is a brussel sprout. I rolled it in steak juice and he ate it though. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

If I travel and leave a dog with someone I just pre-make meals all ready to go in ziploc containers. All they have to do is pop the top and dump in the bowl. Works well for me. You can't do that with an auto feeder.

As you can see, the raw diet people abound and I am a new convert! My sister thought that Wellness was the best thing after switching her dogs on it (9 and 5 years) and when I went to her household to collect my pup, we all switched to the raw diet. Well, you can't convince her otherwise now! The bone issue was not a problem, her one dog had to learn how to chew the bones before swallowing, but we never had any problems. And her 9 year old, I witnessed with my own eyes in a months time; the black pigmentation returning to her grey muzzle! Yes, there are better kibble foods out there, Wellness is better than Purina, but a natural diet is certainly more wholesome. Lots of good suggestions on pre-packaging were made, it's really not that hard! (And it IS cheaper!)
Good Luck on your decision.

I was just getting back to you all when the power had gone out a sec ago. Sorry I haven't been online in a while. I have been quite busy. I just got back online today to check the replys. About the timer I was talking about, I saw this in a pet catalog where you can set it to the time you want your pet fed while you're away and what amount you wish to feed your dog. I see that everyone here seems to know their stuff. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am pleased with the responses I have received and I find them very helpful, especially about feeding apples and oranges in order for my dog to receive the Vitamin C he needs, which it harder to provide for my dog rather than just the protein. It is also mentioned in the list of what to feed and is very important that dogs get this vitamin. Now that's nutrition! It is essential that the dog's diet be a well-balanced one, all human-grade ingredients should be fed when trying to build up a healthy working-type dog. When I go to the grocery store and see all the different dog food brands, a lot of thoughts come to my mind. Just how nutritious are these foods and are they healthy enough to feed to my dog? I always like to read the ingredients on the back. Would I myself eat this stuff if I were a dog? If it contains things like white rice and other extra or added grains, then no. I would not feed this brand to my dog. Grains and especially feed in large amounts can cause health problems in dogs, which they don't really need a lot of grains anyway in the first place. My guess is that the really, really healthy dog foods are not sold in most stores, you have to go some place else to get them. I found not one store down here that sold Wellness. However, it is sold in a catalog I get through the mail each month and two vets buy it from the company who makes the stuff. I wouldn't trust my dog with just any old dog food, I would rather see what it's really made of/from first. A dog that is to grow up to be a good candidate for any type of work has special needs that must be met in order to perform well and stay healthy throughout the years. Smart thinking on everyone's part here. I will stick with it when I feed my dog and remember these wonderful suggestions which are crutial in feeding an all-natural diet. Thank you! And keep the helpful advice coming as your messages are most helpful. I need it!