Nom nom nom

 Let's talk food!  What you feed your dog is one of the most important decisions you can make.  Some people don't give a lot of thought to what they feed to their dogs, but that decision, just like with humans, is essential in determining the overall health and happiness of your pets.

Well known brands like Purina and Pedigree are affordable, but they are also crap food.  They are made with low quality filler ingredients and are definitely not the best choice. Can your dog survive eating this type of food?  Well yes, of course.  Just like a child could survive if he was only fed very cheap hotdogs and greasy potato chips every single day.  But I know I want a food much healthier that keeps my pets in top shape physically and mentally!

A great resource is dog food advisor - they have a list of about every dog food on the market and rate the foods on a scale of 1 to 5.  It also breaks down the ingredients and explains why each food is rated as such.

What and how you feed you dog depends a lot on their lifestyle and also their breed.  We free feed which means they have food out at all times.  My dogs don't tend to overeat.  You might not be able to do that with a Beagle or a Lab, because they will eat and eat and eat.  Just like in humans, pet obesity is a huge problem and obese dogs die earlier.  So if your dog can't eat in moderation, he'll need to be on a feeding schedule.

We feed Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete.  It is a 5 star rated food with a high protein content as our dogs are always highly active, including running with me.  It is also priced reasonably. Booker is making the transition to Diamond Naturals large breed puppy food from the food the breeder had him on.  You may not need a high protein food if your dog is more sedentary, but you still want to feed a food with high quality ingredients.

It's a challenge free feeding 2 separate foods.  Booker wants Sisko's food and since Sisko is a little jealous right now, he wants to eat Booker's food because he thinks he is getting something special! Puppy food has a specific combination of protein, fat and fiber to help puppies grow, so we will try to keep him on this for a year.

I strongly rrecommend avoiding grain free foods!  The link between grain free and heart problems is too strong to risk it.  Boxers are already prone to DCM so I definitely wouldn't take the chance. Especially when there are so many healthy grain inclusive foods.  Don't believe anyone who tells you dogs aren't meant to eat grains.  Dogs have lived with humans for a long time and grains gave been part of their diets.

There is a lot of talk about not feeding your dogs human food.  No, they shouldn't get unhealthy table scraps!  But liberally feed healthy human food!  We raise chickens and our dogs love fresh eggs!  Bananas, carrots, strawberries, green beans, peanut butter (NOT SUGAR FREE), fresh meat ( including raw meaty bones like chicken drumsticks) are great foods to supplement their main meals.

Avoid raisins, grapes, onions and avocados which are toxic to dogs.  Nothing with Xyitol which is in some sugar free foods.   Never give your dog a corn cob which can cause a blockage.  Raw bones are healthy and also are great for keeping the teeth clean.  Never give your dog cooked bones as they can splinter.