Spinoff to What you feed your dog... Holistic Pet Food - What do you use? I'm sorry, this got a little LONG!

As you ALL know by now, my husband and I are looking at getting a puppy.

So as part of my research, especially with the bulldog b/c they have alot of digestive issues (read: ALOT of GAS! ), I'm looking into food for our beloved pooch.

I've heard about holistic foods for dogs and wanted to get your opinions...

This is the one brand I've looked into:

The Honest Kitchen

They make dehydrated raw pet food.

Can anyone tell me about this or any other holistic or dehydrated raw pet food?

Also, is there a difference between dehydrated raw food and holistic? And lastly what is dehydrated raw food?

I know this was long, so thank you for reading all of this and sharing what you may know!!

Re: Spinoff to What you feed your dog... Holistic Pet Food - What do you use? I'm sorry, this got a little LONG!

Oh come on guys!! Someone out there has to be able to help me.

Re: Spinoff to What you feed your dog... Holistic Pet Food - What do you use? I'm sorry, this got a little LONG!

Sorry! I did not see this post. I would ask a bulldog specialist about a raw diet, because although it is "pure" in it's natural form, it may not be best for digestion. Some raw foods are harder to digest than steamed/cooked/processed.

I have used Merrick with great success (except with my Chihuahua, who pulls out the peas and carrots and leaves the kibble... ) And Canidae worked very well with my Mini Pin.






ETA: I checked the website & most of the ingredients seem OK, but I would do more research about the Verve (with cranberries) and the Thrive.

Message edited 1/18/2008 4:58:15 PM.

Re: Spinoff to What you feed your dog... Holistic Pet Food - What do you use? I'm sorry, this got a little LONG!

I feed my cats a raw diet. I make it myself. Dehydrated raw, I am guessing, is just raw they take the water out of, whereas 'holistic' is made from organic ingredients, but not necessarily RAW. I don’t know a lot about the dog side of this, but on the cat side there has been a lot of research to support a raw diet. There is a slim possibility in cats of the cat contracting salmonella from feeding raw, but obviously using fresh meat that you have cleaned cuts down on that chance even more. Anything additional you add (like egg) should be organic. Many vets do not support raw diets, and the raw diet researchers say this is because of the amount of money companies like Iams & Science Diet contribute to vet schools. I think you should do your research and form your own opinion on whether feeding raw is right for your animals.

Again, mine is for CATS, I don’t know what the differences are with dogs, I am certain the supplementation would be different. That being said, there are a million recipes for feeding raw. Personally, I only feed chicken (plus the supplementation), but friends of mine also feed rabbit, venison and occasionally beef. The key to raw is that you have to grind the meat (muscle & organs) AND bone. I bought a commercial grinder to do this. It was about a year of sporadic research, reading and testimonials from people I knew feeding raw before I started doing it.

Re: Spinoff to What you feed your dog... Holistic Pet Food - What do you use? I'm sorry, this got a little LONG!

Thank you ladies, I appreciate the feedback and clarification between raw and holistic diets.

It seems like I've still got alot of researching to do, but you've given me a great platform to start from.