When it comes to dog food, everyone has an opinion. There are dozens of brands of dog food and many ways of feeding.
Some of the more modern ones are : Holistic, BARF, Raw Free Range, Kibble, Complete, Tinned, Pouched, Organic.
If you visit dog forums, you will see half a dozen back threads where people have argued the merits of their particular way of feeding. Food can have serious effect on our pet’s behavior, or many have additives, ethoxyquin, colorants, and preservatives. Some of these additives can and do affect our pets dramatically.
The reality is that 97% of people feed their dogs some form of commercial dog food that is grain based. If you feed your dog commercial dog food the premium stuff can be very expensive but still have a lot of grain in it, that basically is bad for a carnivore like your dog, but that is what you will find.
It is often obvious from its appearance that a dog food contains artificial color but is it much harder to detect hormones, additives etc.
A number of well-known brands have been reported by owners to create aggression and hyperactivity but how do you prove that and get a class action going? These dog foods don’t affect every dog the same way and many dogs are OK on them, but many are not. Its just that you have to look for subtle signs.
If you think your dog is having a reaction to a chemical in the food, you will most likely have to answer a whole series of questions by your vet. And if its food you bought off your vet – you aren’t likely to get a very warm reception to your assertions or doubts.
The most common questions a vet will ask about behaviour changes ‘maybe’ related to food are: have there been any recent changes in diet? In some cases, this simple question triggers an awareness that the behavior started when they changed brands of food. Therefore, a simple change of diet may be all that is needed to alter the inappropriate behavior.
Raw Food: This included minced and fee-flow chunks and raw frozen blocks mixed with vegetables and rice and in some cases maize. I would have no hesitation in recommending Raw to anyone who feels that is suits their beliefs and lifestyle. Just make sure you are comfortable that it is really whole and complete and just isn’t another version of grain or vegetables.