This is a topic that is passionately argued over social media everyday.  As with most things, moderation and common sense has to take center stage.

I was very surprised to learn, there is very little regulation of commercial pet food quality in the U.S. Neither the USDA nor the FDA gets involved in what is fed to the majority of companion animals in this country.

And while it’s true AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) has established minimum nutritional requirements for domesticated dogs and cats, it is not concerned with the quality of ingredients pet food producers put in their formulas.  Meeting pets’ basic requirements for life and providing optimal, species-appropriate nutrition are two entirely different goals.

We worked through several different brands, types and ingredients before we settled in on what we think is a good and cost effective combination that provides the best quality for the price.

We feed our adult breeding dogs a combination of Diamond Nature and homemade wet food made from all human grade food. It is common for dogs to be allergic to grains but we specifically feed our dogs food with grain to make sure we aren’t breeding any known allergies. We think it is a good idea for pet owners to stick with high protein food with low fillers. When getting your new puppy try to stick with one diet and one type of treat for a while until your dog adapts to its new home and environment. If you need to switch foods, introduce the new food over a several days as a mixture with the old food.  Better food equals buying less food and picking up less poop. Dogs eating “name brand” big box store food eat twice as much because of fillers and junk and can easily poop 8 times a day. Better food should keep adults to 1 or 2 stools a day.