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New guy with diet concern


bdsnooks
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Hi All,

I just joined this forum and see there is a lot of knowledge here.
I saw a documentary on Netflix a couple nights ago called "Pet Fooled".
I was astonished about the misinformation (lies) put out by the pet food industry!
I have lost several dogs to cancer over the years and am now wondering if it could have been prevented if I had been better informed.
Now I'm paranoid fear.gif
Thanks for listening----

 

BTW, I changed my dog Jake's food yesterday to Diamond Naturals Grain-Free===I am adding cooked beef to it.

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I'm not familiar with that Netflix program. Bottom line, any time you seen an alarmist program about anything, the reality of the topic is probably somewhat different. :ph34r:

Feed your dog the best food you can. Do research, check dog food reviews, watch how your dog responds to the food you give. But I'm unaware of any scientific studies conclusively linking cancer in dogs to quality, reputable dog food.

What were you feeding Jake previously? I believe Diamond Naturals is considered pretty good.

~ Gloria

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Thanks for the reply Gloria!

I have been feeding all my dogs Retriever Dog food that I got from Tractor Supply for years.

It has pretty bad reviews and apparently it has "BHA" which is a cancer-causing agent.

I am guilty of ignorance and wish I had checked it out a long time ago.

 

Colin

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Welcome to the Boards, and good for you for investigating the safety of your dogs' food. Even if the program you watched was overly alarmist, it got you to start thinking critically about what you feed your dogs.

 

I think adding real meat to your dogs' food is a great idea, with one caveat. Be careful about the amount of meat you add to the kibble. Meat alone is not a complete diet for a dog. It lacks calcium and certain vitamins and minerals, so if you add too much you'll be upsetting the balance of those nutrients that are included in the kibble.

 

Also, in the opinion of many people (myself included, as I'm a raw feeder) cooking the meat reduces its benefit.

 

If I were going the route you're going now, I'd investigate raw diets and add in the components of that to the meat to balance it out. Calcium can be provided in the form of edible bones or ground eggshells. A little bit of liver (essential) and a bit of kidney will give you the rest. Consider adding all of these things raw as a supplement to kibble, especially bone. There's really very little useful about cooked bones and they can break teeth if they're dense enough (weight bearing bones from larger animals).

 

Best wishes.

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  • 4 weeks later...

For you and anyone interested in a homemade diet, but a bit nervous about providing a truly balanced one:

Balance IT is a vitamin/mineral supplement. Their website allows you to input info about your dog, and will devise a diet based on your willingness to feed whatever, then adding their supplement.

 

My dogs have been on a vet-devised diet using Balance IT for quite a few years, with excellent results. (Last BC lived to be 16 yr 4 mo. - after some liver issues were dx when she was 13 yr!).

 

But as Gentle Lake said - just feed the best you can (can do, can afford, etc.).

Welcome to the boards!

diane

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