Diet Change

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I have a three year old dog that I'm going to be switching her food from Pedigree to a different food.

I want to supplement what ever food I choose with Nature's Variety raw pellets. I know dogs are scavengers by nature so I plan on getting different meats to switch her diet around so she has some variation. They have venison, chicken, Buffalo(I think), rabbit and others that I can't remember. Do you think that's a good choice? Or do you know of a better raw food to feed?

Now my dilemma is what food to choose as her dry.
I've heard good things about Innova Evo, Orijen, and Timber Wolf OceanBlue. Which one do you think would be the healthiest choice for my dog, or do you think there is another food that is higher quality and would be better? If you think I should use Innova Evo should I choose the chicken, original, or the red meat?

Also would it be a good (healthy) idea to give her raw chicken necks?

Are there any healhty treats you think I could give her? Or should I just stick to meat based treats?

Thanks for your help.

ANSWER: I strongly urge you to stick to the Pedigree.  Remember, much of what you hear about dog diets come from people selling something else.  Since they have no real facts to support the case against common chows such as Pedigree, they resort to half truths, distortions, and outright lies.  They ignore the reality that most dogs will thrive on most chows.  

Is your dog showing any health problems?  If so have you discussed them with your vet?  Have you discussed the proposed new diet with your vet?  Most vets are going to tell you about the same thing as I am.  Unfortunately, too many of them will suggest the Science Diet that they just happen to sell.  Notice I am not selling anything.  You will get the answer you were looking for from somebody else here.  You will be able to buy just what she suggests on her website.  

Suppose you knew a breeder that bred hundreds of dogs a year, mostly Labs, Shepherds, and Goldens.  They provided all the medical care for most of them the first year.  At the end of it, they did a complete physical including hip X-rays on all of them.  They then spent $35,000 training them before giving them away.  They have a large data base of breeding records.  Dogs with any physical or temperamental problems are unfit for the program and are a waste.  Their well equipped clinic and vet staff are available for serious problems as long as the dog is working.  When the dog is no longer able to work, it is replaced at again the $35,000 plus a large emotional upheaval for the person depending on the dog. They have experimented with different diets and exchanged data with other such breeders.  Don't you think that what ever they are feeding is healthy and safe?  What kinds of controlled studies do you have backing your choice of diet?  How objective are the sources of your information?  Is your dog's health, their top priority?

I have been raising puppies since 1991 for a large dog guide school that does exactly that.  What do they feed?  They instruct us to feed Pro Plan chicken and rice puppy chow until 4 months and then switch to adult Pro Plan chicken and rice.  I know enough of the people with the trained dogs to know they continue the Pro Plan.  The group I meet with monthly for training includes people that have raised puppies for 6 different service dog schools.  Some of them are feeding other premium commercial chows including Iams and Eukanuba.  Any dog owner wanting a healthy, long lived dog can make this regimen work, leaving more time to spend on the dog.  It is also relatively economical.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your reply.

Please look at these ingredient lists and point out why you believe Pedigree is superior.
Please don't give me a personal account and if you give a feeding study please site your sources, make sure it's unbiased, was controlled, and followed up on in the dogs senior years, and compared to another kind of food, or if it wasn't what was the reason.

In addition I would like to know if you do not believe a balanced raw food diet would be the best choice.

TimberWolf OceanBlue
Ingredients:
Low Ash White Fish Meal, Salmon, Potatoes, Sardine/Mackerel/Anchovy/Tuna Oils, Kelp, Alfalfa Leaf, Potassium Chloride, Amaranth, Carrot, Watercress, Spinach, Celery, Parsley, Fennel Seed, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pears, Figs, Thyme, Anise Seed, Ground Cinnamon Bark, Fenugreek, Garlic Pieces, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Apples, Taurine, Spirulina, Choline Chloride, Lecithin, Probiotics: (Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Lactis, Bacillus Bifidum, Streptococcus Diacetilactis, Bacillus Subtillus), Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols (a source of vitamin E), Lysine, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine, Methionine, Carnitine, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Iodine Proteinate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine (a source of vitamin B6), Copper Proteinate, Selenium Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Papain, Yucca Schidigera Extract. Guaranteed Analysis %:

PROTEIN  26     
FAT  16     
MOISTURE  9     
OMEGA-6 FATTY ACIDS  3.4     
FIBER  3     
CALCIUM  1.5     
OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS  1.4     
PHOSPHOROUS  0.9   

Innova Evo Red Bites
Ingredients
Beef,Lamb Meal,Potatoes,Egg,Sunflower Oil,Buffalo,Lamb,Venison,Beef Cartilage, Herring Oil, Natural Flavors, Apples, Carrots, Tomatoes, Alfalfa Sprouts, Garlic, Cottage Cheese, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins/Minerals, Ascorbic Acid, Beta Carotene, Biotin, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Dicalcium Pantothenate, dl-Methionine, Folic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Niacin, Potassium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin C Supplement (Sodium Ascorbate), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (Alpha Tocopherol), Zinc Proteinate, Dried Chicory Root, Vitamin E Supplement, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract.
Guaranteed Analysis
Protein 42 %
Fat 22 %
Moisture 10%
Fiber 2.5

Orijen Adult
Ingrediants
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.
TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS
Chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, funugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosehips.
ORGANIC MINERALS
Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.
PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS
Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.
PREMIUM VITAMINS
Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin.
Guaranteed Analysis
Protein 42.0%
Fat 16.0%
Carbohydrate 18.0%
Moisture 10.0%
Fiber 3.0%
Calcium (min.) 1.6%
Calcium (max.) 1.8%
Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites Original Beef Flavor
Ingrediants
Ground Whole Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Wheat Mill Run, Ground Wheat, Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Flour, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Carmel Color, Vegetable Oil (Source of Linoleic Acid), Rice, Wheat Gluten, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source of Vitamin E], L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [Source of Vitamin C*], Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (minimum) 21%
Moisture (maximum) 12%
Crude Fat (minimum) 10%
Crude Fiber (maximum) 4%

Thank you for your time.  

Answer
As far as I know, there aren't any studies available to the public showing how dogs do on different diets.  So no, I don't studies backing my opinion.  I have often asked those condemning such chows as Pedigree for its ingredients for proof those ingredients didn't make good dog chow.  I have never gotten anything except personal experience on a handful of dogs.  I don't judge a chow by its ingredients.  I don't even pay much attention to them.  I look at the dogs.  While I don't have numbers like I would like to have, I do see more dogs that I know what they eat than many people do.  

I have no doubt that a dog can thrive on a carefully prepared raw diet.  Over the years I have seen dozens of people advocating the raw diets.  None of them have ever been able to provide more then anecdotal evidence that such diets are better than the common brands of dog chow.  The common brands are cheap and easy to feed and produce great results.  What rational reason is there to risk your dog's life on a difficult, expensive alternative?