Dog food holistic: Is it worth the money?

You might be wondering about dog food holistic and whether or not its worth the money. Ever since Vance developed more allergies to his dog food, I’ve been searching for the perfect diet for him. It’s not always been easy.

But, recently, I’ve been exploring pre-packaged alternatives to the BARF diet and I’ve discovered that there are a lot of new foods that have recently come on the market that promise many big benefits. For instance, Canidae has a new grain-free line and many other dog food companies are following suit. From my research so far, I’m finding the big concern with any premium food is the protein levels–if you have a puppy, particularly a large breed puppy, it’s important that your dog food not have too much protein. Aside from that, though, it looks like the only other serious consideration is price.

That’s because these premium dog foods are very, very expensive, especially if you have a large dog. Of the premium, holistic foods, Canidae is definitely the best price I’ve found (especially through PetFoodDirect–see their link in the right-hand sidebar for their latest special offers). Because it’s done wonders for Vance’s dog allergies, I highly recommend it.

What’s your dog food brand of choice? And do you think feeding a holistic food is important?

Free dog treats

Today, I thought I’d tell you about our next Good Dog Health giveaway. We’ll be giving away my dog, Vance’s, favorite treats: Zuke’s Jerky. Don’t enter just yet, but make sure to stop by often to catch me when I first announce the giveaway–our first entrant will get a prize, too. (The other prize will be awarded randomly.) To be ready to score extra entries, sign up for a free Twitter account if you don’t already have one and start accumulating followers.

Zukes are delicious (I’m assuming–I’ve never actually tasted them myself ;-)) and soft so they’re perfect for stuffing into Kongs and sterilized beef bones. Vance will do just about anything for one and they’re easily breakable so that I can give him just a bit during training.

Now, tell me, what’s your pooch’s favorite treat?

Dog suppliments–do you use them?

Our dog, Vance, is getting a little older (he’ll be six this year), and since he’s a big dog (a yellow Lab), I worry a little about his joints and wonder about the effectiveness of vitamins for dog. I want to make sure that he has plenty of mobility and pain-free joints as he gets older.

I’ve been looking into dog suppliments and thought I’d post here to ask if any of your use them with your dogs. If you do, what do you use? And does it seem to be making a difference? If you don’t use vitamins for dogs, is there any particular reason? I’ve always believed that a healthy dog food would mean there was no need for dog suppliments, but now I’m not so sure.

I’m looking forward to knowing the approach you take with your dog and I’ll be sure to share what I turn up in my research about vitamins for dogs along with what we decide to do for Vance.