Most of us can agree, and Groucho would approve, that outside a dog, a book is man's best friend; but instead of feeding your brain, here, we talk about feeding your favorite pet, Milo. The topic on what to feed your furry four-legged pal has been a hot topic for quite some time. While cats are obligate carnivores, the diet of a dog can be varied as need calls for it, or if an owner objects to a certain dietary regimen because they themselves do not eat meat or animal byproducts. That said, there are things you do, and things you do not feed your dog. Chocolate is one of those things. But this article focuses less on the out and out bad things that you should never feed your dog, and instead we look at a particular source of food - meat. We also discuss ways you can augment your dog's diet if you do choose to feed him meat instead of prepared food.
Milo does well with dry food, right? But of course not just any dry food will do. Most pet foods, regardless their form, are over-processed. Laced with preservatives and additives that make them taste delicious, they really do not do your furry friend any favors. This is why some people advocate giving their dogs raw meat. After all, if it works for wild canids, why not Milo? Well, therein lies the problem. You see, wild animals may subsist on uncooked meat and generationally, there is only a thin veil between Milo and his wild ancestors. The key difference is of course that what animals eat in the wild hasn't been sent through a slaughter house and packaged for the stores. What they offer for humans is processed too, and of course it comes laden with all manner of bacteria that is harmful to both you and him.
If You are Going to Have Milo Go Raw, Please Don't Jump in Feet First
Raw meat 'can' be ingested, but if you opt to do so and Milo is unaccustomed to this, you should start out slowly. Applying the same method of switching from one dry food to another, feed Milo 75% of his normal diet and 25% of the new raw diet and see how it goes. If he tolerates, after a week of this move to 50/50 and from there, titrate him off the kibble. While it is a somewhat viable option, you can never forget protein. Milo can get this from either cheese, (cooked) fish or eggs, or even cottage cheese, which additionally has fat that he might need. Just because he can eat it doesn't mean he should. It goes for us, and to an extent, Milo is just as susceptable to nasties that can lay us low. This is why you should always cook foods like eggs and meat to kill off bacteria and toxins that could ruin his day (and yours).
Really though, it is the opinion of this author that the risks simply are not worth Milo's health. Perhaps this may be a viable option if you are raising your own cows. Alternatively, you can feed meat to your dog, but unless you plan to go to the time and expense of feeding him organic meat (meaning that the cows are free roaming and are not in close quarters, which breeds infections that jump from animal to animal) and as a result are not pumped with myriad hormones and antibiotics, cook it first. And get rid of the bones. Bones, especially those of chicken, can splinter and do grievous damage to his intestines. My dog gets a nice diet of cooked chicken and rice and she loves it. On occasion I give her spaghetti and meatballs, sans onions and garlic of course. So if you want to try an alternative to overpriced, overprocessed foods, you can certainly find one. It just takes a little effort. Research, foresight, and not jumping on a dogfood bandwagon because it is what the Internet said you should do will go a long way to easing the process of altering his diet. Big business and the occasional unscrupulous or misinformed vet might tell you to take up raw meat as a supplement to Milo's existing regimen. Doing your homework now and making sure you are well prepared for the foray into new forms of chow will save you and Milo tons of grief later on down the road.
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