Ideally I would love to feed my dog a commercially prepared raw diet but it's very expensive. Is a high quality kibble still ok? I want her to live a long healthy life.

Yes, this is okay. Balanced, well-prepared raw diets are great when fed correctly, but high quality kibble is certainly a reasonable alternative that most dogs do very well on. I would suggest a brand like Orijen or Taste of the Wild, if possible.

Can Your Dog Live Healthy on Kibble if Raw Food is Too Expensive?

Health & Wellbeing

Is a high quality kibble bad for my dog? I've been told that I should only feed fresh food and that kibble is poor quality nutrition. I've always used top quality brands such as Acana Orijen and Fromm. Is what I'm doing healthy? I think raw and home

There are many varied and strong opinions on this subject. A good quality, complete kibble is an appropriate diet for your dog and avoids the risks of under or over supplying essential nutrients as well as the risks of food poisoning type issues with raw food. Not all brands will suit all dogs and it may take a little time to find the best diet for your dog, which may change as he gets older or develops any health concerns

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Food & Nutrition

I was curious if changing my dogs food to a raw diet is more beneficial then feeding her dry kibble. I have read some things online about the raw diet and was wondering if it’s recommended.

For the vast majority of dogs, a raw diet is not recommended. Remember that you find all kinds of false information on line. Raw diets require careful formulation to be sure that they are balanced. Raw diets also pose a potential health threat to humans. That being said, there are a few dogs with specific disease conditions who may benefit from a raw diet but these are rare. Here are some links with good information: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/get-facts-raw-pet-food-diets-can-be-dangerous-you-and-your-pet https://www.petcoach.co/article/raw-and-homemade-diets-what-you-need-to-know/ In general, commercial kibble is not only nutritionally balanced but it's also safer. I hope this helps.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Food & Nutrition

Does feeding my dog kibble (high quality) as opposed to other options like raw, cooked or dehydrated foods make me a bad pet owner? Please explain, thanks! I guess there is this fresh food movement regarding feeding your dogs fresh instead of kibble.

In my opinion that does not make you a bad owner at all. Feeding with commercial food of high quality has many advantages, like being balanced and complete from a nutritional point of view, being tested and free from diseases, being designed to be stored safely (raw food can deteriorate rapidly). When it comes down to suggest a diet, I personally advice to start with a balanced commercial diet, especially in the first phases of their development and use raw food as ''treats'' particularly for training purposes. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Hello, I want to give my dog the optimum diet but at the same time affordable. Is cheap dog food like alpo and pedigree ok, if my dog overall conditions are ok? Or i still need to give her expensive dog food like taste of the wild even though she is

I would recommend feeding a mid grade food if possible. Alpo is not my favorite but a reasonable alternative is Purina. It is more affordable than taste of the wild. If your dog is doing well you don’t need to change the food but there are healither alternatives.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Food & Nutrition

I have a Maltese/ shiztu mix she is about 5 pounds. I was wondering if a raw diet was a good idea. I was looking at Ollie dog food. She does well with Kahoots brand all stages. What is your advice?

I personally do not like raw diets. They are hard to get balanced correctly, and there is a risk of salmonella and E.coli poisoning to both the dog and owner. Patches would be fine on dry dog food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Food & Nutrition

MELANIE: thank you for your helpful answers!! In your opinion what is a better option for a balanced diet; a fresh food commercial diet that contains rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes and various meats and vegetables. Or a commercial kibble such as roya

I am so glad to help you! In my opinion, the best choice is a commercial kibble like Royal Canin. Royal Canin does have veterinary nutritionists on staff. I'd also recommend Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams. They also have veterinary nutritionists. I personally feed my dog Iams.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

What is the opinion of the doctors about feeding the dogs raw food diet and i found many many people on this diet and their dogs are so healthy ??

Raw feeding is a very good option for many dogs, as long as done properly. hygiene and freshness of the ingredients are the key to this diet, it is important to get the raw meals from a good supplier, you will usually need a dedicated freezer to store the food. it is also very important to take the food out of the freezer not too long before giving it to your dog as it can go bad quite quickly when left outside.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I am interested in putting my dogs on a raw food diet. I have an 8 year old lab and a 1 year old lab mix. I was wondering if there are any examples of meal plans that I could follow.

I am a holistic vet. I love raw diets, but it is very hard to make your own raw diet and have it be balanced nutritionally. I highly recommend pre made raw diets such as Honest Kitchen and Sojos. They are freeze dried, so much safer, and you simply rehydrate with warm water. This way you can feed raw, AND ensure it is a balanced diet.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

With so many new options in the pet food market like lightly cooked foods and raw is kibble inferior to these new options? Why or why not?

Great question!! This last decade has brought an incredible amount of new products to the shelves and I know it must be daunting and very confusing to consumers. Unfortunately, most information about these foods comes from the pet store employee or an equally unqualified source on the internet. It's very wise of you to ask an expert. The truth about most of these foods is that their claims usually amount to nothing more than that of a fad diet (i.e. paleo or atkins) and are not supported by sufficient evidence (even though they will make it sound like it is). As scientifically trained practitioners, us vets prefer to offer evidenced based treatment and the same goes for feeding suggestions. That back-story was all so I can give you the facts. Here they are: 1) Raw Food has no scientific evidence that it is better for your dog than cooked food and is actually more dangerous. 2) lightly cooked, grain-free, natural, etc. are really just marketing gimmicks meant to increase sales

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Can dogs live only on dry food ? If yes how our food is good for them and more tasty and their nature from many years was not to eat dry food it was hunting and eating like our food

Yes, dogs can do very well on dry food only. It isn't that dry food is the most ideal food, simply that for most pet owners, it is the most convenient food to store, and the most affordable. There are some people that choose to feed raw dog food, or even cook all their dogs meals. In general, there are many options, what matters is that our dogs are feed a nutritionally balanced diet. If people choose to prepare their own food for their dogs, they should follow recipes from veterinarians, and not just recipes on blogs. I hope this information answers your question.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Can my dog live healthy on kibble if raw food is too expensive?

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Can my dog live healthy on kibble if raw food is too expensive?

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Is a high quality kibble bad for my dog? I've been told that I should only feed fresh food and that kibble is poor quality nutrition. I've always used top quality brands such as Acana Orijen and Fromm. Is what I'm doing healthy? I think raw and home

I was curious if changing my dogs food to a raw diet is more beneficial then feeding her dry kibble. I have read some things online about the raw diet and was wondering if it’s recommended.

Does feeding my dog kibble (high quality) as opposed to other options like raw, cooked or dehydrated foods make me a bad pet owner? Please explain, thanks! I guess there is this fresh food movement regarding feeding your dogs fresh instead of kibble.

Hello, I want to give my dog the optimum diet but at the same time affordable. Is cheap dog food like alpo and pedigree ok, if my dog overall conditions are ok? Or i still need to give her expensive dog food like taste of the wild even though she is

I have a Maltese/ shiztu mix she is about 5 pounds. I was wondering if a raw diet was a good idea. I was looking at Ollie dog food. She does well with Kahoots brand all stages. What is your advice?

MELANIE: thank you for your helpful answers!! In your opinion what is a better option for a balanced diet; a fresh food commercial diet that contains rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes and various meats and vegetables. Or a commercial kibble such as roya

What is the opinion of the doctors about feeding the dogs raw food diet and i found many many people on this diet and their dogs are so healthy ??

I am interested in putting my dogs on a raw food diet. I have an 8 year old lab and a 1 year old lab mix. I was wondering if there are any examples of meal plans that I could follow.

With so many new options in the pet food market like lightly cooked foods and raw is kibble inferior to these new options? Why or why not?

Can dogs live only on dry food ? If yes how our food is good for them and more tasty and their nature from many years was not to eat dry food it was hunting and eating like our food

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