Dogs...good or bad idea?, page 6

The "myth" about bones being bad for dogs comes from people giving their dogs cooked bones from their own people food. Often when bones are cooked they become brittle. The dog chews them and sometimes shards break off and end up stabbing the roof of their mouth, or worse, causing internal bleeding/injuries.

If you're going to give your dog bones, you should give it uncooked bones. That is what they ate in the wild as dogs didn't have ovens or the ability to cook over an open flame! I saw that some people mentioned turkey necks, and that is a good recommendation.

There are some good websites on the net about getting your dog off of dry kibble and on to a natural diet. If you plan on going this route, it is very important that all of your dog's nutritional requirements are met. Often, this means supplementing their food with the proper vitamins your pet needs. PLEASE do not go the "natural" route without first studying up on it. Know what you're doing, as you could hurt your dog, or even worse. And always transition to different types of food slowly. Unless your dog has an iron stomach, then you need to slowly mix in their new type of food with their old type to avoid diarrhea, vomiting, etc.

If going the natural route, it is also important to include raw vegetables. Now, you might say, "when did dogs ever eat vegetables in the wild"? The answer is that most of them didn't. But, the prey that dogs ate DID! Dogs would get their vegetables by eating animals like rabbits, and eating their stomachs which were usually filled with digested or partially digested vegetables. So it is important to include some vegetables in your dog's diet. Sometimes you have to be creative about getting your dog to eat them, as most dogs don't care for most vegetables (one of my dogs eats veggies, fruit and just about anything else)! I also recommend not cooking the vegetables, as cooking them often removes a good portion of the vitamins and minerals.

To those who think that dogs shouldn't eat bones, just take a look at your dog's teeth! Unlike humans whose teeth are flat in the back of our mouths, dogs have sharp molars in the back of their mouths. These teeth are made primarily for crushing through bone. Another thing I failed to mention is the nutrition of bones themselves. Not only are they good for a dog's teeth, but the marrow is a great (and tasty) source of important nutrients. Plus, having your dog "work" for it's meal by working it's way through a bone and other goodies is much better than having your dog sit on it's lazy butt and eat prepared kibble from it's bowl!

Just know that if you do decide to go the natural route with your pet that there is a lot of work involved! A lot of preparation goes into this, and depending on your dog's eating style and where you feed him/her, it will probably be messy too. Personally, I would recommend a combination of the natural approach and the kibble approach. There are a few top-shelf brands out there that actually use good ingredients and have the proper nutrition your dog needs. So there is nothing wrong with mixing natural foods with kibble.

Personally, I have yet to feed my dogs any raw bones. It is something that I have only recently looked into. However, I have always been one to "spice" up their meals by adding things to their kibble. I have greyhounds, and they just love things like cottage cheese, yogurt, pumpkin, etc., all of which are very good for them and their digestive systems. I also sometimes add cooked chicken breast, steamed rice (supposedly you should only use white rice for dogs and not brown rice, I forget the exact reason), steamed vegetables, etc. If you have trouble getting your dog to eat the healthy things you want it to eat (ie: veggies), try mixing them with, or cooking them in, a light gravy or chicken broth. Pouring some chicken broth over their food will usually have them inhaling everything!

Let me add that I am NOT an expert in any of this. You need to do your research. But switching your pet to a natural diet, at least partially, could go a long way to making the transition a lot easier if SitX ever does go down. And always remember to discuss diet changes with your dog's veterinarian!!!