After reading the stories on some of the stuff that is put into dog food (yuk),and the stories about the Iams company I have decided I would like to try feeding my cocker spaniel a home cooked diet (dont fancy the barf one) The only trouble is I dont know where to start..
What can I feed?
How do I know if he is getting the right nutrients?
Is there a need for suppliments, and where can I buy them?
Any info would be a great help.....
Thanks

I'm going to be really silly now and tell you that my first dog was during the days of food rationing after the Second World War. He was fed mainly on a diet of table scrapes. Some years later talking to the then dietician for Pedigree Pet Foods she told me that to feed this kind of thing would result in a dog being dead within 2 years from malnutrition! Unfortunately, my dog was not clever enough to know that and died at 16 years old!

Regards John

Can't quite go back to the food rationing John, but when we were kids our dogs were all fed on table scraps too, Mum just used to cook a bit extra, never any waste food in the house and the dogs all thrived on it. Ingrid

Apparently in Jersey during the war the dogs lived off potatoes and shellfish they found on the beaches, and looked fantastic. I've been toying with cooking my own for some time, but the quantity is a little off-putting. Have always been a bit concerned about feeding raw chicken wings to working gundogs, and nobody has yet convinced me that they won't start on raw pheasant wings afterwards.

Seriously, I'm wondering as well if there isn't a correlation between the increasing levels of cancer in our old dogs and feeding so much convenience foods - I know there are many many theories on this.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

You know my thoughts about cancer in Flatcoats Jo, we've spoken about it in the past but I really don’t believe there is any "ONE" reason. I do certainly get worried about preservatives and additives in dog food and wonder if there is any possibility of a link with a whole range of dog problems.

As far as the Chicken wings are concerned, the old Keepers used to chuck a dead rabbit of bird, feathers and fur and all into their kennel with no ill effects! But I must admit I would not do it!

Like humans, a dog needs a balanced diet but also like a human it does not need to be balanced in the short term! Not every meal a human eats provides every thing that human needs but taken over a period of time healthy eating will balance out. That is the natural way!

For the last point which I'm trying to make is again related to humans! I've long held the opinion that we are so protected by all the sterilisation, protection, double wrapped and treble wrapped processed food that we are loosing or have lost the natural resistant to the germs and viruses which are all around us. Who remembers the bacon standing on the bacon slicer in the shop or the big rounds of cheese standing on the cheese board? Yes, I know it could pick up all sorts of nastiest but we never got ill from it because we were subject to it from the day we were born. We built up an immunity to it! These days, if a nasty gets in someone dies! The immunity is just not there! And the same thing applies to our dogs! How much of the immune deficiency problems stem from the fact this? Not all I know but certainly some I would have thought! As a kid I was always told, "A peck of dirt won’t kill you!"

Regards, John

Certainly agree about the human immunity John, I always shudder when they show the "domestos" ad on telly, and we have to have squeaky clean worktops with no trace of a germ. They do wonder if kids are getting asthma and so on more now because they are so unused to dealing with any kind of infection or problem, whether it's bacteria or something else.

Lndsay

Talking about feeding whole chickens ect I feed my dogs on complete food {purely for convienence} but they all have ANY scraps mixed in with there food, they are given raw and cooked bones as treats{but not chicken bones} and they have been know to eat a couple of my chickens bones feathers and all in there younger days, I have had no health problems and have been told what lovely clean teath they have even my 12yr old has pure white teeth{well 2 missing}
I do know of people with gundogs who feed chicken wings to their dogs and puppies and they have the most georgeous coats on them.
I do feel that pet foods nowadys are very 'clinical' hence the EXTRAS mine have.

Jo Are you planning to cook your own dogs or cook your own food ?
Seriously though I have read in all the books that dogs shouldn't be given table scraps as it will unbalance their diet and give them tummy upsets.
However I'm one of these people who can't stand wasting food and I do put table scraps on one side and save it (refrigerated if necessary) and give it to Thistle at her next meal , reducing her puppy food accordingly. I can't believe it can affect her badly done once every couple of days.
Recently I read in a dog mag that the increased lifespan of today's dogs is due to feeding them specially formulated dog foods. Has any independant research been done on this, or is it a convenient myth for the pet food industry?
Jane
p s While I'm on can I ask you all about Thistle swimming in the river. She's a 6 month old Lab and she absolutely loves it., but it's flipping freezing and I'm worried it could be harmful. Any help gratefully received.