Species Appropriate Diet and Alternatives

What is a Species Appropriate Diet for dogs? First, let's look take a short trip into the past. Not that long ago our darling little speckled, spotted, shaggy, waggy, fluff-muffins were wolves. In the long course of time on this earth, our dogs were wolves a few seconds ago. And basically, as far as digestion and nutritional needs go, they still are.

With that in mind, it becomes easier to see through the maze of choices and information to the truth. A simple diet, based on the diet of wolves is probably best.

To achieve this, some people are purists. They feed what they feel wolves WOULD eat almost exclusively, if they could always get it: Raw Meat on the Bone, along with the organs, tendons, etc. This, they feel, is the perfect meal as intended by nature. I can't find much fault with that.

Then again there are those who adhere to the basic principle of Raw Meat and Bones but add some other nutritious items in the mix. Yeah, wolves probably would have a non-fat yogurt with their rabbit if it were available. Adding some vegetables, fruits and other non-grain food sources seems to work well for many dogs, and their people.

Along with these foods, there are now some convenient offerings from dog food manufacturers that complement the raw diet. These are for those folks who don't want to handle and dismember raw chickens, rabbits, tripe, and other raw foods 14 times a week. Maybe they are just too busy. Perhaps they travel, and want to be able to crank open a can and call it dinner for their companion.

A few short years ago, I would have said, sorry, that's not a good idea. But we recently found a few makers of dog food who do understand the concept of Species Appropriate Food, and make their food specifically to complement those needs. Thank goodness for that!

If you cannot manage the raw homemade diet, there are now some good alternatives. If you can handle the raw diet part of the time, you can complete your meal plans with one of these excellent foods. I know the raw purists will say never, never, never. But not everyone is in a position to go fully into Raw, for whatever their personal reasons.

To those people I say, that's fine. Do you best. And with the help of some dedicated food makers, you can come so much closer than you ever did before to the perfect diet.

Again I say this diet should be Grain Free. Even the treats should be largely Grain Free. Your dog will not miss the grain, and the benefits to their health and longevity are well worth the effort.

What do we feed at Posse Pals?

We chose Evo Grain Free Dog food as a compliment to our Raw Feeding at Posse Pals. in our We did not make this choice without serious study, and slow introduction to Sheriff Tom and our other doggie deputies. Tom has been eating Evo for over a year now, and none of his life-altering allergies have cropped up. He still enjoys Raw Food as a large portion of his diet. However, I do love the convenience of a ready-made food and treats as well.

If you need suggestions of other brands of good Grain Free food that we have knowledge of or experience with, please email us and we will send you a list. Just tell us a bit about your dogs history and we'll try to tailor something to suit your needs.

Also, if you have some suggestions to share, post them here. Thanks
The Posse