The advantages of a natural dog food diet won't necessarily be cost or convenience. But you'll be able to build the health of your dog daily. And pet owners who have switched to a natural dog food diet have reported improvements in coat, breath, temperament, the look of their pet's eyes (no linger dull), energy levels and vitality, amongst other things. Compared to poor quality commercial pet foods, it may seem more expensive. Compared to better quality commercial dog foods, it may be comparable or cheaper. But either way, you won't be feeding your dog toxic chemicals or dead dogs and cats recycled into pet food.

Tips For A Natural Dog Food Diet

* use human quality food
* do not just scrape left over food from the table into your dog's bowl
* don't use your own tastes and nutritional needs as a guide
* just as we can develop a love of junk food, so can our pets. Being aware of this, and what our pets really need, will ensure we feed them what will make them thrive, instead of what will give them diabetes, other degenerative illnesses etc

Components of a Natural Dog Food Diet

* Meat

Commercial dog food combines both animal and plant sources of protein often. Their reasons for doing this are probably cost rather than any other considerations, but given that meat more than any other ingredient is prone to chemical contamination, it's not a bad idea to balance the meat component with plant sources of protein such as legumes.

With regards the popularity of the 'raw meat' diet for dogs, there are a few caveats that mean it is not something that many vets recommend. Firstly, there is the issue of possible contamination with salmonella and listeria. As well as this, the tapeworm is found in most parts of the body of beef carcasses when a post mortem is conducted.

Then there is the chemical contamination. Lead is s problem in US cattle, and it accumulates in the bones. It is such a problem that bone meal for human consumption cannot be made from US reared livestock. Synthetic estrogen is also used to fatten cattle, and remains in the meat.

But it is not just possible contamination. Whilst in the wild dogs and animals survived on a raw food diet, they were also a lot more active. Just as more physically active humans have greater leeway in what they can eat, so do animals. Furthermore, Dr. Wendell O. Belfield makes the point that just because animals in the wild ate this way, we have no way to know how healthy they were doing so. Some animals may have thrived on it, some died, but there is no guarantee that the domestic pets we have today are descended from those that thrived on this diet.

In any case, the benefits that people have reported on a raw food natural diet can be obtained simply by switching to a good quality natural dog food diet such as is in Dr Pitcairn's book.

Best value meats in terms of nutrition and availability

* Lean Meats: turkey, beef chicken or turkey liver, mackerel, most chicken, tuna, beef chicken or turkey heart, lean hamburger mince, lean chuck steak, duck without skin, rabbit, and fish. These meats are interchangeable with each other, volume for volume.

Fatty meats include roaster chicken, fatty beef heart, brains, regular hamburger mince, fatty chuck steak, sirloin steak, lamb and pork. Using fatty meats in a dog food recipe that calls for lean meats means you'll have to reduce the amount of oil or fat by 1 tablespoon for every cup of meat.

* Eggs and Dairy

These are great sources of protein in addition to meat. With regards the question of whether you should feed your dogs raw or cooked eggs, vets are somewhat divided. For example, Dr Pitcairn recommends raw eggs whereas Dr Belfield doesn't! If you want to err on the side of caution, cook them. If your dog or cat is old, sickly, or with a delicate digestive system, go for cooked eggs. Otherwise, the choice is open.

Dr Belfield cites the issue of possible biotin deficiency with regards using raw eggs, whereas Dr Pitcairn suggests that this example was derived from rats fed mainly raw egg whites as their diet, and this was excessive anyway. He says he has never seen biotin deficiency as an issue in animals he's treated who eat raw eggs as part of a balanced natural pet food diet, in his practice.

Dairy is not the only source of calcium in a natural dog food diet. Dogs and cats need a lot of calcium, and they need bone meal and calcium supplements mixed in with their food to both give them the amounts needed, and to provide the correct ratio of phosphorus to calcium. Without the correct ratio of phosphorus to calcium, calcium cannot be used by the body.

* Grains

Carbohydrates are able to supply over half the diet for dogs and cats when taken by dry weight, according to commercial standards. Grains are a carbohydrate that does need to be cooked, however.

It's okay to use grains and oatmeal that cooks quickly. These are quite inexpensive too. Sources can include cornmeal, polenta, millet, oatmeal, and bulger. These grains have other nutritional benefits aside from the carbohydrate component. For example, millet has iron, and oats and bulger have some protein. Whole wheat bread can be used, but it will be too expensive for larger dogs. Other grains that can be used include buckwheat, cous cous, quinoa, spelt, and amaranth.

* Legumes

Dogs can be fed legumes such as lentils, split peas, and the longer cooking legumes that need overnight soaking. If you use legumes you need to soak (the packet will tell you), make sure you change the water at least once and wash them thoroughly before cooking - this will reduce gas in your dogs once they eat them.

* Vegetables

Vegetables are great sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for dogs. Whilst not an exclusive part of their diet, they are great mixed in with other ingredients in a natural dog food diet.

Dogs can eat these vegetables raw: parsley that's been chopped, alfalfa sprouts, carrots grated finely, zucchini and soft squash that's grated finely, lettuce and other salad greens, bell peppers, fresh corn, fresh beets that are grated finely.

These vegetables need to be cooked to be given to dogs: peas, corn, green beans, broccoli, potatoes, winter squash, any hard vegetable.

There are other nutrients that will need to be added to your dog's food to make sure they get the vitamins and minerals they need, as well as good quality fats. The above only supplies the macro nutrients. Dr Pitcairn's Complete Guide To Natural Health For Dogs And Cats is an excellent source of recipes for the vitamin mixture, as well as daily recipes to feed your dog a natural dog diet.

References:
1. http://www.belfield.com/article11.html
2. Dr Pitcairn, Natural Health For Dogs and Cats