One hundred years ago, no one wondered what to feed their dog. In those days, dogs most often lived outside and were fed table scraps and bones. Modern dog owners have many choices and a lot of pressure to do the right thing.
Frozen
Frozen raw dog food may be the ideal food for your canine, but it is definitely not the easiest. Alternately, some dog owners stock up on raw meat at their supermarket and freeze it themselves. Apparently, organ meat is ideal for your dog, but not for you, if you're the squeamish type. Some owners cook the meat at their dog's mealtime while others just let it thaw and feed it raw. Either way, that is going to be a lot of meat to store, especially if you have a large dog or several that you need to feed each day. Apartment dwellers and those with small kitchens will probably not be able to accomplish this. The ideal arrangement for all that meat would be a commercial glass door refrigerator freezer combo.
Fresh
A tamer alternative to raw organ meat is fresh meals. These consist of meat and vegetables like peas and carrots that are mixed together, cooked and sealed into plastic containers. These containers can be frozen or stored in the refrigerator. Dog owners can make meals like this themselves if they are dedicated and organized but more often, they choose these packets delivered from a company. Mealtimes are easy since basically, the containers just need to be opened and the contents placed in the dog's bowl. However, once the preparation element is added in, dog food starts to become expensive. You will definitely pay for the convenience and healthy ingredients.
Freeze-Dried
Freeze-dried food is a great concept. It can be stored anywhere and will stay fresh for a long time.
Freeze-drying also preserves vitamins and minerals. The food could consist of one component like chicken or be a whole balanced meal. It can even be fed as is if accompanied by a large bowl of water. Alternately, it could have warm water added to it before serving. Either way, it's an easy and healthy meal. The disadvantage is that this type of food can be expensive too.
Vegan
Here is a modern problem that no one agonized over until recently. There are many more vegans now than ever before. Vegans will not eat or use anything that comes from animals. In other words, they will definitely not eat meat or wear leather. They will not even use butter on their toast. It is a very strict way of life. What happens when a vegan owns a dog? Those vegans who are morally opposed to killing animals will very often not allow any animal products in their homes. These dog owners started by making their own dog food out of ingredients like barley and spinach. Now, however, many commercial dog brands are producing meat-free options. Some argue, however, that depriving a dog of its natural carnivore diet is both abusive and unhealthy.
Canned vs. Kibble
Canned dog food is economical and easily stored but it is usually smelly. Once opened, half-full cans need to be covered and stored in the refrigerator. While most dogs love canned food, eating only canned formulas can cause a dog's teeth to decay. Good old-fashioned bags of kibble remain the most economical way to feed a dog. In the past, kibble might contain anything from mostly grains to mostly chemicals. In fact, dog food with ingredients from other countries often contained toxic or even deadly ingredients. This started the trend for packaged dry dog food to state "Made in the USA" Kibble has come a long way recently. The ingredients are much healthier and there are many formulas specific to such needs as tooth health and weight loss.
Decide what food will work best for you and your pet and know that you're doing the very best as an informed dog owner.
