Diet - A Few Definitions

Note: Please check with your vet if you have any special feed needs or dietary requirements. When transitioning to different food some dogs may require this to be done over a period of time so that they don't get an 'upset' stomach.

Home Cooking – Refers to making dog food rather than using a commercial diet.  Ingredients may be raw or cooked.  Generally includes meat, eggs, grain, vegetables and possibly dairy and/or supplements.      

Raw – A diet which generally includes meat, eggs, grain, vegetables and possibly dairy and/or supplements.  Many raw diets do not include bone, but the term could also refer to a Barf diet.  A raw diet which does not include bones is supplemented with calcium in the form of bone meal or ground egg shell.  Volhard’s diet is a complex recipe that uses these raw ingredients while Pat McKay’s diet is much more flexible.

BARF – A diet based on raw meaty bones (rmbs) and vegetables.  May include eggs, grains, fruit, dairy and/or supplements.  Billinghurst’s diet is the most commonly used and the one most people think of when they hear the term Barf. Kymythy Schultze’s “Ultimate Diet” is similar but has no grain or dairy.  Dr. Tom Lonsdale’s "raw meaty bones" diet is basically just that with a small amount of extras, which may even be table scraps.

Our advice – There are as many opinions as there are people. There's one thing we strongly believe in, that's variety! As such we are not strong proponents of any diet mentioned. As dog owners we’re all responsible to research and decide on the type of diet that is best for our dogs and situation. Test, trial, see what works best for your dogs and enjoy the learning journey.

Why Provide an Alternative to Commercial Dog Food?

Commercial dry dog food (referred to as "kibble") is a relatively recent development, coming into common use in the '50s and '60s, and certainly the easiest way to feed a dog.

Most dog foods are based on grain which is argued to be inappropriate for canines. Grains, especially corn, rice and wheat are used because they are far less expensive than meat.

Dog food ingredients are generally by-products or sub-standard items from the human food industry. Dog food is highly processed and cooked at extremely high temperatures. Vitamins and enzymes are destroyed by the heat, and preservatives are used to increase shelf life.

Dog food is big business and most of the dog food companies are owned by major players like Mars, Nestle, and Proctor & Gamble. Profit is the primary goal of course, and marketing is intensive.

There are many who feel that commercial dog food is often responsible for the health problems that commonly affect dogs. Others wonder why we emphasize a variety of fresh whole food for humans, but feed "dead" food from a bag to our best friends.

Benefits (to animal)

The following is a short summary of benefits reported by most supporters of Natural/Raw/BARF diets:

  • cleaner teeth and ears;
  • decrease in ‘flea’ issues;
  • decrease in anal gland problems;
  • increase in muscle, not fat;
  • softer, shinier coats and less of ‘the’ doggy odor;
  • increased energy levels;
  • fewer skin allergies

DogFoodz Canberra

What we aim to do at DogFoodz Canberra is counter all the pain points that lead us down the path of Commercial Dog Foods and give you easy access to most ‘ingredients’ you will need to feed your dog the appropriate diet you decide upon:

Health: No more additives, preservatives, artificial colourings etc. All Natural!

Cost: Cheaper to feed with us than most premium Commercial Foods (checked the price of a bag of Royal Canin lately?).  

Convenience: Commercial Food feeding is so common because it’s easy. How about our convenient packaging and home delivery service for a time saving measure!