The evolution of dog food at our house has been going on for over forty years according to Mom. It started with the first family dog, Alfred, back in the seventies, and continues to this day. We are not dieticians for dogs, or food experts, and we are not being compensated by anyone for this post. We simply want to share what is in our dog bowls now, and how we got to this point. If we can help someone understand how to better feed their own dog it would make us all happy.
There is no right or wrong food for a dog. Food is something the pet parent needs to select for their own dog. There are a lot of factors that will come into play such as price, convenience, shelf life, travel, food allergies, just to name a few. Honestly, Mom says dog food is a real jungle, and knowing how to find the best fit in food for us has been a very tough process. There are many biased opinions from big companies, veterinarians, and others being paid to promote certain brands. The longer Mom has had dogs, the more she has learned about us, and how what we eat makes a difference in our lives.
Where Have We Been In Our Dog Food Evolution?
Let’s go back to the first dog, Alfred. First of all, the guy had a crazy name for a Siberian Husky, and he was totally the wrong dog for a family who knew nothing about dogs, but he was loved. Alfred was a finicky eater, and the food of choice, which everyone found to be perfect, was Gaines Burgers. Anyone remember this food? The food consisted of individually wrapped patties of soft-moist dog food which looked like raw hamburgers that could be stored indefinitely at room temperature. Just reading this makes Mom cringe, but no one knew any better. It looked like real meat, and it had lots of coloring to make it appealing to the human eye.
In defense of the family’s choice of food, remember it wasn’t long before Gaines Burgers came out in the sixties that dog food barely existed. Dogs just ate scraps the humans happened to give them, or they would eat things they found outside. Everything, even dog food, has to start somewhere.
It was quite a while until the dog food dilemma came up again for Mom. She adopted Trine in 1994 from the Humane Society. They told her the dog would eat Eukanabua. At the time, that was a premium food, but Mom bought it for the hundred pound lab/newfie mix. Trine was Mom’s first dog, and looking back she can’t believe how clueless she was about everything! Food wasn’t really questioned, but the evolution of dog food did happen later in Trina’s life. Living in Germany, it was easier to get Hills dog food. Mom switched to Hills and it was what Trine ate.
Katie came along and Hills was the choice for her as well. The veterinarian suggested a certain formula for her, and she ate Hills for many years. Emma also came along, and was a Hills puppy and hound. It wasn’t until they moved to the USA that their food started to change.
Mom began to hear things she didn’t like so much about Hills, so under the advice of breeders, she switched to Purina Pro Plan. This switch lasted a little less than a year. She was never a fan of Purina, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. Emma started the blog, Mom went to BlogPaws, and Mom began to think more about dog food. Merrick was what Mom decided would be the best food for Katie and Emma. They loved it, and it seemed to be good for them. They also rotated in some Natural Balance food for more protein options. When grain free came out, that was also added to their food rotation.
A year ago we found Halo. This was the first time Mom had ever had anyone really explain dog food, and labels to her. It wasn’t a selling job, just pure facts. Raw would be the ultimate diet, but Mom isn’t ready for that, and she wanted to stick with kibble, so we switched to Halo. The difference in all of us was immediate. Aside from naturally raised proteins, organic fruits and vegetables, there is no meat meal in Halo.
Look at your kibble bag, and I bet there is meat meal as one of the first ingredients. This is not something anyone should be eating. Even most of the very expensive, highly regarded dog foods have meat meal. We didn’t believe this to be true, so we went to the store and checked labels. Sure enough, it is true!
Where Are Now With Our Food?
Halo was good to us, and we were happy, but Mom was starting to feel kibble was not what we should be eating. We tried several dog meal services, but we didn’t like getting shipments bi-weekly, storing the frozen meals, all the packaging waste, and it is expensive. Being bloggers, we are fortunate to get lots of different foods to test out. One day the light went on, and Mom decided to switch us to Dr. Harvey’s. Emma, Bailie, and Mom met with their team in Las Vegas back in 2014 at BlogPaws, but they were not ready for a switch at the time. Since then, friends like Bentley and Pierre swear by their food!
Mom actually called Dr. Harvey’s to ask a lot of questions before ordering the food. It is not cheap, and it means Mom would also need to buy proteins, and oil to add to our meals. How would we eat when we travel, so may questions!
In mid-February, we made the switch. Let me tell you, that after two months, it has been the best decision yet! We use their Canine Health as we don’t need grain free, and when we travel we use their Oracle where all you have to do is add hot water and wait. Bailie and I are loving the food, our teeth look shinier, Bailie has not had one anal gland issue since the switch, and she used to have them every couple weeks.
Mom feels good that we are getting real food. She has a system down now to freeze proteins so we have plenty on hand. We switch proteins every week or so for variety, like chicken, turkey, beef, eggs and pork. The good thing is, you can add whatever protein you would like. Mom will not have fish in her kitchen, so we use salmon oil for the oil in our food. There is not much waste since we use storage containers, and she can make up three days worth of meals in advance. We could also make more meals and freeze them, but we don’t see a need for that.
One day we may change to raw, but Mom can’t imagine that happening. Right now in our evolution of dog food we are super happy with Dr. Harvey’s. We also have almost exclusively natural treats, nothing full of meat meal, coloring or preservatives. Over the years Mom has been getting better and better food for us, and it is a good thing. In the long run, we will be healthier which will also save us on vet bills! What’s in your dog’s bowl? How do you decide what the best food is for your own pup?
That was quite the food journey and it sure sounds like y’all picked a winner, a darn good winner!
We are really loving this food. It’s more work for mom, but she doesn’t mind.
it can be a long way to the perfect food and we are glad you found it! we mostly eat meat but the mama has to cook it, because we can sure eat a whole trashcan but get sick from raw meat… and we have to admit that to prepare our food need more time than the food of the mama LOL
It is a lot of work, but Mom says it is well worth it. For one small dog, it would be simple. We could put raw meat on our food too, but Mom feels better if it is cooked.
So don’t laugh but I have venison shipped from Texas as it is the only thing she can eat. Bad allergies. They are now making more dog food with venison so I mix it up a bit so she gets her veggies etc.
I bet you could put the venison with the Canine Health and she would have all she needs.
Quite an interesting read. My mom’s first dog, Buddy, got fed Skippy canned dog food. I wonder if it is still made? Through the 60 (YIKES) she has had fur babies she has basically used dry foods. I came along and I was so picky, and I said “NO” to many foods. I currently eat a Purina dry food which I like. I adore and love my Turkey Toppers or Natural Balance White Fish added to my dry foods. XOXO, Sparkle
I’m also very picky, and sometimes I even pick around at my new meals with real meat and stuff, but Mom says it is just that way it is with me. As long as you and your mom feel good about your food choice that is the important thing. My mom was never feeling 100% sure about our food, but for now she says she is at 100%
It is a dilemma isn’t it. I feed strictly Honest Kitchen to Roxy, she has tried others and this is by far the best for her. Torrey gets that, and a high quality kibble. She seems to do good on any food.
Honest Kitchen is a good food. We have never had food issues, but Mom feels we could always eat better and healthier. Bailie’s anal gland issues were getting worse with time and not better which is why she finally made the jump to something really new and different and it seems to be working.
We did the same kind of thing with our precious Little Bit. Our vet helped a lot too. It’s so important to give them the food that is right for them.
Have a woof woof day. My best to your smart mom. ♥
Even vets give different opinions and they sell certain brands of foods too. Mom watches what other bloggers are eating and testing, plus having met with several brands, it has helped her figure out where we want to be right now with our food.
You foodables look soooooooo yummy! Mom switches my kibble from time to time. I’m on Canidae now and it was Earthborn Holistic before that. She researches everything very carefully with the Dog Food Advisor before she will try anything new on me. Foodables are a very important decision for us pups!
Once Mom realized meat meal is in almost all kibble, she started wanting to avoid kibble, but we didn’t know what to try out. Now we are happy with Dr Harveys. As long as the food works for you and your mom, it is perfect.
Thank you for the shout out! We trust Dr. Harvey’s 100% and the Oracle makes traveling a breeze. I’m so glad that you girls are enjoying Canine Health. It’s one of our faves. Don’t forget to use my discount code.
We’ve watched you guys over the years, but until now Mom wasn’t ready to start cooking for us. The first few weeks were rough for her, but slowly we are getting our systems down and it is much easier now. We love this food, and the Oracle is mighty tasty, but we only use it when we need it as it is quite pricey.
the hunt for food!
Bailie is always on the hunt for food, I’m not as interested in eating, which makes my mom nuts.
Love your candor in this post and your journey was quite interesting!! I agree everyone has to do what is right for them. Dakota has been eating Nutrish since 2008 (before he was a brand ambassador for them and 2 years after he was a brand ambassador for them)………Nutrish has served him well, we tried changing once last summer and that was a fiasco……..Dakota went right back to Nutrish. Our motto is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Everyone has to do what works for them. Mom has been on the quest to find the best food for us in the moment. We change foods without issues, so switching now and then has never been a problem. We have never had Nutrish food, but the treats are mighty tasty, and healthy too.
We’ve updated what our cats eat, and like you, at this time, we aren’t quite ready to switch. Besides Mikey, who gets upset and piddles on things when he’s upset, likes the food and hasn’t piddled in a long time. That’s a good thing.
Cat piddle is a real problem since that odor is hard to get out of things. Glad Mikey is happy at the moment, and it might just be the food he needs to stick with.
I love this post! Very interesting and informative! My girls have been through numerous food changes over the years, too. When Callie, Shadow and Ducky developed IBS from (my mistake of) switching their food too often and too quickly, I had to put them all on Hills’ Prescription i/d to settle their GI tracts down. And they all did well on it. Then last summer, Hills started worrying more about the almighty dollar than quality control. So, I switched Shadow & Ducky to the fresh food. They both thrived on it but it got way too expensive. And dehydrated food just did not appeal to me after a few meals. I’m now cooking Ducky’s meals for her “full-time”. Of course, we don’t travel so we don’t have to worry about convenience like your Mom does. I just make the food in the InstantPot. Each batch usually lasts about 3 full days.
Mom says the cooking part takes a lot of time, and it is expensive, but if it keeps us super healthy it is worth it. Hills has changed and we would not be fed that anymore. Halo is good, but Mom wanted to end kibble, so we are now living large at mealtime and loving it!