10 Most Frequently Asked Dog Questions

I get dog questions from worried dog owners every day. It's always my mission to help you. If you have questions about feeding dogs, natural canine nutrition requirements or a question about a dog health problem, read through my list of most frequently asked questions.

Farm pups. Photo by Brooke Oland

Dog Nutrition Naturally website has been in existence for many years. During that time, many hundreds of people have contacted me for help with their dog questions. Often people don't know where to turn or what to do next.

• Have you spent lots of time and money at the vet?
• Does your dog still have chronic ongoing health problems?
• Do you feel like you're out of options?

Helping people just like you, is what I do. I'm not a vet. My knowledge comes from life long learning and education, together with my own experience. I have walked in your shoes. You can find out more about me here.

There are no silly questions! The dog questions you will find on this page have been asked by dog owners again, and again. That's why I chose to compile some of the most frequently asked dog questions here, so you can benefit from the questions asked by others.

At the bottom of this page you can also ask your own dog question using the form provided. Let's get started.

Top 10 Most Frequently Asked
Dog Questions
FADQ's

1. My vet wants me to buy the dog food he sells at his vet clinic. Is this dog food better than a raw food diet or homemade dog food I can prepare myself? It is true that some prescription dog foods from the vet are meant to correct or manage a specific dog health problem such as urinary tract issues, or dogs that have chronic kidney ( renal ) problems. However, it's my position that these commercially produced prescription dog diets are made from less that optimal ingredients and most dogs, like people, will thrive better over time, on a fresh food diet whether it's a raw diet or homemade cooked dog food. Fresh is best for everyone, including your dog!
2. Does cooking food for my dog kill all the nutrients in it? Of course not! Most people eat cooked food. You eat cooked food don't you? However, humans are the ONLY species that do cook food. No other creature on earth, cooks food. That said, when food is cooked with moderate to low heat, and for relatively short periods of time, most nutrients are preserved fairly well and some nutrients even become more bio available. So if you're cooking for your dog, lightly cook it, and not for very long. It should be fine. It's a good idea to supplement with a digestive enzyme product and some nutritional herbs. You can add freshly chopped herbs at the end of cooking or add herbs in capsule form. This is a good way to ensure your dog's food is nutritionally complete and to make up for what might have been lost during cooking.
3. I recently changed my dog's diet from kibble to homemade cooked. I notice now, that my dog's poop has mucus in it and he's drinking a lot more water. Is something wrong? These are cleansing symptoms. Typically a change in diet from commercially prepared dog food to a healthier fresh food diet, will start a slight detox action within your dog's body. This is nothing to be concerned about and should disappear in a few weeks. Any upgrade in quality of food will cause a slight cleansing to begin. Mucus and water are the body's way of moving toxins out of the body. Think about it? For example, urine contains waste products in water. Right? Or, when you have a cold, your nose runs with watery mucus. Right? Dogs are no different! Mucus and water remove unwanted bad stuff out of the body.
   
4. Making my dog's food at home just takes too much time. Can I feed her commercial kibble sometimes and homemade dog food the rest of the time? I understand your dilemma. Yes, you can feed kibble some days and homemade dog food on other days. Often people who feed fresh home made dog food part time, come to see the health improvements from providing fresh food, if only on at part time basis. They like the health results, so then decide to put in a little bit of extra effort to provide a fresh homemade dog diet all the time. The results are worth it!
5. I like what you say about how to look after my dog naturally using fresh food and supplements, but it all sounds like such a lot of work and I don't have the knowledge you do. I don't want to hurt my dog. How can I make sure I don't make mistakes? Well, that's why you're here. To learn! It doesn't matter what you want to learn, you have to start somewhere, right? So the point is to just... START. Start with what you know NOW. You will learn as you go along. Don't worry about what you don't know. Just use what you do know! There aren't really any mistakes you can make that are terribly bad. If you have questions you can always ask me. The biggest mistake you can make is letting fear stop you from helping your dog. So just get started with something simple, like sharing your probiotics with your dog, and adding a bit of fresh food to your dog's diet every day...a raw egg, or a bit of chopped parsley, or some chicken giblets which make excellent dog treats, by the way!
6. I want to make my dog's food at home, but how do I know if the food I prepare for my dog is properly balanced? That's a really good dog question, but let me ask you a better question. Is the food YOU eat on a daily basis properly balanced every day? Very likely... NOT. Seriously, here's the answer to your dog question. Aim for balance over time. This is where rotating protein sources and other foods, becomes really important. A variety of foods is the main key to preventing nutrient deficiencies and providing balance. The more fresh food sources ( different meats, organ meats, bones, some high quality herbs or leafy green vegetables, a little bit of fish, eggs ) you can provide, the better balanced your dog's diet will be over time. That goes for you too!
7. Everything I read on online says that a raw food diet is the best for dogs. I see that you promote raw feeding too, but my dog has been been diagnosed with an irritable bowel has a lot of diarrhea and can't tolerate a raw diet. Why not? Help? It's true that I promote raw feeding for dogs, but that doesn't mean that a raw diet is right for every dog. Each dog is a unique individual with specific canine nutrition requirements for their particular set of circumstances. If your dog has an irritable bowel, digestion will be compromised, and so it makes sense that she may not be able to process raw foods efficiently. Often, a carefully prepared and slightly cooked diet works better for dogs with an inflamed bowel. Home prepared bone broth is highly nutritious and easily utilized when a dog has an inflamed digestive system that needs healing. Also, your dog would benefit from a regular rest from food ( fasting ) which is an excellent way to give the bowel time to heal. Your aim should be to heal the bowel first, and then try raw feeding again later when the bowel is functioning better. Don't give up!
8. Where do I find all these raw foods you recommend? Mostly you can find everything you need at your local grocery store. You might have to shop around a bit for the best prices, but the choices I recommend such as chicken backs and wings, chicken giblets, beef, long beef ribs, beef liver, heart and kidneys, pork and pork liver, turkey, lamb, sardines, eggs and fresh herbs are widely available. I try to give people common sense ideas and suggestions for this dog question, that are easy to source and prepare. Next time you go shopping, keep your eyes open. You'll be amazed at what you can find at the grocery store.
9. I don't think I can afford to feed my dog a raw food diet. He's been sick a lot and I've spent so much money at the vet. I want to help my dog but money doesn't grow on trees. What can I do to make it cheaper to feed my dog a better diet? Why should your dog be forced to get the short end of the stick? Rather than ask me how to make it cheaper to feed your dog, I think it would be more useful to try and understand why your dog is so sick that you need to spend your money at the vet in the first place. Think of the money you could save! So I think you've put the cart before the horse, so to speak. When people ask me this dog question I tell them...you can spend your money on the front end, or the back end. Meaning that you can spend a bit more money on high quality food first, and save your money on vet bills, or you can feed your dog poorly now and spend your money at the vet later because your dog's health will fail eventually. Your choice!
10. I'm feeding my dog a good frozen raw food commercially blended diet. He seems to be doing fine on it. Why would I need to supplement? Are supplements really necessary? No they're not, but I think it's wise to consider the benefits of supplementation anyway. Think about this. It's widely known that food today is not as nutritious as it was years ago. Soils are depleted of nutrients, and so, the food animals that graze from these lands are likewise depleted whether those lands be certified organic, or not. Supplementing can help to replace missing nutrients. You say that you're feeding your dog a frozen commercial blended raw food, but you don't mention what's in the blend or whether or not, you're feeding your dog anything else at all, expect the raw blend. So I would have to conclude from your dog question, that your dog is getting only the raw blended food every day. That's boring, and there are certainly more fresh foods you could consider that would provide more nutrients. Supplements, and especially herbs provide a wide range of missing nutrients that would be helpful here, if you don't want to feed anything other than your raw blend. Also, we all live in a toxic world. At the very least, some supplementing to help your dog's liver stay healthy would be at the top of my priority list!

Ask Your Own Dog Questions Right Here

1. Simply use the convenient form below. Tell me as much as you can about your dog's health history and current health challenge. I'll give you my best answer.
   
2. If your dog questions require more in depth response from me, I'll let you know how we can have a deeper one on one conversation about your dog's health problems.

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Got questions about bone broth for dogs?

Click the bone broth image

Three Easy
Fresh Food Add-Ons

• Eggs
• Sardines
• Parsley