Variety vs same ole

Many canine guardians are told to feed one and only one dog food (kibble) by the veterinarian. Coming from a professional it seems the thing to do right? I am happy to say that we've come a long way baby; things are changing and in a great way. Canine nutrition is very controversial; from the die hard Purina or Iams feeders to the completely raw feeders and everything in between. No matter what you feed your dog; variety is a very important factor in getting the best nutrition that you can. Variety also makes life a whole lot more simple and less diarrhea filled. ;)

In the old days; my old days, we fed kibble. After asking my vet at the young age of eighteen if there was a difference between the expensive stuff and the generic food I received the answer of "they're all the same," I fed of course generic food. Okay I was young and didn't question like I do now. So my dogs ate their dog food; and enjoyed it, although now looking back, if that's all you get then you better eat it right? My dogs today eat nothing like my dogs of the past did; and I am happy about that. Life is an evolution; a never ending supply of education. What you do with that education is entirely up to you; I tend to keep it in the brain for a while, mull it around and toss what I feel useless material. Keeping the good stuff and implementing it into my life with varying degrees.

I feed my dogs a huge variety of food; they get tidbits throughout the day as I see fit and I let them try new things everyday. Tilley just tried fire roasted red peppers last night. She did as I thought she would and turn her lips up at it at first; it's a weird texture, but after I told her that it was indeed to eat she gave it a go and wanted more. I was making lentils with the peppers so let her try it; they were regular peppers, not the hot type. Last night my guys actually had a kibble night; it is rare but I make sure they get kibble at least once a month. This is so that if I ever had to dash off somewhere leaving my dogs care to someone else; they could eat kibble in my absence. The one kibble I use is Orijen; I feed all the different flavors to them as well. This is for emergency sake; not everyone is cool with making dog food or feeding raw, so it is a realistic scenario I am prepared for.
If I go away on a planned trip; all food is prepared ahead of time and put into proper portions.

Taking the leap from dog food (kibble) to real food can be very scary; I completely get this. That big bag of dog food is safe; someone said it was the best thing to feed your dog right? You feel good knowing that complete nutrition is in the bag; but is it? Not all foods are made alike; that includes dog food. So if you are a kibble feeder do your research and make sure that it is the best food you can buy.
And don't be afraid to mix it up; feed several different foods to your dog. Start of course by adding a little bit to your dog existing food until you have switched completely. Then start again with another blend; you will soon discover that you can switch things up more quickly when your dog becomes accustom to eating different foods.

In the wild; wolves do not eat the same meal everyday and neither do my dogs. This morning they will eat chicken, ground egg shells and veggies; then tonight they may have some raw beef, cranberries, arugula and bonemeal. Tomorrow maybe some nice salmon for breakfast probiotics, apple and carrots and then eggs for dinner, different all the time. They get cheese and toast in the morning as a snack before going on their big walk and I keep organic chicken and rice strips in my pack for along the way. Another food I like to keep on hand is freeze dried Stella and Chewys; I love these little weird pucks of food. When I'm in a pinch for time it is a great substitute meal. I use them as treats all the time and to sneak some extra calories into my ever so fussy Mr. Luke.

The fact is that the fresher the food; the more nutrition. I buy very little prepared foods for my family and that includes my dogs.