seeking a little guidance on choices for feeding dogs

[tanyalynn]

I think it's time to consider dog food other than dry kibble (Natural Balance for about 5 years) for our two dogs, both 50-pound lab mixes. They are 10 yo and 13 yo.

I'm feeling a bit lost in my choices.

There are grain-free choices out there, ready-to-feed (I'm thinking of the sealed tubes, not sure if there's other stuff as well).

I could make my own. What is the difference between BARF and prey-model, and are there other types of homemade? BARF is raw, right? Is cooked food, just cooked?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

What is the difference between BARF and prey-model, and are there other types of homemade? BARF is raw, right? Is cooked food, just cooked?

Yup, cooked food is just cooked. I think it's harder to do well than a raw diet because you need to supplement, mainly for calcium since you can't feed cooked bones. Most people who do home-cooked feed grains or carbs as well, so if you're trying to stay away from those it may not work the best.

BARF typically involves more ground food, a higher proportion of bone, and also uses veggies/fruit and supplements. Also, typically the items fed are smaller (like wings and necks) and feeding bone and meat separately. I've also found that some of these diets are very limited in the types of meats they include (many focus on chicken for example).

The prey-model diet has an emphasis on whole bone-in meats (to encourage tooth cleaning and jaw exercise), only about 10-15% bone, no vegetables since dogs can't digest them naturally. Supplements are typically limited to fish oil, plus anything needed for the particular dog's health issues of course. Variety of meats is important so you'd want to feed 3-4 types of meat on a regular basis barring any allergy limitations. This diet emphasizes the concept of "variety over time".

That's the condensed summary.

[tanyalynn]

Thank you, that helps! I feel a bit out of my depth here, so I do appreciate the intro to the lay of the land.