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I second the comment about the field labs! I love them, but they need to be well...in the field!! LadyLorraine Send a noteboard - 08/07/2012 07:31:08 AM
Also, as a first time dog owner, I strongly recommend not trying a raw diet. It can work well if you know what you are doing, but it's also shockingly easy to make a dog very ill if you fuck it up. I agree with temeraire regarding the quality of very cheap dog foods (which are more filler than anything), but there are many veterinarian recommended products that are very balanced and safe for almost any dog. It's also really easy for natural/raw/"organic" companies to lead you astray with their advertising. Many foods are truly supplements and formulated as such. Others are not formulated at all to a dog's nutritional needs and will lead to obesity and nutritional deficits.

There are good natural/raw dog foods out there, but at your level of knowledge and experience, it can be difficult to differentiate them. If it interests you, temeraire and her resources may be a good place to start and I can probably answer some questions for you as well. I was active in our Holistic Veterinary Medicine club and we had a lot of discussion about raw diets from a few speakers we had, as well as our usual nutrition education in veterinary school.

Like I noted below, two very good "Default" brands to buy from are Purina and Hill's. I would also add Royal Canin to that. Buying any of their adult maintenance dog food should be perfect for a healthy adult dog.
Still Empress of the Poofy Purple Pillow Pile Palace!!
Continued Love of my Aussie <3
This message last edited by LadyLorraine on 08/07/2012 at 07:33:33 AM
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I second the comment about the field labs! I love them, but they need to be well...in the field!! - 08/07/2012 07:31:08 AM 1149 Views
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