A good alternative to raw?
After feeding my previous dog, a lab, on what I thought to be high end foods (JWB, Eukaneuba, Burns) I decided to do some more research before getting my GSP puppy. I read so much that my head was spinning - enough to convince me that many of these 'complete' foods are actually far from complete, low on nutrition and high on marketing hype.
The conclusion was that I was determined to feed my dog a raw meaty bones diet. However, I was a bit worried about making sure my growing puppy had all the vitamins etc needed to support his growth. I also knew that I wouldn't have the dedication to trawl round butchers or chicken processing plants in search of the best value and variety of bones. And I didn't really want to worry about the logistics of an RMB diet when travelling, camping or using kennels.
I came across MM and it seemed to be a happy medium - less processed and easily digestible - and have fed a combination of MM and RMB (separate meals, not together) to my GSP since the day I brought him home. He has MM for breakfast and a couple of chicken legs or some pork ribs for tea. I also throw in the odd meal of tinned sardines with rice, porridge with crushed veggies, raw eggs, cottage cheese and some organ meats. I use MM as training treats and my dog loves it.
I'm sure many will disagree with this combined approach, and one day I may go completely raw, but my puppy is now 6 and a half months old and a truly beautiful boy. He is lithe, glossy-coated (no scratching or odour), biddable and full of energy (although that is probably just a GSP thing!)I personally feel better about feeding my dog some variety but I reckon MM is about the best dried food at a price that won't make you bankrupt. My dog went into kennels for a week recently and was fed solely on MM. It was convenient and I still felt I was feeding him well.
One thing I would dispute is the claims that the bigger pieces provide your dog with more chewing activity. Maybe so for smaller dogs but I don't hear much chewing going on when Buzz has his breakfast! That's where I like to think the bones come into their own. However, when it comes to dried food, I won't be using anything other than MM.