If money's no object....

[JKramer]

If money's no object and your pet has no health issues, what would you feed your dog and why? Would you feed raw or commercial food?

[TheAbominableWoman]

Raw.

I've been feeding raw for nearly 10 years and have worked out that it costs roughly the same as feeding a premium commercial food.

I don't feed commercial foods because the majority contain ingredients that dogs don't need and are predominantly rice/grains. I'm out of touch with the commercial pet food market now but before we switched to raw, I recall paying about £45 for 15kg of dry food which is bloody expensive for something that contained around 50% grain.

[ceres]

I would feed what we use now - nature's harvest. it is quite expensive but imo worth every penny.

[ender]

I don't think its about money. More about practicalities and convenience, also some people hate the thought of handling raw meat. I've got 2 large dogs and they're fed on meaty bones and large chunks of meat, the odd whole rabbit or pigeon when available. If I didn't have room for a second freezer, and space in the garden for them to eat, I'd probably feed kibble.
Wouldn't consider the commercial raw mince/veg mixes, seem pointless as no chewing/gnawing involved.

[Butterflylovers]

If money's no object I'd probably source the freshest meat, offal and meaty bones possible and make my own food for the dogs every day.
That way you know exactly what you're feeding them.
I am currently using ready made raw complete food and feed them poultry necks/wings and carcasses. Also they get meat from the reduced section from the supermarket and fresh kill after it has been frozen and defrosted.
I stopped feeding them kibbles when they were about 5 months old and have not regretted the change.

You read reports of what goes in to a lot of commercial dog food, and it makes you think why are these companies using ingredients that are not readily digestable and offer little nutritional value (soy/corn/wheat and others). And the labelling is misleading too..... eg real meat/meat derivatives/ bone meal/meat flavoured (some of which may contain euthanized/diseased animals and rejected animals, who knows what meat goes into a rendering plant) and some products which are being marketed as having high protein content may have less meat and high soy content. Have a look at the used by date on your pack of kibbles, chances that it may not expire for a couple of years due to the use of preservatives. A lot of allergies/illness in dogs are caused by poor diet. I could go on.

So to answer OP, fresh natural food would be what I'd feed them.

[WeAllHaveWings]

Assuming money no object doesn't include a bigger house with room for a huge freezer and outside space where it doesn't rain for months
of the year, then I'd still feed kibble with occasional bones/raw meat as treats.

There are many good quality kibbles available nowadays which don't have any nasties in them.

With a good quality kibble you won't need to take care of any bacterial or nutritional balance issues you could have with raw. It's just much more convenient and easier.

[CEvert]

Feeding raw just requires a little more organisation.
Buying, freezing and defrosting.
If it's healthier for the dogs then it's worth the extra effort.

[tabulahrasa]

Well it's not money that stops me feeding raw...my dog will only eat certain things and not enough variety to provide a balanced diet.

So he's on a grain free dry food with bones and chicken carcasses as chews.

[CEvert]

Mine two sometimes turn their noses on the food I give them.
The longest stand off has been two days before they craved in.
I just have to vary the meals and ensure its balanced.
Dogs do not starve themselves when there are food in the bowl.
And when they dont eat, I treat that as a fast day that gives their stomach/liver a rest.

[tabulahrasa]

We got to four days without him having eaten anything and that was also four days without his medication, so I gave up after a month of trying.

To be fair, there are plenty of commercial foods he won't eat either, so the issue isn't raw feeding, it's my dog, lol. We haven't tested him because he's ok in the food he's on, but the vet is pretty sure he has a load of food intolerances and add in three different medications and it just got too complicated.

[LtEveDallas]

I use Arden Grange with whatever raw meat we are having. Mutt enjoys a good bone, but also loves mince and raw chicken. She doesn't have pork raw but will happily scoff cooked sausages.

Arden Grange can be pricey but I buy in bulk whenever PetPlanet have a deal on and then store it in the garage. It was one of the top foods from that watchdog programme (I think it was watchdog, can't remember now) and I was very pleased.

[LtEveDallas]

Ahh, wasn't watchdog. Was 'The truth about your dogs food' on channel 5

[JKramer]

Is it kibbles you're mixing it with? It's advised not to mix kibbles with raw as they are digested at very different rates.

[LtEveDallas]

I don't mix it JK, she has the raw at the same time we have our dinner, then about an hour later I put dry in her bowl that she then grazes on overnight/day. It seems to suit her that way.