Maybe I will not get anything stirred up, but I need to talk about something that is on my mind.
When if comes to dog food, how is this necessarily true? I feed a pretty good food with no corn, wheat, soy, bi-products etc. And the reason why I do that is because... basically "the dog food website everyone keeps linking everyone too" (dont guess I should name names???) say its best. I have been to a website that picks out the bad ingredients in dog food and tells you what it really is. But I am not understanding why its so bad.
For example
Didnt dogs develop on our left overs. Our ansisters fed the early dogs basically things that they wouldnt eat. And they developed to live off of that for thousands of years. And now, today we feed things like free range bison and blue berries! I just wonder what is actually more "natural" for a dog to be eating.
Also, I know that vets endorse things like like Science Diet, mainly because they sell it and it helps them make money. BUT science diets have vets who formulate the dog food. Does Wellness, or Innova? I cannot help but wonder if this natural dog food thing is a crazy or not. And what really is better.... Purina Pro Plan, or Taste of the Wild!?
I personally no longer care what "the dog food site everyone keeps linking me to" says. I have been looking long and hard and trying to do my research, and from what I am gathering its basically some guys opinion. He doesnt make dog food, hasnt went to school for it, it is just basically someone who picks out the yucky sounding ingredients and tells you what he has found that they are... which may be true, or may not. From what I gather he is no expert or a vet. (not that vets know squat about food)
Opinions are like butt holes!
But I honestly dont see me feeding my dogs animal digest, animal fat, meat and bone meal.... EWWW
My sheltie has always been on natural food (taste of the wild, and diamond naturals), but has skin allergies, excessive shedding, and chronic colitis. That is actually what got me wondering enough to start this topic/debate. Heck I have even fed him the Wendy Vallhard (sp) Natural Diet and he did horrible! The vet of course is recommending a Science Diet food, or Iams healthy naturals.
In before the 'vets get extra money and incentives for selling Science Diet' posts, as usual. The vets at my clinic don't even stock the stuff anymore.
This is a topic I wont touch. I feed my pets what works for me. I know he isn't a dog, but when my cat kept getting recurring struvite crystals and UTIs, I switched to a prescription diet and it's worked. And I won't argue other alternative methods.
My vet does not sell Iams or sceince diet, but does recommend it. She recommends Iams the most, but says that Ruckus may benifit more from a science diet food.
other people tell me... vets do not now anything about nutrition, my dogs need a raw diet! no grains, just a prey model raw diet.
While I'm not against raw (my mother feeds it to her dogs), I am wary at times if the owner is doing it themself without extensively researching needs for certain things that need to be in food. I've seen a lot of dogs come in who are suffering from malnutrition because the owner felt that feeding their dog simply meat and bones is the best route.
While not as common, I have also seen a fair share of blockages and perforated bowels due to too many bones in the diet.
As much as people don't seem to realise, nutrition is a science.
I personally don't feed anything special, mine get middle of the range food because plain and simply... they love it.
I have tried things like Eagle Pack and they turned their nose up at it, they don't even like their dog roll any more which was all natural.
Unfortunately I don't know much about raw diets, never known anyone who has fed their dogs raw. I stick with pre-packaged food because I know it's already completely balanced and frankly, a lot easier.
A dogs diet greatly depends on the individual dog as well, some will need a higher protein diet, others a lot lower one. Some dogs need extra oils and healthy fats to keep them the correct weight and have a healthy coat, others don't need as much....
One of mine suffers from dry skin and the food I feed doesn't have enough oils for him so I just add a few sardines once or twice a week to keep his coat healthy, whereas my other dog does perfect on the same food with no additives.
My sheltie has always been on natural food (taste of the wild, and diamond naturals), but has skin allergies, excessive shedding, and chronic colitis. That is actually what got me wondering enough to start this topic/debate. Heck I have even fed him the Wendy Vallhard (sp) Natural Diet and he did horrible! The vet of course is recommending a Science Diet food, or Iams healthy naturals.
I would bet your sheltie has more than just "skin" allergies. This sounds a lot more like a systemic allergic reaction, which is usually traceable to a dietary element. I'd try the vet's suggestion for at least 10 days to see if it works. Dogs react individually, but it can take 10 days to see a change in their coats from diet. Science Diet and IAMS are sold at Wally world, so profit motives are out the window.
My sheltie has always been on natural food (taste of the wild, and diamond naturals), but has skin allergies, excessive shedding,
I can totally RElATE to this!!! My Newfoundland has the same problem, or had until recently.
I have found a food that gives the oil to coat the skin from the inside (food) as well as what I add to his food. Many times what we think are allergies are actually skin disorders, eczema, psoriasis and the like. The proper amount of protein (24% or higher) is part of the key to this dilemma. We give our dog a food that is formulated for sensitive/allergic skin. Along with the food he gets a Fish Oil capsule, an odorless garlic capsule, and a tablespoon of vegetable oil containing all of the Omegas. Once a week he is given sardines (yes, human sardines in the can) mixed into his food. The allergies/sensitivity has decreased, he is less itchy, his shedding has slowed extremely, and his coat is vibrant and shiny.
Let me also add that I have found that the odorless garlic aids in preventing fleas.
is the newest problem...but that's another thread in and of itself. 
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