Food

the consumer wins. I've long appreciated companies that have educated personnel readily available and willing to communicate with consumers about their products. It's even better when the company has a veterinarian available who can discuss the company's products and a consumer's dog's digestion or other health problems in detail.

Of course

The following is an excerpt adapted from a new book that can help you make smart decisions about what to feed your dog.

The general concept of veterinary or prescription diets is sound; it’s well-accepted by all nutrition experts that nutrient levels and ingredients can be manipulated...

The Whole Dog Journal often contains articles about the benefits of feeding dogs a natural diet for optimum health. I want to share a story about my wire-haired fox terrier, Spike, which portrays the extreme benefits of not only feeding your dog a natural diet, but also of treating your dog holistically. Spike’s experiences before and after we started him on a natural diet (at the age of 10) astounded me, and I hope his story can be a good example for the rest of the Whole Dog Journal readers!

and accordingly

Last month's issue contained our annual review of dry dog foods, but with an exception from our usual format: This year, we decided to break out grain-free dry dog foods from the increasingly populated and competitive pack of terrific kibbled products on the market. We did not review them in the February issue, but will discuss grain-free foods at length here. In 2005, Natura Pet Products was the first pet food company to manufacture and market a grain-free kibble, which was initially called Innova Evo (and is now called simply Evo). The success of the product, in the market and with many of the dogs fed the diet, sparked a proliferation of grain-free foods. We were able to find more than a dozen companies that currently offer one or more grain-free foods that meet our selection criteria.

It’s bizarre, but one of the most important things on a pet food label is often in the tiniest print: the nutritional adequacy statement,...

We've reviewed dog foods annually for 17 years now, and we try, every year, to tell you something new about the food you feed (or should be feeding!) your dog, something you may not have known before. We also tell you how we define and identify good-quality foods, and how to tell them apart from the products of lesser quality. And finally, we give you a list of foods that meet all of our selection criteria and meet our approval. We're doing all that again this year, but in a slightly different format.

Every two weeks I faithfully fill the pill organizers for my Boxer, Tyler. He receives a number of supplements, some for general nutrition and well-being, and some specific to his particular health challenges, including Addison’s disease. I’m not the only one performing this ritual. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, about nine percent of all dogs receive vitamins regularly; perhaps an even greater percentage of WDJ readers give supplements to their canine companions.

Feeding guidelines for dogs—including how much to feed a puppy—are little more than a ballpark reference. Here’s how to feed your dog properly.

There are many foods that are toxic to dogs. Watch what your dog eats, and if you’re not sure and see signs of poisoning, get to a veterinarian immediately or call a poison control center.

Over the past three months, we’ve provided rules and guidelines for feeding a homemade dog food diet, but getting started can still seem overwhelming. This month, we’ll hear from owners who feed their dogs a homemade diet, and learn from them how they go about it, including tips and tricks for finding, preparing, and storing the dog food.