Pet Food Cat Food Dog Food...whats the dif?!?!?

One of the biggest and most often asked questions is "what pet food is the best?" or "what dog food should I buy?"..or "will my cat eat this food?"
As a handler/trainer and pet store/boutique owner I have a pretty good idea of what I would feed MY pet and can only give advice on what I see is happening in the industry.
So called all natural pet food or "raw food" diets seem to be all the rage and as mentioned in previous blogs they are good for the most part. This is where the asterix comes into play cause HANDLED properly raw can be wonderful..and....contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as a truly all natural diet unless you grow the vegetables and grains and kill the animals used for feed yourself as once processed the all natural thing goes out the window with the use of chlorinated water and packaging in plastic or coated metal containers. Now using organic ingrediets or non medicated meats is fantastic but don't be fooled by florrid and abstract advertising.
My biggest peeve these days is the sales of pet food in Vet offices. Often these foods are the same product on the market in reputable shops but just packaged differently or made on the same lines as many other products. The down side is that they are tremendously expensive and often a single or simple food prescribed because the dog or cat cannot tolerate much else.
I don't know how OFTEN and how LOUD I can say this but "by nucleating your pets diet you can do more harm than good!!!!" Limiting to a small diet can be detrimental to health.
It's all about the bacterial count and a large variety diet. The healthiest dogs and cats are farm animals who are running all day getting their excercise and eating crap (sometimes literally) and mice and food....real....food.
Pets need REAL FOOD.
What makes people think that packaged food is the only food their pet should eat and still stay healthy??
It boggles the mind.
Give your pet vegetables,stinky cheeses,meats and more.
Some people are so afraid that their pet's poop will vary from the hard "tootsie roll appearing dried lump" that they are used to. POOP IS POOP! ummmm its supposed to be the same consistancy is yours....and yes it is supposed to smell.....yours does, why not your pets???
In answer to many of the questions regarding food I always ask how old the pet is and what activity level it is at.
That will determine what calorie count is needed however don't be fooled by manufacturers who make a "low calorie" food for older dogs. While some are good and effective most dogs will regulate their intake pretty well with regard to their activity and age. (having said that..some dogs have food issues and just pig out but that is another blog)
so before I fold up the soapbox for this one I say..try a variety of real food mixed in with a good dog or cat food and limit treats.......sounds like OUR diet huh?!