I know it's not a cat blog, but...

We've just had a call asking for our advice about cat food. And as lots of people have both cats and dogs, why not!
What's the best dry or wet?
And what's the difference between the pouches and the little tiny cans? Why so many formats?
Why can't you just go down the tinned fish aisle and pick up a tin of pilchards which are often cheap as chips and 100% fish? Will there be something missing?
What's the best economy, premium and super-premium brand?
Best ethical?
And, silly question, if you do feed raw - anyone out there to hold your hand and give advice? I know some cats can find raw meat without our help, but what is the ideal diet for a cat?

Raw deal?

I thought we had given both sides on the raw re prepared food debate - but as this reader thinks not, thought I'd share it... What do you think? I think John's views on raw need airing and if anyone wants to engage in debate, this is the place to do it!

Hi Beverley
Hope you don’t mind me emailing this. I wanted to post something on CWN blog but don’t think I can.
I have just finished reading March's Dogs Today, and after digesting (excuse the pun) your feature on "Read Raw and Still Feeding Cooked" I felt that I really needed to air my views.
Every month I look forward to reading your magazine, but I also get very irritated at "expert" advice on feeding by Mr John Burns. It is more than obvious that he is very against Raw Feeding and I found that article very one sided. John Burns manufactures his own dried food, and hence has more than a personal interest in dishing a raw diet. Why wasn’t a nutritional expert without any vested commercial interest asked to comment, or a view given by Richard Allport to balance the article out?
Yes, I predominantly feed Raw, but also some cooked, some carbs and the occasional naturediet for convenience. I also advise on the feeding section on our forum and never ram Raw down people's throats because I know it's not always for everyone. I tend to advise on the importance of food labelling and value for money versus quality on complete foods. However I find John's forever negativity on raw and the constant comments on the need for Carbohydrates very uninformed. A dog's digestive tract and teeth are designed to eat meat, and bones and they don’t have the digestive enzymes to break down complex carbohydrates like grains. That isn’t ramming Barf down anyone’s throat, that’s just Scientific Canine anatomy fact and as a vet he should know that. 
Anyway, feel free to post it if you want to, but I just wanted to get that off my chest.
Many thanks
Cheers
Alison 

Far from crystal clear

I'm copying this over from the Think Tank. Are there any alternative diets for dogs with this problem?

Hello
My dog is a seven-year old female collie-terrier cross and I have had her for six years.  Recently she has been drinking more water and urinating slightly more than usual.  She also leaked a little urine a few times after coming in from her evening walk. 
A urine specimen was analysed and the vet advised that calcium oxalate crystals were present in the sample.  (Apparently there was no glucose, signs of infection or blood present).  As a result, the vet has put her on a prescribed diet, Urinary S/O by Royal Canin, and has told me she'll have to be fed this food exclusively for the rest of her life, to avoid crystals forming and developing into stones in her urinary tract.  This seems to me to be a very drastic diagnosis based on the analysis of only one urine sample.  Should any further tests be done to confirm this is the correct diagnosis? 
Another urine sample is to be tested in three months' time to check that the prescription diet is working.  In the meantime she is to get no extra treats of any kind.  She loves cheese but I suspect this is the worst thing I could give her.  Are there any treats that are safe to give a dog with this condition?  Can she still have rawhide chew bones?  Should I be giving her eg filtered water as opposed to tap water?  What are the possible causes of this condition, or is it genetic?  Will this condition affect her longevity? 
Up until now, she's been a healthy, lively, happy little dog.  She's never had a weight problem and her only recurring complaint is a seasonal itch which is apparently an allergy to pollen in August/September each year.  
I would be grateful for any advice or information regarding this calcium oxalate diagnosis.
Thank you.
Jeanette Macleod

Why are dogs getting fatter?

I heard recently that more than 40 per cent of the nation's dogs are obese.
A copy of Chow Hounds by Ernie Ward has just landed on my desk. It's a chunky volume and there is slim chance of me having the time to read it cover to cover, but the press release says:

Dr Ernie addresses the problems with the pet food industry and dogs and their owners are victims of a calculated assault from shrewd marketing and the addition of fat, sugar and salt to treats.

Might these be the same companies that are also marketing diet food for dogs?
I also heard that one charity is asking psychologists to look at why we are making our dogs fat. It is interesting. Why do you think dogs are getting fatter?
To find out more about the book, go to Ernie's website.

Any diet tips for dogs that are prone to bloat

Is there any diet that is less likely to cause deep-chested breeds not suffer from bloat or torsion?
Anyone got any hints and tips to pass on with regard to managing a breed that is more prone to this horrific problem. Just posted something on Think Tank about bloat and it got me thinking that maybe this blog could help, too! Click here to go to the Think Tank and a very moving account of living through bloat.

It's in the papers - and are the papers in the food?

Yesterday's article on dog food in the Daily Mail has caused much interest! Click here if you haven't seen it yet.

There's been some very lively exchanges in the comments section, 177 and rising so far!

Some of the reporting was a little odd, Catherine O'Driscoll certainly isn't best known for her dog training, but she has dogs and I'm sure she's trained them to sit etc!

But very interesting to see an article on alternative feeding in a national newspaper.

The other day someone told me that some prepared petfood actually contains newspapers, so perhaps it is very apt that petfood is now in the papers! They said that it's described as cellulose on the label. Anyone know if this is true?
Urban myth or truth?
Mentioned the above to a friend as was shocked and they surprised me by defending added cellulose saying it was used to provide bulk without calories and was useful for weight management. And that newspaper is made of cellulose and it isn't necessarily newspaper that's added if it says cellulose on the packet.
Dog eat dog or dog eat newspaper?

Reducing the carbon paw print

Like many others these days I would like to cut my carbon footprint, and try to eat locally-grown foods where possible. I eat very little meat myself, and what I do is free-range or organic, but I  accept that my dogs do need to eat meat! The other day I read a statistic that really shocked me, and that was that 50% of a food animal is unfit for human consumption, and much of it is thrown away. I would like to feed my dogs meat that is ethically raised, but preferably too from parts of the animals that would not otherwise be used. There's no point feeding them fillet steak, but they could be eating the lungs, tripe, heart and all the unmentionable bits! How can I be sure the food I give my dogs is from animals raised to high welfare standards – but not using food that humans would otherwise eat? What's the best way to feed from the point of view of the environment, welfare of the food animals, and food miles?
Joanne Holmes, Burford, Oxfordshire

Also posted on Think Tank - click here