The best alternative to a can or bag of commercial food is to prepare your pet's meal fresh, without any preservatives and according to his or her individual nutritional requirements.
There are many pet food recipes posted on the Internet. Most of these are posted for readers to take and use for FREE! The only word of caution I will offer for people choosing to use one of the free recipes is: Be sure that the recipe you choose is one that uses ingredients your specific breed of dog can assimilate and be sure to cook the ingredients properly. I urge you to check out the information I provide at this web site about what food sources to look for and which ones to avoid for any breed (they are different breed - by - breed). This is because the nutrients found in the area where a breed developed created the animal's nutritional requirements in much the same way that the climate in that area developed their coat.
It has also been proven that breed specific nutritional requirements do not change any faster than a breed's coat by being exposed to a different environment (food). A prime example of how long it takes a dog breed to adapt to a different environment is provided by the Whippet. We know that this breed of dog developed in an arid desert climate and was taken to the British Isles, a cold wet climate, over two thousand years ago by Roman invaders. The Whippet found in the British Isles today still has the same coat which was developed in the arid dry desert and not the thick double coat of the breeds "native" to the British Isles. We also know the Whippet also has the same breed specific nutritional requirements inherited from those desert ancestors. Over 2000 years and they still have the same coat and unique nutritional requirements of their ancestors.
BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE DIFFERENT BREEDS there is not a single all-breed/any-breed commercial dog food on the market that can come close to meeting the nutritional requirements of all the different dog breeds (no matter what the pet food company claims are). We also see that many dog food companies are selling "breed specific foods" which are the same food with the label changed to show that food is for a specific breed (look beyond the claims and read the ingredient panel of the foods they sell for different breeds - if the list of ingredients are the same the food is NOT breed specific). And one company is selling one food for all "herding dogs" another for all "Terriers" still another for all "Sporting Breeds" and this too goes beyond misleading. What they are doing here is acknowledging that there are nutritional differences (with their herding/terrier/etc labels) and selling their products to the pet owner using the concept which is based on established fact. But they are still NOT providing foods that are NUTRITIONALLY CORRECT for all the dogs that will be eating it. Not all "herding dogs" have the same nutritional requirements. A Pembroke Welsh Corgi does NOT have the same nutritional requirements (per Kg) as a Bouvier des Flandres. Their nutritional requirements are NOT the same just divided by 3 - since they only weigh 1/3rd as much. The Tibetan Terrier developed (it's nutritional requirements) in the plateaus of Tibet (at an elevation of over 16,000 feet above sea level). The Fox Terrier developed (it's nutritional requirements) in the British Islands (close to sea level) These two "Terriers" do not have the same (per Kg) nutritional requirements. But their owners are being sold the same "Terrier" dog food. And still another point to consider is that the first ten ingredients listed on that companies label for their "herding dogs" pet food is identical to the first ten listed on the label for their "terrier" pet food; and their pet food for"sporting breeds"; etc. - They are selling the same food with just a different label. Buyer Beware! We NEED laws to protect us from companies like this.
Some examples of different foods now being made for different members of a species can be found at any pet food store: Tropical fish and Gold fish do not get the same food: Parrots, Lovebirds, Cockatiels and Cockatoos all have different foods based on their different requirements. Today we can find different foods for different types of birds or fish, but the foods sold at the same pet store treat all dogs or dog groups as though they all have the same nutritional requirements and are expected to eat the same food - you just change the amount based on the size of the dog being fed. But not all dogs should eat the same: i.e. A 40 pound Keeshond Sheds; a 40 pound Kerry Blue Terrier does not shed; these two would not need the same coat producing nutrients per pound of body weight. A 45 pound Bulldog has thick bones, a 45 pound Pharaoh Hound has thin bones; these two would not need the same amount of bone building minerals per pound of body weight. A 50 pound Basset Hound and a 50 pound Standard Poodle have different energy levels; they do not need the same caloric intake per pound of body weight. A 60 pound Labrador Retriever is one of only six breeds that produce skin oil; a sixty pound Collie does not produce skin oil; these two do not have the same need for dietary fatty acids per pound of body weight.
One of the biggest problems a "dog" owner faces today is that someone who has had an experience (positive or negative) by feeding one dog tells all dog owners that they should or should not feed (X) because of the experience they had. We must remember that what they experienced was related to the nutritional requirements of their one dog or one breed and that different dogs and breeds can have different nutritional needs. Their differences mean that other dogs or breeds may react differently to a single food or even a single ingredient in a food. I ask that you remember this when looking for a recipe for your own companion pet on the Internet or anywhere else. I also ask that after you find that WONDERFUL food for your own dog that if you choose to pass it on you do so with a disclaimer that it is good for the dog breed you are feeding but THE FOOD IS NOT CORRECT FOR ALL DOGS.
I urge dog owners to change their focus away from what the commercial food companies advertise (a single food is good for all dogs and to only buy a food based on a food's "quality ingredients") and to focus on what is nutritionally correct for the specific animal being fed. After FIRST learning what a specific dog NEEDS the dog owner can then make an INTELLIGENT decision about what to feed that dog. If you would like to learn more about the nutritional requirements of the breed you are feeding please use the links found here Breed Specific Nutritional Information Links
I URGE YOU TO CONSIDER COOKING A FOOD WITHOUT PRESERVATIVES FOR YOUR COMPANION PETS. It is EASY to do (takes less than 1-2 hours a week on average) and will save you money (a good home cooked food will cost less than the cheapest commercial food and can lower vet bills TOO).
Over the last 25 - 30 years I have written many books showing how the different breeds of dogs are different NUTRITIONALLY and my books on canine nutrition published in the late 1980's and early 1990's which are now "Out-Of-Print" have free copies posted on the Internet for anyone interested (see download links in articles at this web site). I have also formulated a number of recipes for dogs with specific medical problems and written a series of breed specific books that contain recipes for all stages of a dog's life. Check out what dog owners who have used these recipes are now saying at Testimonials.
PLEASE NOTE: Since I have spent over fourty years studying the nutritional requirements of different dog breeds (18 years in the lab doing pharmacological studies and 40 years of feeding trials), I feel qualified to give advice on feeding dogs. On the other hand, since I have not studied any of the other species that we take into our lives and love, I do not feel qualified to recommend a diet for these. To all cat owners and others I apologize, commiserate and ask that you don't ask me to provide dietary information. I do not know how different cat breeds nutritional requirements vary and therefore could cause as many problems as a commercial pet food manufacturer that only makes one recipe for all cats.
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