For those looking for someone who actually used this method. . . here I am. . .an experienced, organic gardener. We moved in 2014, and it rained on our last load of "outside" stuff. Some of that stuff was 50 lbs. of cat food and about 20 lbs. of goat pellets (alfalfa). Instead of counting it a loss, I placed the damp, stinky gunk in a newly formed "lasagna" garden (layered compost), and covered it with cardboard followed by a thick layer of mulch. Although we live in a forested area, there were no squirrels, voles, moles or other beasties (including our dog) bothering the area. It was kept moist through the winter. In the spring, this kitchen garden produced all the vegetables two people required for five months with some for winter preserving. It was the most productive area I've ever grown---in decades. In fact, it out-performed the entire yard . . .even though I implemented good practice and "beyond organic" principles in the additional gardens. Will I do it again? I'm thinking about it for a front yard area that is heavy clay, formerly herbicide/insectide-sprayed, Bermuda grass-infested corner. And yes, the soil's life knocks down toxins in the cat food, just as it does naturally with manures placed in the garden. Live a little. . .use what you have. . .garden with joy and support each other!!! Eating your own local foods HAS to be better than anything you purchase at the store. May the "high of harvest" outweigh the downer of self-righteous gardeners!

We stick with the same food. Mainly, this has a lot to do with our one dog having a sensitive stomach and it takes him a while to "adapt" to new foods. Our other dog could care less. Also, with all the problems with foods lately I think I would prefer to stay with one food. I believe I would be able to see problems quicker if there was something wrong with the food because it wouldn't come and go (if you were switching foods this could happen) and if BOTH of our dogs were acting ill we would assume the food and bring them to the vet pronto. I guess I feel if we switched foods we may miss the signs of this. I am not sure if this it true or not. We also switched to canidea after the most recent food recalls and now that we have had our dogs on it for about 6 months I can see a difference in their coats and I am very happy with the food. It is also less smelly and greasy than our other "premium" food we used to buy. This food has a couple different meats in it and then we can supplement with veggies so I think our dogs get a complete nutrition. They do not seem to be lacking. Our one boy used to get allergy problems every fall and spring and (crossing my fingers) we haven't seen them yet this year although it has been a bad allergy season, so maybe the new food is helping with this also?

The funny thing about my vet - he was reluctant at first to even mention a raw diet. He spent a good long time with me & Tucker when I brought him home from a shelter and we were about 20 minutes onto the visit when we started discussing the pet food recalls which had just occurred at the time. That's when he recommended the holistic pet store in my town - nothing on her shelves has ever been recalled. She also sells the Natural Balance Raw Food line, which I did try but that is definitely pricey. Then, when I asked him what he feeds his own pets, he admitted that he was a cat person and said in a very low voice "but if I had a dog I would feed him raw bones and meat". It was as if he didn't want to be overheard! I guess the rest of the folks that work there don't agree with his philosophy. The phosphorus to calcium ration makes sense, as that will affect the contractility of the heart. Tucker is due for a physical in March so I'll have the first blood panel done then. He can be a gulper at times - I've had to reach down his throat to pull out pieces of beef hide dental chews that were too big to swallow - so I'll watch him carefully with the turkey necks. So far he's been doing great with the chicken legs and beef marrow bone. As for the ground meat & veggie patties, they disappear almost as soon as they go in the bowl. He really took to it quite naturally. He's been following me around like crazy since I started doing this and has a new found respect for me I think :) The only thing I don't like, is when I give him a piece of meat, he takes it into the living room to eat it, which means I'm cleaning & disenfecting the carpet daily. The other funny change, is that when he is eating a piece of meat on the bone, he is very protective of it. He will let me or DH take it out of his mouth, but if one of the cats gets too close, he barks and gives them a warning sneer - which is really funny because at baseline he is very submissive, particularly with the cats whe tend to walk all over him - they can even drink right out of his bowl while he's eating kibble!

A good quality (yes even grocery brand)dry kibble formulated for your dogs' age ,weight, size and activity level is the best thing you can do for your dog. In order to meet the nutritional requirements for a healthy dog you would have to buy bottles and bottles of vitamins, minerals and supplements to add to the home cooked food. It is true that there seem to be more animals developing tumors and other stuff that we didn't see so much of before. That could be because we are just "seeing" it more because more animals get vet care today instead of dying of unknown causes but research is leaning towards over-vaccinating our pets. Dogs should get all their puppy shots and also be fully vaccinated the first year after. Then you should talk to your vet on what vaccines are really necessary for your individual dog and on what schedule. My dogs are on the 3-4 year plan. The only vaccine they get exactly on schedule is for Rabies. We are fortunate that our county requires the rabies vaccine every three years. Little known dirty secret is that there is no one year vaccine or three year vaccine. The only time one year comes into play is for puppies who get it and then need another dose after the first year. Another culprit may be heart worm meds.If you live in an area where exposure is likely you MUST continue your heart worm meds but if the problem is seasonal or non-existent in your area you don't need it year round or at all unless you travel with your pet. People worry about the food but don't have a qualm about using weed killers and pesticides in the ares their dogs run around in. Your dog doesn't need to be dosed with heavy-duty flea killers on a monthly basis either unless environmental issues come into play. I'll get off my soapbox now.