Question:

I have been feeding my two 4-year-old Maltese-poodle mixes, Sonny and Cher (14 and 8 pounds), your fresh-food recipe for 1-1/2 years. Their conditions have dramatically improved, and we'll never go back to commercial food. The benefits are truly worth the little extra trouble to make the food once a week.Not only do my dogs completely enjoy their new food; they can't wait to eat. Their feces are no longer constantly wet, the dark discharge from their eyes is much less, and their fur has much better texture. They don't have odors anymore and are much easier to groom, as they used to be matted terribly and hated to be groomed).I have also discontinued giving the dogs the once-a-month flea medicine, and neither I nor the dog groomer has seen evidence of flea or tick infestation. I don't know whether this is because of the ingredients in the food or their better overall health.Until recently, we were supplementing with a small amount of dry dog food in the middle of the day because we were concerned about keepin

K. & B.J., Alexandria, Va Jul 20, 2008

Answer:

Thanks for confirming the health benefits of good nutrition that people witness often so dramatically in their dogs and cats when taken off manufactured junk pet foods. Hence my advocacy of home-prepared cat and dog foods that consist primarily of whole-food ingredients, ideally organically certified.Raw beef marrowbones (scalded to kill surface bacteria) are the only bones dogs should be given to safely clean their teeth as they enjoy gnawing. Do not cook for long or they will become dangerously brittle. A few dogs are obsessive bone gnawers and can damage their teeth, so I advise a five- to 10-minute bone chew daily or a safe rubber chew toy (like a Kong product) that, when stuffed with peanut butter, can relieve dogs' boredom and separation anxiety.

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