[kandy]

I used to feed either Ol Roy or a store brand called Atta Boy. I never even thought about what goes into dog food, and I had 2 dogs that lived to be 17 and 16 respectively, eating this stuff their whole lives. When we got our first newf, the breeder put in her contract that we had to feed Pedigree. I seriously thought this was a 'premium' food. Only after our first newf was diagnosed with total kidney failure at 19 months did I start looking at different things to see if I could have done anything different. One of the things I started researching was food. I was speechless to find that something I thought was good for my dog (better than 'table scraps' as you say) was probably one of the worst things I could have been feeding her.

Now I see the difference a good food makes - my dogs don't get ear infections, their coats are soft and shiny, my newfie girl makes poops the size normally associated with a much smaller dog and you can see the general level of good health in them. Yes, my other dogs lived long lives on poor quality food - but I have to wonder how long they would've lived had they had a good diet their whole lives. I've learned that there is a big difference between surviving and thriving.