_If you want any of the below files as a PDF, simply Email and I will send them to you. Each of the following graphics link to a larger image of the nutritional analysis of that item from the USDA database (I use another program to import the 'ugly' USDA data and then make them 'pretty' and in a readable format. Most of the Daily % (percentage) numbers are in human terms, although the 'value' column is accurate, for both, since it is the value of the food item, and has nothing to do with dogs or humans. I have all of the 'dog values' (as dogs have different requirements for vitamins and minerals than humans. Most of the nutrient requirements listed on bags of food, the Internet, etc are are generally MINIMUM requirements and NOT optimum requirements. What I use is in both spreadsheet and in book form, mainly from 'Small Animal Clinical Nutrition' and 'National Research Council: Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats'. I use the USDA food database, along with nutritiondata.self.com in addition to being an associate member of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition and so that I have access to good-quality, science- and fact-based information, along with several DVM Nutritional Vets. I also keep on hand a large number of past and current academic and scientific studies from various academic publications. I avoid the type of books you would find in the bookstore on the general 'pet shelf' and avoid most of what you can find on the Internet if you do a general search from a search engine. I also have access into several DVM publication libraries, due to having access to a huge number of databases (related and unrelated) because I work as an educator, and take advantage of that access. Yahoo provides very low-quality search results. Google provides fairly commercial results. BING tends to provide either the more obscure, or information-based and academic Web sites up.

1. The Internet is an open public forum and anyone can say anything, regardless of its validity, truth or accuracy.
2. Doing what 'works for you' (a common comment with raw diets), might make your dog very sick, or kill it.
3. Natural bone has 10 carbons of calcium, to 6 of phosphorus. An imbalance will create problems. Many RAW diets are VERY high on phosphorus.
4. Much of our tradition in dogs, is based orally - you told me, I tell someone else, and the knowledge is passed on - with mistakes and inaccuracies.
5. Too much diversity (leads to excesses in some values) in diet items is just as bad as too little diversity (leads to deficiencies in some values).
6. PubMed is a credible source and DOES have studies on RAW diets, wolf diets, kibble diets and hundreds of studies on nutrition for dogs and animals.
7. A legitimate 'canine nutritionist' is both a vet (DVM) and DACVN - Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Nutrition but unfortunately, ANYONE can call themselves 'canine nutritionist' - as it is completely unregulated in Canada and the United States. Buyer beware!
8. Improper diet can cause skeletal deformations, broken bones, eye sight problems, seizures, organ failure and it happens more frequently than realized.
9. Certain items really are TOXIC to dogs; others are not. The same item can frequently be found in BOTH lists. Know what information is accurate.
10. Cheap items used in diets lack nutrition, long term. Too bad your dogs diabetes won't show up until they are seven and was caused by diet.
11. BARF / RAW has been building in the 'mainstream' for about 10 years - coinciding with the more major rise in popularity of the Internet. Those interested in raw diets for dogs found the Internet a fast way to spread, and receive, information (the term 'BARF' was coined in 1993 with the publishing of a book on the subject) while the first major increase in Internet users rose around 1995).
12. By NOT doing CBC, blood, urine and electrolyte panels regularly, you have NO idea if the diet is 'ok' - or is slowly killing the dog.
13. Shiny coats and teeth are only TWO things - a diet high in chicken fat SHOULD lead to a 'shiny coat' but has LITTLE to do with the remaining dog.
14. Kibble manufacturers make a product to make money. MANY are pretty good while SOME are less than stellar. Learn to read a label.
15. ONLY a prey model diet comes close to be 'nutritionally complete', has the right balance of carbohydrates (stomach content), protein and fat. Even then, feeding the same item, daily, would absolutely lead to deficiencies and imbalances. Most people are not willing to hand over an entire small animal to their pet to munch up for dinner on their kitchen floor - and so the BARF / RAW food diets tend to be more appealing and widely-used.

At some point, I will post the breakdown in cost for feeding both RAW and kibble diets. High-end kibble IS normally cheaper than 'regular' kibble - but the savings is lost as the dogs size (and volume of food) increases. RAW can be cheaper - or very expensive - depending on your access to the ingredients. 

In each of the above diets, you can clearly see the deficiencies and the excesses by just comparing these diets to the chart I made for Ooky, at the top of the page. Calcium, Vitamins, minerals, EFA unbalanced, excessive, deficient - or missing (remember, the %DV is for a human - and MANY are actually quite a bit more, for a dog - these diets are really, really nutritionally deficient). All of these recipes came directly from the Internet, from sites teaching people what to use for a BARF / RAW diet. None actually referenced the weight, size, or activity level of the dog being fed. Given the caloric amounts, it would either be one meal for a dog close to Ooky's size (likely around 75 pounds though) or two meals, each, for a dog less than half of Ooky's size (which is only a guess since the sites FAILED to mention this extremely important information). A dog this size SHOULD HAVE about 28 mg of zinc per day; 2000 mg of calcium per day. Nearly 3000 IU of Vitamin A (there is a very wide margin of 'excess' too on this particular Vitamin). Copper, among many others, is also very low. I didn't post the amino acids, however, they, too, are very, very deficient in these diets. All of these were daily staple diets, with variations (more chicken) of the 'raw wings' for the raw meaty bones. One also mentioned a teaspoon of vegetable pulp, per day, consisting of ten vegetables. Not much nutrition comes from a teaspoon of any single vegetable, let alone 10 mashed up together.

Several do mention supplements, however the amounts to supplement, do not in any way co-relate to what was actually required. One of these diets was strictly for a puppy. It was grossly inadequate for a dog, let alone a puppy. In one case the calorie counts are wrong (by several hundred calories) when actually tabulated. The others tracked as per the original though, so clearly the USDA site or its information was used to formulate them. Some are excessive protein, carbohydrates, or fats - others reversed. There is nothing wrong with supplements - if you can't find the items to make up a good whole food diet. But tossing a Vitamin B pill into a dish, without knowing if, or what, was deficient (while excess Vitamin B was actually there) won't remedy anything. Adding a Calcium tablet, when three were actually needed, won't address the deficiencies - in the long term. MANY nutrient deficiencies / excesses take years to become visible, frequently after disease, has already occurred. Some of these nutrient deficiencies actually CAUSE other, normally-unrelated deficiencies by depleting other minerals, in turn. Shiny coats are a direct result of the usually abundant fat in most RAW diets - but it is not a gauge for the rest of the dog - or the remainder of the diet!

Ingredient list: Oats, Buckwheat Groats, Safflower Oil, Dried Whole Egg, Molasses, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E, Latobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation (probiotic), Montmorilonite Clay, Calcium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Diatomaceous Earth, Yucca Schidigera, Chelated Zinc, Manganese, Iron, Copper and Cobalt, Vitamin B Complex consisting of - Choline Chloride, Niacin, Riboflavin, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride and Biotin, Vitamin D 3, Selenium and Vitamin A.

Ingredient list: Wheat Bran, Wheat Germ, Chicken Livers, Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Brewer’s Yeast, Dried Apple, Cod Liver Oil (Omega 3), Parsley, Kelp, Alfalfa, Dandelion Root, Apple Cider Vinegar, Rosemary, Garlic, Ginger. Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate), natural mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E).

The above two supplements need vegetables, water, yogurt and / or meat added, and they make complete and balanced meals. One supplement is used in AM and the other PM. While they do address the deficiencies in homemade diets, they have many additives added (red) and not whole foods.

INGREDIENT LIST: Cooked free range meat, (free range buffalo, beef, chicken or wild caught salmon depending on which kind you buy) naked oats, wheat germ, eggs, liver, carrots, grapefruit, winter squash, broccoli, cranberries, limes, papaya, apple, parsley, garlic, goat milk yogurt, flax seed, cider vinegar, egg shell, olive oil.

This above is actually a complete diet, and not a supplement but can be used ongoing, occasionally or as supplemental. There are no additives although it costs about four times as much money as most commercial RAW variants. Also see Downloads