In the wild dogs would eat:
freshly caught meat which may well include grasses/wheat as most prey will be deer, sheep, rabbits, hares etc. which graze
= gnawing on all sizes of bone which means marrow as well as breaking pieces of fur
they will cache what they can't eat, to dig up later when it's nicely 'matured'
because the gut will be stuffed, they sleep between meals which may be 2-3 days if they fail to catch = slim animals
dogs chew grasses as a gut cleanser and to clean teeth - my cocker loved the really stiff coarse reedy grass
they will drink muddy puddles as well as fresh water
there are no 'fillers' in their grub but because it's mainly meat, the gut will absorb or sick up anything that isn't required
pet dogs are quite simply, spoiled! and owners taken in by commercial pet food companies
It really is a matter of the breed of dog and convenience feeding. Raw can be messy and takes more organisational skills than opening a tin/sack.
Lifestyle and environment plays a huge part in how owners decide to feed their pets
Mine was fed on various canned products, based on meat. Plus 'bakers' meaty chunks or 'complete' when out walking, or other dried products. Easier to feed when walking than opening a smelly can! Lots of raw veg and she helped herself to raspberries etc. in our garden. Peas and sweetcorn would 'go straight through'!
Lions: What part of the body do animals eat first?
Organ meat is the first to be eaten. Except in rare cases, all significant pieces of muscles are eaten. Ribs are typically eaten, bones are often partially consumed, and nearly all the hide is commonly eaten. Even the muscles that make up the lining of the stomach are eaten.
If a dog is fed well and has plenty of exercise in order to burn off what it eats, it will stay healthy. When we took ours on holiday to the Lake District we walked almost all day. By Wed my cocker would be hungry in the night, do less poo on a walk and sleep heavier. Because she was using up energy .......... by the end of the week when we stopped the car she would lift her head as if to say "not another walk?" and if it was for shopping she wouldn't move ......... she always went on the next walk though
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