What i Feed my APBT puppy

Feeding RAW and feeding kibble has turned into damn near the Hatfields and McCoys. I have fed both separately, I have mixed them together and I have fed the really nice dog foods in the bags as well as the cheaper ones. I can't say one is hands down better than the other. I had dogs die unexpectedly at a young age, had dogs live to be very old and still throw and raise pups, and had dogs that both performed and under performed....The one thing I can say is that I found the RAW to be less expensive per pound than quality dry food. It can't compete with the cheaper 'hunting' dog brands that go for like $23 or so per 50# bag.
A economical raw plan can be bought at Walmart for around 60 cents or so a pound. The premium dog food in bags, as well as the natural bag food is in excess of a dollar a pound or more. The kicker, as it has been said, is the time. When I factor in the time it takes to by, prepare and feed raw it makes it hard. Multiplied by the number of dogs one owns and RAW gets tougher exponentially. I am now in the middle. I feed RAW as much as I can but I also use kibble. It works best for me and the number of dogs I choose to keep.
As far as the calcium/phosphate ratio very few dogs experience a deficiency in this area. This should be only supplemented for if it is based actual lab work. This calcium to phosphate ratio is vital to bone development and adding to this and off setting the ratio is extremely detrimental to the young dog, especially a growing puppy. The ratio is really accurate in the vast majority of bag foods. Feeding raw works as well when the bones are there, such a chicken quarters and chicken backs and beef bones.

 

RAW feeding that includes bones will provide a balanced diet which in turn leads to a balances ratio of calc. and phos. Most every dry bag of food addresses this as well. I would never adjust for this or supplement for this unless bloodwork or laboratory work dictated it. Most over supplementation is pissed away anyway but over calcification or over supplemented phosp. will lead to serious health issues. If a dog is diagnosed with a deficiency in this area then the supplementation is great but just to do it to be doing it is walking on a slippery slope.

 

I do agree the advancements in food from the WWII era have been significant both in people food as well as dog food, but especially in dog food, which is the topic. Dog foods have advanced tremendously in the last twenty years, even the last ten. I am not anti-kibble no more than I am pro-RAW. I have done both separately as well as combined the two. Both have their benefits and both have their drawbacks. Based on the ingredients in the vast majority of kibble their is no need to supplement for calcium or phosphorous unless it is a diagnosed deficiency. Most bag foods cover the needed daily needs so supplementation is not needed. Unlike the other supplements the excess of calcium or the lack of phosphorous will/can lead to bone issues. If one were to over supplement with other minerals and vitamins they are easily passed as excess. Balanced RAW feed diets serve the same purpose. Understand I said balanced. Balanced RAW feeding does not mean a leg quarter a day. It takes a balanced diet regardless of source. balanced is balanced.