"Also, the cruchiness of the food doesn't really clean their teeth."

Esp when they swallow it whole, like my dog. But when I feed her raw, she settles down and chews, and seems to enjoy her food. Raw meaty bones DO clean her teeth... kibble doesn't.

Grain-based kibbles swell more and faster than meat-based kibbles, but they all swell.

My vet is into holistic treatments (as much as possible) and raw food. He says that he is coming more and more to believe commercial diets are the cause of many pet health problems. "You can pay now (with good food), or you can pay ME later (with high vet bills), but you ARE going to pay."

Sue

On the pay later program, the animals pay most of the price with an unhealthy and uncomfortable life....hot spots, allergies, weight problems, dental problems, that nasty "doggy" smell...

In the US, we have had two close calls (that we know about) in the past two years that killed many beloved pets.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10771943/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls

I believe the quest for ever cheaper ingredients by the pet food industry is root cause of this developing trend.

IMO it is only a matter of time before one of the large pet food manufacturers' carelessness or greed leads to larger accidental mass pet exterminations.

Oops. This is a more direct link to an example of a raw food diet using human-grade whole food that we use day-to-day.

http://leerburg.com/diet2.htm

Disclaimers:

I have the following relationships with this company:

We are their customer for supplies.

They have a link to our NOT-FOR-PROFIT training group on their website because we are lucky enough to have one of the top Schutzhund trainers and competitors in the U.S. in our training group.

Also, the business owner's son is helping to fight the war on terror for us. He is on his second tour of duty. We are in his debt too.