Dogs are not humans. ::ahem:: I will state it again, clearly, and for the record:

DOGS ARE NOT HUMANS.

I come in contact with a lot of people at my job. People who believe that anyone who does anything less than cook for their dog is lazy, and people who believe Ol' Roy really is just fine. (My favorite line: "Oh, but he likes it, it must taste good!" Yes, and I'm sure you always fed your children everything they wanted to eat all the time just because it tasted good. Funny, the people who say that are always very large...)

The most frustrating people, however, are those who have done their research. The reason is simple: most of their information comes from the internet. ONE person wrote ONE thing ten years ago and now everyone believes it even though it flies in the face of nutritional wisdom, years of survival, and common sense. Why? Because it sounds good to humans. Perhaps I'm most frustrated because I used to BE one of those people. But DOGS ARE NOT HUMANS and have their own dietary needs! Feed a dog like a human, and he will not thrive.

Myth #1: Dogs can thrive on vegetables.
No. They can't. Dogs cannot be herbivores (or, as we say these days, vegetarians). They need MEAT. They are CARNIVORES. If your vet tells you that your very healthy dog needs to be fed only steamed veggies, FIND A NEW VET. Preferably one that isn't going to sacrifice the health of your dog for his own moral gain.

Myth #2: Don't feed your dog corn.
This is a confusing one. Don't feed your dog corn that hasn't been properly processed. In the wild, dogs eat corn - out of the stomach of other animals (see Myth #1 above). This means it has been digested already - i.e., no complex carbohydrates, only simple ones. Extruder machines (the machine most dog food, from Kibbles and Bits to Eukanuba, is made on) hard cook corn and don't break it down. That is why the premium brands have taken corn out of their foods - it was a good move, because they can't cook it correctly on the machines they have. It's not, however, harmful in BilJac, because our food isn't cooked at high temperatures, it's vacuum dried (correction from earlier, BilJac is not freeze dried), which breaks apart the carbohydrates. Corn is actually FANTASTIC for dogs - if it's processed correctly.

Myth #3: Dogs need holistic and organic meat.
There is nothing wrong with buying holistic meat for your dog. But if you cook it in such a way that all the goodness, all the vitamins and amino acids and good stuff are actually cooked out of it, what's the point? Your feeding him holistic rubber! Cook the chicken right and then talk about "holistic" and "organic."

Myth #4: Don't give your dog byproducts.
OK. Everybody. Repeat after me. Ready? "DOGS ARE NOT HUMANS." Yes, it's true, humans don't eat the intestines, and bones, and organs of chickens or cows or whatever. DOGS. DO. And they do this for a reason. It is very difficult for a dog to maintain the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio without every part of the animal. Dogs chew on bones for a reason - they need the byproducts. The problem is that there is no way to distinguish between the word "byproduct" meaning "the entire chicken" and "byproduct" meaning "this animal was diseased." Trying to explain that is like trying to explain why it's okay that researchers keep rats in dark, small, cages - they prefer it, but the poor rats have no way to tell all the activists that! Sometimes I think people just need an excuse to get in a fight, and in the name of defending and protecting animals just hurt them more in order to feel better about themselves.

Myth #5: Oh, he can eat whatever, he drinks out of the toilet, after all!
Yes, and my daughter sticks all manner of ungodly things in her mouth - that doesn't mean I'm going to let her! The smartest dog has about the intelligence of a two year old. My Pyre once ate a chicken bone that had been covered in motor oil. This doesn't mean she needed it or it was good for her. It means she's dumb and needs someone to keep her from killing herself. ;)

Well, I've gotta go - my dogs need to eat their DOG FOOD. :)