Do you know what your feeding your dog?
Did you know that all kibble is not the same? Most kibble doesn’t even have real meat as their first ingredient. So do you know what your feeding your dog?
So, you go to the store every few weeks pick of a bag of dog food, feed it to your dog 3 times a day, easy right? Then you will pick of the multiple piles of stinky poop they so graciously leave you each day. Sound about, right? Maybe you notice your dog even has gas, bloating, dry skin, licks a lot. Did you know that’s not healthy or normal? Curious do you know what’s in that dry or wet kibble? Do you know how its processed? Let me answer that for you, most likely NO! There are VERY few acceptations for good dog kibble. But only feeding dog kibble alone would never be our first choice. Let us tell you why….
Warning, you may find this to all be very alarming and uncomfortable to read. What we would like you to be thinking in the back of your head as your reading this is, would I consume this food myself?
Ingredients:
Highly processed ingredients. Many nutrients are completely lost during the high heat cooking process. Because of that they then add flavor enhancers and synthetic ingredients to try to “replace” what was lost. Types of carcinogens and ACRYLAMIDE are created, these are detrimental to your dog’s health.
The ingredients. Did you know your pet’s food can contain diseased animal material and meat that was not slaughtered? thats right the FDA says that’s it is okay because during the processing of the pet food the high heat kills harmful bacteria. And they do NOT need to disclose this information to you. Rendering is a method used to process animal by- products and animal waste to use in dog kibble. Consuming these highly processed ingredients leads to multiple health issues, that sadly no one talks about.
Low moisture. Kibble is a very low moisture food, which makes your pet constantly thirsty and dehydrated. Can you imagine just eating crackers all day? Dogs will experience harmful symptoms like loss of appetite, panting, dry nose, and gums.
Harmful additives:
Added chemicals and colors. Many food dyes including the nine approved dyes in foods can cause serious health issues, including cancer, and hypersensitive reactions.
Increased bacteria. There is a high risk for bacteria in dry pet food. Did you know that storage mites can multiply in your dog’s kibble when stored? Gross right? Pets develop hypersensitivity to storage mites, resulting in itchy inflamed skin, hair loss and ear infections.
Did you know that as soon as you open the bag of kibble it starts going rancid? Yes, you read that right. The fats in the food and sprayed on the food start going bad immediately upon opening, this leads to vitamin, protein, and fat deficiencies. And if that wasn’t enough this leads to more health issues such as hair loss, kidney and liver disease, cancer and even death.
The only true benefit to kibble is convenience and cost. (If you buy a cheap kind) But is your dog’s health worth that convenience? I’d say NO!
Not all kibble is created equal, there are good brands, ok brands, and just plain old terrible brands. See blog post “choosing the right kibble” for helpful info.
What can you feed your pup instead?
A balanced raw diet or a mix of good kibble and raw to include healthy fats, carbohydrates, fruit, and vegetables. Raw food is affordable and healthier for you pup. See Blog post on “Feeding Raw” for more helpful info.
