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Dogs Rely On Us For Healthy Food
What is Kibble
Would you feed your kids or yourself ultra-processed food for every meal of every day? Thats what kibble is. Most commercial kibble brands start with ultra processed food like chicken meal, beef meal, corn meal, etc... and processed even more and heated to high temperatures multiple times.
A dog food company can meet all regulatory requirements by using "feed" grade ingredients. This can include meat from dead, dying, diseased, or downed animals. Dog foods have been recalled for containing dangerous levels of pentobarbital (euthanasia drug). The meat 'meal' products start with real meat, then its dried out at high temperatures to remove any water and fat, and finally ground up into a powder. Even if a kibble does contain whole meats, they still dry it out and grind it up in the same way that the meal is made.
Grain Free
Many commercial dog food companies use grains and grain meals in their food. This is just filler. Its a cheap way to increase the calorie content. Dogs need protein and fat. Not carbohydrates. They do like starchy foods and can digest them, but given the choice, they will pick protein and fats. If you look at many kibble ingredients, you will see wheat, corn, rice, barley, and other grains that are used primarily as a cheap filler.
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Our food is 100% grain free. We include healthy starches in the form of vegetables and fruit, but maintain an average of only about 6% carbohydrates in our foods. Anything under 10% would be considered ideal.
Reading a Label
Lets start with the ingredients. Ingredients are listed in order of weight. So there is more of the first ingredient than the second, more of the second that the third, etc... The image shows a well known commercial brand of kibble. If you notice, most of the beginning ingredients are grains. Fruits and vegtables are last. This recipe contains more salt than it does fruits and vegetables!
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The next thing to look for is the Guaranteed Analysis. This is where you can calculate the carbs in the food. This is how.
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100% -
- 20% (protein)
- 11.5% (fat)
- 4% (fiber)
- 10% (moisture)
- 6% (ash*)
=48.5% Carbohydrates!
* Assume 6% ash if it isn’t listed.
Full or Partial Fresh
Just like for humans, eating ultra-processed foods for every meal is not a recipe for long term health. Its also a large commitment to move your dog to 100% fresh food. But any improvement you make can have a positive impact on your pups health and longevity. So even if you aren't able to completely replace kibble, consider replacing as much as you can. The more you replace, the better it is for your dog. Fresh food will work as an incredible topper or mixed into thier existing food. Just keep in mind that you are adding calories so remove as many as you replace.