The Truth About Kibble
One of the biggest favors you can ever do for your new best friend is to provide proper nutrition - either raw (if you
have a dog), or a very high-grade dog or cat kibble.
Unfortunately, most commercially available kibbles are not very good for your animal - and this includes the
well known brands that show commercials featuring dogs and kids running happily through a meadow. Pretty much anything you
can buy in a grocery store (and often your vet's office) is, well, icky.
It comes down to the quality of ingredients. Most kibbles (again, even the supposed "good" ones) are actually made with 3rd
grade meats and a plethora of fillers, corn syrup and wheat byproducts. 3rd grade meats are what has been judged as "not fit for
human consumption". This means things like inedible parts of the animal (hooves etc), sick animals, tumors... I wouldn't
eat it and I don't imagine it does your pet much good, either. The fillers and wheat byproducts can contribute to skin
conditions and allergies. Dogs simply don't tolerate most yeast products.
The best kibbles are those that are made with "human grade ingredients". They will be pretty easy to spot, as they'll
say just that. Human grade meat, dehydrated vegetables, and very low on fillers or wheat products. They will sometimes also
say "holistic" or "organic". You can find many such brands at stores such as Petco or PetSmart - some examples are
Royal Canin, Blue Buffalo, California Natural Canidae, Eagle Pack, Innova, Natural Balance, Pinnacle , Solid Gold, Wellness, Wysong,
Timberwolf Organics and NutraMax (and there are many other wonderful brands).
They are more expensive, yes - but you'll be extending your pet's longevity and helping them avoid joint, eye and skin problems.
A case in point: For many years, I fed my cat the cheapest cat food available. Hey, cat food's cat food, right? Wrong.
By 7 years old, he was lethargic, limped horribly and sneezed all the time. He didn't look so good. As I began learning more
about proper nutrition (and the absolute junk that all of the kibble found in my grocery store is), I moved him to a human
grade kibble. Literally within 3 weeks - no limping (and hasn't since, and this was several years ago), much improved energy
and little sneezing. He's getting on now, and is quite happy to sprawl on my kitchen table - an excellent vantage point
for taking a swipe at a dog passing innocently by.
Here are some great links about pet food:
What about what your vet sells or recommends?
We depend on our vet so much! Unfortunately, this is one area they may let us down in. Most vets don't receive a lot of
training on animal nutrition unless they have taken special courses. Often, the training they do get is provided by...
commercial dog food makers. They also get a cut of whatever foods they sell in their offices. If your vet is recommending
or pushing towards a commercial grade dog food, then it's even more important for you to study up and learn about what is
truely the best for your animal.
Feeding Raw
For the true hard-core dog owner, another option to consider is feeding BARF ("Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods -
means all raw, all natural). This includes raw meaty
bones of different types, limited amounts of specific vegetables, eggs and yogurt, and dietary suppliments. This can get
a little more expensive and takes more time and effort - but if you can manage, it's the absolute best way to go for most
pets. This is truely the ultimate in animal nutrition. For more information, try: