Can you imagine eating the same thing Every. Single. Day? A bowl of dry kibble or a can of mush. That would get really boring! Believe me your dog thinks so too. But by putting your dog on a raw diet you provide a delicious variety of real meats, bones, fruits, and veggies. Real food not only tastes better, it’s nutritionally superior. So, here’s the truth about kibble.
There’s a lot that goes into the processing of kibble and I believe it’s important for people know what they’re feeding their pets. Right now, I know most people just scoop their dog’s food out of the bag and don’t even think twice about what is in it or how it is made. I was guilty of the same thing.
Processing Kibble
To make that bag of crunchy nuggets pet food companies take whatever is left over that is not fit for human consumption and use it for pet food. They gather all of the left over parts of the slaughtered animals and render it down into a slurry, add some filler foods like cheap grains and meat and bone meals, and call it pet food.
During this process bones, tissue, hair and everything else goes into a big grinder called an auger. Using the process of extrusion, they cook the mixture and dry it at high temperatures. This extracts any moisture it has left and pretty much kills the nutritional value that the mixture contained.
The end product… tasteless nuggets that our pets wouldn’t even want to eat. So to make it palatable for dogs and cats, they cover the kibble with artificial flavors and add synthetic vitamins to fortify it. And don’t forget to throw in some preservatives so that bag of nuggets can sit on the shelf for months, in some cases even years.
Where Did Kibble Come From?
Processed dog food was first created in the 1860’s. Most people did not believe in feeding their pets from a box or bag. It sounded ridiculous to most. During that time dogs were fed table scraps and did some of their own hunting and foraging. They also got scraps and bones from the butcher. Back then they were eating pretty well.
Then the 1920’s rolled around and the first canned dog food was made. For the next few decades canned food dominated the pet food market. This was simply because it resembled real food and people were more comfortable feeding it to their pets.
When the war hit metal was mostly reserved for the war efforts and pet food companies needed to pivot away from canning. They focused on dry foods. These foods were still not the kibble we know today. Once the war was over, canned food quickly reclaimed the market once again.
But during the dry food era manufacturers realized it was cheaper to make dry pet food. They could use less meat and more cheap fillers. Nestle decided to produce pet food the same way they produce cereal. They combined the mixture and cooked it at high temps.
The result was tasteless, dry nuggets. They had to spray on flavors and synthetic vitamins for the pets to actually want to eat it. This is the kibble we know today. Sure it has evolved some but the process remains the same.
They had figured out how to make more food for less money. The pet food companies launched a full-scale marketing campaign to change people’s minds about dry pet food. They used tactics to scare people away from feeding real food to their dogs. These tactics are still used today. It became profit over our pet’s health.
How Do They Make Kibble Balanced?
Standards set for pet food through AFFCO, which is The Association of American Feed Control Officials, are in place to make sure our animals get the nutrition they need. But I really don’t feel they have your pets BEST health at heart. I mean look what the FDA and USDA allow in human food. Harmful things most other countries have already banned.
Just like humans all animals are different and have a wide variety of nutritional needs. For AFFCO balanced means a certain amount of protein, carbs, necessary vitamins and minerals, moisture, etc. It’s kind of like the food pyramid for pets but I don’t even trust the food pyramid for humans!
Did you know many dog food companies use cheap fillers like corn and wheat to increase the amount of food and the amount of profit? The problem is corn and wheat are among the most common genetically modified foods on the planet. These grains are also filled with molds and pesticides.
The mixture of slaughtered animal left overs and these added fillers then gets fortified with vitamins, minerals, and fats to make it a balanced meal.
To me it is a red flag when you have to add flavors and vitamins to food. Whole foods provide these naturally. I personally avoid overly processed foods for my family, so why would I provide a highly processed diet to my pup?
The Truth About Kibble
Like I said above, corn and wheat are the top GMO offenders. Our FDA thinks GMO’s are fine for humans so of course our pets are included in this market as well. Even if they come from organic sources dogs do not need corn and wheat in their diet.
Many dogs have allergies or some kind of intolerance to cheap grains anyway. Think of it this way, if a dog was starving do you think their first instinct is to head to a corn or wheat field? Um no. Dogs are meat eaters.
The truth about kibble… These large pet food companies have found a way to profit off of their waste by feeding it to our pets. Why? Because it’s super cheap and there’s less to dispose of. This is why kibble is popular all over the world. It also has a long shelf life compared to fresh dog food.
What to Look for in a Dog Food
Now I’m not saying this is every pet food company. But you know the saying “you get what you pay for.” DO NOT buy bottom of the line dog food. Buy the best food you can afford for your dog.
I know pet food isn’t cheap and I am not here to judge what you feed your dog. A great source for information on commercial pet food is DogFoodAdvisor.com. Here you’ll find ratings and recall information as well as ingredients and nutrition info. It’s also a good way to research multiple brands and help you make a decision on your pup’s diet if you’re going to feed kibble.
Reading the ingredients is the best way to understand what is in that bag of processed food. If you see corn and wheat in the first few ingredients move on. Many of your veterinary approved pet foods are full of cheap ingredients. Including the so called prescription diet foods found right in your vet’s office.
Their goal is not your dog’s nutrition, it’s profit. The number one ingredient should be a protein source. And preferably a whole protein source not a meat meal.
Meat meals are not necessarily bad but they should name a specific animal source. If it says meat meal it could be any combination of animal proteins from multiple sources. So look for beef meal, chicken meal, duck meal etc. Whole protein sources will simply say chicken, beef, and duck.
Synthetic Preservatives in Kibble
Pet food companies use chemical preservatives to prolong the shelf life of the kibble but also to stop the growth of harmful bacteria. Kibble sits in the bag for months possibly years while it gets exposed to different temperatures and elements. Preservatives are necessary but many are harmful. Especially when fed for a lifetime.
The following is a list of chemical preservatives that have potentially harmful side effects.
- Ethoxyquin – used to keep fats from going rancid.
- Propylene Glycol – used to preserve moisture. Also used in industrial products like anti-freeze.
- Benzoic Acid & Sodium Benzoate – used as an antimicrobial preservative in pet foods and human foods.
- Ascorbic Acid – used to prevent the discoloration of foods exposed to air.
- BHA – Butylated hydroxyanisole. Used to preserve the shelf life of fats.
- BHT – Butylated hyroxytluene. Used to preserve colors and textures, as well as fats.
Consumed in the long term these preservatives can cause serious side effects. Ethoxyquin is also used as a pesticide and a hardening agent in the making of rubber. Does that sound like something we should ingest? It has also been under investigation by the FDA for causing potential liver problems.
BHA and BHT are both known as possible cancer-causing compounds. With that being said, why does the FDA not ban it in the use of pet food? It is still found in numerous commercial pet foods. Make sure to check for these two when reading the ingredients list.
What Are Better Pet Food Options?
If you are at all concerned about the toxic load on your pets you should consider a fresh diet. There are many options to improve the life and health of your dog. Even if you feed the best kibble you should add some whole fresh foods.
Things you can add are lightly cooked vegetables like zucchini and sweet potatoes; raw eggs, sardines, bone broth and goat milk. If it’s dog friendly, Laila gets to try it. Dog’s love variety too!
They have no choice but to eat what we give them so let’s make it as healthy as possible. You are what you eat! Let’s keep food real.
Now that you know the truth about kibble, please consider ditching that bag and check out all of the Benefits of a Raw Fresh Diet and give your dog the best life.
Wag on my friends.
