Katie, CVT, DN-CET, HABc, CPCN
Apr 19, 202010 min
Updated: Feb 18
Preview: The multi-billion dollar pet industry likely has you very confused with what to feed your dog or cat. Truth is, most pet owners I talk to don't even know the name of the brand they feed. A lot of folks in the natural/ holistic pet health world will flat out say ALL KIBBLE IS BAD. And while there is definitive evidence that there are more appropriate foods for pets than kibble, I admit that it can be extremely difficult to feed raw, in any form! Limitations include time, space, and money. And it is especially difficult for large and more active dogs. This was one of the reasons I decided to start my business. To assist owners in providing great nutrition for their pets, no matter what the circumstance, preference, or budget. Learn how to: Boost your pet's bowl with whole foods, choose an honorable brand, research recall history, add proper supplements, and see why moisture is a critical component of any diet! I'll also teach you step by step how to calculate carbohydrate content of kibble to avoid a high carb diet for your carnivore! Additionally, this post includes my top 5 DON'Ts for kibble buying, storage, and feeding! BONUS: See which top 7 brands of pet foods I do not recommend! PLUS a 2nd surprise BONUS! It is so very empowering to be informed! I want to be sure YOU and YOUR PETS have Happy Trails! Are you ready to feel confident and empowered in your pet's healthcare decisions?! Now is the time! Let's get started. Be sure to login to read this exclusive post!
So, recently I was asked:
Some things to be factored in are common sense; such as feeding dog food to dogs and kitten food to kittens. So, I'll skip that lecture. And while much advice focuses on "Be sure it says AAFCO approved" I will be honest and say I have yet to see a food without this statement, it is pretty standard.
Choosing a brand of high quality food is extremely important. Do NOT go off marketing claims or standard recommendations. "Meat first" is only 1 small factor in assessing quality... Many companies have meat first now, but it doesn't mean much when the company has a large recall history, etc.
Things I take into consideration when looking at pet food:
Who owns the brand- Large corporate companies tend to be less reliable in their quality than smaller, family owned companies. I avoid large companies at all costs. Support small, support local!
Recall history- Red flag for many recalls. Some companies have even had lawsuits for sickening and killing pets. This is probably my most important factor when researching pet food and the first thing I look into. View recalls at this link.
Ingredient sourcing- Avoid companies known to outsource their ingredients (specifically from China), this has a long and dangerous history which has resulted in thousands of pet deaths. Unless reputable (such as New Zealand lamb)! Some companies also use forms of slave labor and do not promote sustainable practices. Read more about that issue here.
Company transparency- Does the company disclose where they manufacture their food, and where ingredients come from?
Brand integrity- Do they have a reputation for being honest and trustworthy?
Ingredient quality- Feed grade vs Food grade. Also be aware of meat vs plant based foods!
Marketing tactics- Do they use catchy phrases, such as "all-natural" to get your attention?
....Just to name a few!
These are all very important in choosing any kind of food, whether raw or kibble, but there seems to be a lot more issues in the area of kibble.
In fact, kibble can be a higher source of dangerous bacteria and other contamination than raw food!
Say what?!
"Based on FDA Enforcement Reports, (and not including the recent Salmonella recall from Midwestern Pet Food) – almost 150 million pounds of kibble has been recalled for containing a pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella since 2012 when in the same time frame a little more than 2 million pounds of raw pet food has been recalled for the same cause."
"One hundred fifty million pounds to two million pounds…it’s not even close, kibble is much “more likely to be contaminated with bacteria” and kibble is more of a risk to sicken at risk individuals."
Unfortunately, a lot of time and research is needed to know these things, and you must keep on top of it.
Kibble can be hard on a pet's digestive system and it lacks nutrients due to processing. It is important to add various supplements to boost their health and immunity, especially as they age. Things like joint supplements, bone broth, and probiotics, etc.
Dry pet food can contain and awful lot of carbohydrates, and ideally, carnivores should not have much at all. Wild cats and dogs would only get about 2-3% in their diet. Some dry pet foods can contain as much as 30-60%. This also needs to be considered when buying grain free foods. Glycemic index can skyrocket when using various alternatives to grains such as potato.
To calculate the carbohydrate content of a dry food, add up the following:
Fat
Protein
Moisture
Ash
This is found in the guaranteed analysis. Subtract that total number from 100 to get an estimated carbohydrate percentage.
Companies that utilize ingredient splitting will likely produce a higher carbohydrate food because there will be less meat. Look out for this!
This is usually listed as kcal/kg or kcal/cup. Following the feeding guidelines on the bag can be a great estimate, but keep some pet foods can vary up or down by 200 calories or more. So, if you are partial to switching up pet foods, keep an eye on this number.
Without adjusting calorie content, your pet could gain or even lose a drastic amount of weight. I had this problem when first switching pet foods for my dog. She lost a lot of weight, and come to find out, she was missing about 400kcal a day that her body so desperately needed!
Also keep in mind, that when switching to a more nutrient dense and digestible food, your pet will be needing to eat less! Saving you money overall on the cost of food!
I see a LOT of social media group posts asking about how much to feed, especially for puppies. You must know that there is no set universal measurement to feed any animal. Calorie and metabolic calculations must be made to evaluate the animal's individual requirements as well as what that particular food is providing in terms of nutrients.
Extra nutrition from phytonutrients, amino acids, healthy fats, antioxidants can be found in abundance in whole foods, that can all lack in kibble. It is important to note; when adding additional whole foods, decrease kibble amount so their daily intake of calories doesn't skyrocket.
While a lot of professionals will discourage any feeding of "human food."
Let me make one thing clear:
FOOD IS FOOD.
*This photo does not display correct ratios for adding kibble toppers. For display purposes only.
What do they think goes into kibble? Have they ever read an ingredient list?
Chicken, rice, blueberries, carrots, etc. It's all 'human food!'
Highly processed into a tiny brown ball and labeled as pet food.
I could scream this from the rooftops.
Yes, its okay to give your pet REAL FOOD. In fact, I highly encourage it.
This is not to say kibble is bad!
Keep in mind:
When adding additional food items to your pet's diet, it should not be more than about 20% of their total intake. It's important to cut back the original portion of commercial food, for everything you add to not drastically increase caloric or vitamin/mineral content of the diet.
Sardines are a great option for a whole food source of omegas that often lack in kibble! My favorite brand is listed here.
Kibble lacks critical moisture that keeps pets hydrated and healthy to promote good lymphatic drainage, detox and digestion.
Some theorize that this is what leads to so many pets developing health problems like kidney disease, urinary tract infections, bladder stones, and so on.
Adding moisture to kibble also improves dental health, and the overall digestion of the food itself.
I also advise adding moisture to kibble in order to decrease the allergens potentially being inhaled. Kibble can become overly dry, crumbly, and dusty... And when it is not stored properly, it can be loaded with dust mites which may inhaled by your pet as they eat (see below for proper kibble storage).
Keep it interesting by adding bone broth, raw goat's milk, wet food. These can all be found here.
You can even make them a green detox smoothie.
Or, you can simply add warm filtered water.
7. Use the correct type of bowl.... And WASH it!!
Please refer back to the beginning when we touched on bacterial contamination within kibble diets. Dogs and cats have a ton of bacteria in their mouths, as well.
I prefer stainless steel or glass bowls/ dishes. Occasionally I will recommend ceramic. You should NEVER use plastic as it can contribute to bacteria buildup (I'll talk about that more in the what not to do section).
Wash bowls daily, or at least every other day, with hot soapy water. I prefer to use Theives Household Cleaner as it removes any buildup and disinfects. Vinegar mix is also a good choice, but I can't stand the smell.
8. Last, but among the most important: READ THE LABEL!
Companies have many tricks up their sleeves to get away with cutting costs and using cheap ingredients. As I've mentioned above, these companies will split ingredients to make it appear as though meat is the most abundant in the food.
While you may have been told that grain-free food is bad, there's no evidence of it causing DCM. This has been debunked by over 150+ peer reviewed studies!
Carnivores should be eating a meat-based diet. The food should contain multiple named meats (no 'poultry meal' or by-products, etc.) as well as some produce. Feeding grain-based diets can lead to inflammation, and deficiencies.
You may have also been told that the label should be "AAFCO approved".... personally, I've never seen a food that isn't. Another truth is that AAFCO is NOT actually a regulatory agency. They have no authority to regulate the quality of ingredients used in a pet food.
Pet owners need to read the label, do the research... and above all; use common sense!
Products like this are not appropriate to feed!
P.s. Keep an eye out for where things are on the ingredient label: anything listed after SALT is will make up less than 1% of the overall product. So while the fancy packaging may have pretty pictures of fruits and vegetables, if they are listed way at the bottom of an ingredient lablel... They are almost non-existent in that bag.
1: Buying a food just because it's on sale. You get what you pay for. Please, look a little deeper than the price tag. If it's cheap, there ought to be a reason. Poor or outsourced ingredients are a common factor in this. I can tell you from experience, I have seen 40 pound bags of dog food that are cheaper than bird seed. No, I'm not joking!
2: Buying in bulk. Rule of thumb: a bag of kibble should only be open for about 2-4 weeks. Just because it is a bit more cost effective to buy 30 pounds of food for you cat, does not mean you should. I highly discourage buying in large amounts for a few reasons; as soon as a pet food is exposed to air, fats begin to oxidize. These fats and oils in the food can go rancid and make your pet sick. Nutrient loss can also occur. You wouldn't have a bag of chips open that long, would you?
3: Do not store or feed food in a plastic container. Upon dumping kibble into a giant plastic container, it again, is exposed to air and quickly loses nutrient value. The oils can also leach into plastic, and leave toxic residue in your pet's food. This also poses a risk that in the event of a recall, you have thrown the bag away with the lot number and barcode (see the top reasons on why you should always keep track of the lot number on your pet's food). Always put the full bag into the enclosed container.
Air exposure to kibble also increases the likelihood of storage mite infestations. Mites can contribute to pet allergies, especially skin itching. Again, roll up the bag and remove all air and then store it in an air tight pet food container.
Storage bin companies are now starting to advertise exactly how these should be used! It's a common misconception that these containers are to be used in place of a bag!
Check out these shocking truths behind pet food storage. Last, but not least... letting your pet eat out of a plastic dish promotes bacteria buildup. Stainless steel, glass or ceramic is best!
4: Purchasing of grocery store brands. Whatever you do, avoid buying pet food at the grocery store. These brands are as cheap and low quality as it gets.
I'll admit, it's not always easy to find a high quality food.. especially at the grocery store.
But, if you do a little research it can go a long way! As I said, use common sense! If grains are among the first 2 ingredients.. put it down and walk away!
5. Feeding outside the recommended guidelines.
If your pet's food says to feed 2-3.5 cups per 50 pounds of body weight, it is VERY important not to feed more or less. Nutrient content of food is determined very specifically. Feeding outside the recommended range can result in nutrient excess or deficiency. For instance, for the range stated above- you should not be feeding 1.5 cups, or 4 cups. If your pet needs adjusting outside of the recommended feeding range, you will need to find another food that better suits their needs.
Do you feed any of these brands?!
I could add about 2 dozen more to this list, but these top offenders have track records far from anything related to good health.
Avoid at all costs!
Cheat sheet!
This easy to follow handout is available in the Members section!
At the very least:
Know who owns the brand
Avoid companies with a long recall history
Be sure the company is transparent with their ingredient sourcing and manufacturing
Don't buy grocery store brands
Opt for meat-based foods. Remember, we are feeding carnivores!
Buy smaller quantities at a time
Keep food stored in original packaging
Feed within the recommended guidelines
Add fresh foods and appropriate supplements
Following these steps can ensure you are giving your pet the best quality food for optimal health and vitality!
Is this a lot of stuff to take into consideration to ensure your pet is eating a well-rounded diet?
You bet it is!
I take every aspect of what is outlined in this post into consideration for diet recommendations.
With a Whole Body Wellness Program, you will learn all you need to know plus a step by step outline on how to implement it all quickly and effectively!
No research on your end! You will receive a full outline of what I recommend, and we will discuss what I don't recommend.
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"Dedicated to helping, and empowering pet owners to make better decisions in order to improve the health and well-being of their pets, naturally. Because when you know better, you can do better."