What Your Dog Eats Matters
Have you ever wondered if you’re feeding your dog the best that you can? Maybe you’ve been overwhelmed when standing in the dog food aisle, or worse gotten pummeled with targeted ads for all the different types of dog food. What is best- kibble, fresh, raw? It’s so confusing! I’m going to give you all the basics so you can start to make your own choices and find what works best for you and your dog.
Before I jump in, a little background on making the best choice for you…
I’m old enough to remember when every vet was telling clients “ONLY dog food! Never give your dog people food!” Now we know that there shouldn’t be “dog” food or “people” food. Just FOOD food. Even if you can’t cook your dog’s food at home, you can still get a healthy meal for your dog if you know what to look for. The first thing you need to do is decide between cooking at home or purchasing and then the rest is easy. Just like your own food, make sure you know your dogs personal needs so that you can make informed choices, and consider working with a pet nutritionist to avoid all the misinformation out there.
Let’s dig into the basic guidelines to choosing how to feed your pup…
Fresh is Best
It doesn’t matter if it’s fresh lightly cooked from the pet store or gourmet specialty meals, fresh food is ideal. If you wouldn’t eat it (or some version of it), it’s a good bet you shouldn’t be feeding it to your dog.
Even if you don’t have time to cook at home your can add bits of meals you are making for yourself to your dog’s kibble to add a bit of bonus nutrition. Just be mindful that they don’t need junk food calories any more than you do.
Some ideas for feeding fresh food:
Kibble- look for a manufactured date and try to choose one that is in the last 3 months. Buy a size bag that will last you about 1-2 weeks and don’t be tempted by giant bag savings. The fats will go rancid because there is no way to keep giant bags fresh for very long.
Fresh lightly cooked- either make it at home using some of the readily available balanced recipes or purchase one of the many brands now available. Fresh foods generally have a 3-5 day use by window and while a bit more expensive are pretty close to premium kibble prices. You can add lightly cooked varieties to the top of kibble or use them on their own. Be diligent if you are making the food yourself, work with your vet or nutritionist to ensure balance and nutrient adequacy.
Frozen raw, freeze dried, and dehydrated- these foods have a longer storage range, tend to be a bit more expensive, and more closely match the “ancestral” dog diet- meaning they are typical to what dogs ate in the wild before moving in to share our couches.
Homemade- this is the most time consuming and can become overwhelming. It’s important to do your research here because a lot goes into making homemade food. You can supplement kibble or dehydrated food with homemade and simply make dog versions of what you are having each night if you have the time.
Regardless of which version make sure it’s used as close to the manufactured date as possible.
Once a day
Feeding your dog once a day is important for a couple of reasons, but of you have a puppy, an elder, or a nursing/preggo mama once a day probably isn’t for you.
The number one reason to feed once a day is food safety. Since you’re feeding fresh food (even kibble) you want to make sure pests, microbes, and other critters are staying out of your dogs meals. Pick a meal time when you can be around for 20-30 minutes and pick up any food your dog doesn’t eat during that time. Just like you probably wouldn’t eat a meal left out on the floor all day, your dog probably prefers something fresh.
Secondly, you want to keep an eye on your dogs appetite, how much he eats, and if you have more than one dog ensure he gets only his fair share. Feeding your dog at a consistent and regular meal time is a great way to avoid behavior problems, reduce stress, and have some quality time with your pal.
Ingredients are Tricky
There is no way to sugar coat this…food manufacturers want to sell food. Your dog’s welfare is pretty far down their priority list (behind profit margins), even though they do work to meet AAFCO (Association of Amarican Feed Control Officials) standards. AAFCO is the organization that makes sure your dog’s food has at least the minimum nutrients for “health.” Just like in people food, this is tricky because they have to prove they have nutrients, but it doesn’t matter where it comes from. For example corn provides omega 6 fats, but flax seed is a much better source because it’s less inflammatory.
When looking at the ingredients list pay attention to what is on the top half of the list- those ingredients should all be recognizable and whole food sourced. It should be things like chicken, whole grain oats, and sweet potatoes - or something very similar to that. You should recognize most things on the ingredient list, but keep in mind dog food has different standards and some minerals come from supplements. Finding a label that has no chemical-words is going to be difficult.
Again, this is where your doggie dietitian is a big help. She can translate that ingredient list for you.
Health Starts in the Bowl
Just like in people, disease comes from chronic inflammation, and just like in people, your dog’s food is where the immune system lives. Feeding nourishing, whole food ingredients is the best way to support your dogs long, healthy life. Better food = better health.
Also just like people, too much food is hard on digestion, metabolism, and your dogs little body. Junk food, treats, and too many junky ingredients tax liver and digestion. It’s even thought that cancer that affects one in three dogs may stem from junkie food.
Whole food ingredients like veggies and fruits, healthy fats, and lean proteins can help your dog be a super dog- living an active, long life. Consider using organic jerky or chopped veggies for treats and sharing foods that you are making for your own meals. Eggs, carrots, broccoli, and turkey jerky are some of the most well received treats around my house.
You Have Options
As I mentioned, back in the day it was frowned upon to feed your dog table food. Early adopters of raw diets were considered “hippie dippy” and cooking your own dog food was crazy talk. Now there are whole businesses dedicated to meal prep for dogs!
It’s an exciting time for dog food because the options are so vast and diverse. It’s recommended to vary your dog’s diet occasionally, and I recommend seasonally switching something up to my clients. Now you can strategically try different food forms as you see fit.
For a healthy, active dog you might follow a seasonal flow similar to this:
Spring: Kibble or dehydrated food topped with fresh veggies and lean meats
Summer: Skip the kibble and go with a more fluid rich home cooked or frozen raw diet
Fall: Back to kibble with seasonal veggie toppers
Winter: Cozy lightly cooked meals either made at home or purchased fresh, choose a protein he hasn’t had in a while to mix it up.
Your plan might look similar or be completely tailored to your dog’s needs. Regardless of what you choose, know that even if you’re bound by your budget, hampered by time, or just learning the ropes your dog will appreciate and benefit from the effort.
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