Anyone who has ever looked inside a dog’s mouth can easily understand the tooth design and its function. Dogs are predators, designed to catch, kill, and dismember their prey. It doesn’t take a research scientist to easily evaluate that kibble diets (processed, food dyes, and preservatives) cannot possibly have the same nutritional value as whole raw food diets. However, this is good reading:
Raw Diet vs Kibble Diet
Additionally, there are behavioral benefits to optimal diets. If you are struggling with reactivity, allergies, nervousness or fearful behaviors, or dogs that can’t seem to ‘settle,’ it’s definitely worth investigating the diet aspect of behavioral health.
Potty training: Kibble diets are correlated with bladder and kidney stones, and urinary tract infections. Often, kibble diets are too high in carbohydrates (sugar) causing bacterial over-growth.
We get a lot of inquiries about potty training puppies and adult dogs. One of the first steps you can take is to ensure your dog is on a high-quality diet, and feeding your dog on a schedule. The schedule should be ONCE or TWICE per day (exceptions can be made for ill dogs or hard weight-keepers). Many people anthropomorphize the breakfast/lunch/dinner schedule. The more often food goes in, the more often food will come out! This makes potty training very difficult and isn’t the way predators feed or optimally metabolize nutrients. The processed diet instructions on feeding are designed to get you to buy more processed diet. The instructions on the bag are not a good reference for feeding instructions.
“Well my vet said…..” My intention is not to disparage Veterinarians. However, Vets have a lot to learn about during school! Nutrition is typically one semester long (if not a clinic-style) and taught by Purina or Science Diet. The fox is guarding the hen house.
If you can’t stomach the idea of feeding raw meat and bones to your dogs, ensuring the nutrient ratios are correct (raw feeding is optimal but not ‘simple’), it’s worth the investment to feed a high quality kibble.