Why do so many people feed their dogs and cats kibble? The most straightforward answer is that it has become the “norm.” Kibble is easy to obtain, affordable, easy to feed, palatable, and has a long shelf life. Do these features sound familiar? In the human realm we call this food “fast food.” Why do humans eat fast food? Because it has become the “norm,” it is easy to obtain, affordable, palatable and has a long shelf life.
Both fast food and kibble are capable of sustaining life.
But neither one of them is “healthy.”
Why aren’t kibble and fast food healthy? They both contain the necessary proteins, carbohydrates, fats and calories to sustain life, but neither one of them has natural vitamins, phytonutrients, antioxidants, enzymes, etc. All the things that our bodies, and your pets bodies need to be at optimum health.
Kibble and fast food also contain some damaging components that are the byproduct of high heat processing, like advanced glycation end products, which are known to cause colon cancer in humans. The kibble also contains artificial chemicals, colors, flavors and preservatives. All dog foods in the form of kibbles are also about 50% carbohydrate, this is the binder that keeps the kibble in that cute little kibble shape. Dogs only need about 10% carbohydrates for every day metabolic processes, cats, being true carnivores, need 0% carbohydrates! All these abnormal chemicals and carbohydrates contribute to your dog or cat being in a constant state of elevated inflammation. Clinically this might manifest as arthritis, skin inflammation, obesity, liver enzyme elevations, and vulnerability to diseases such as cancer.
Intuitively I think we all recognize that a person or an animal eating a non processed diet containing fresh veggies, meats and grains is likely to live longer, have better energy, look healthier and be less vulnerable to disease than a person or animal that eats fast food.
So what to do? We do not all have time or funds to cook and feed ourselves a fresh diet, how are we expected to do this for our pets? Lucky for all of us we live in a modern world filled with creative and industrious animal lovers. Some of those animal lovers have created homemade fresh foods that we can buy in the store, order online or purchase at your vet clinic! You also do not need to completely eliminate kibble, for most dogs and cats a little kibble is ok and even needed for the extra nutrition and energy. It is ideal to just try not to feed 100% kibble.