I often wondered why my dogs wouldn’t eat kibble when they gobble poop like it’s the last piece of bacon on earth. I know that processed foods are generally bad for humans. But Jesus, kibble is poison! Literally! Most kibble is packed with GMO corn, wheat, and gluten, which are common allergens for dogs. Pesticides? Antibiotics? Preservatives? Check. Even modified plastics and rancid or diseased animal tissue/tumors are commonly used in kibble! DaFUK? How did this happen? Lemme drop some knowledge:

Domestic dogs evolved from selective breeding of grey wolves by humans. Characteristics of trainability, obedience, and work ethic were favored early. Dogs helped protect and maintain resources (herding or guarding), and humans in return were motivated to feed, breed, and keep their dogs alive. Win-win. Although a dog’s gut has evolved to be slightly more omnivorous than a wolf’s, dogs have thrived on mostly meat for thousands of years.

In fact, kibble did not exist before the 1950’s. During the great depression, people couldn’t afford meat. Concurrently, opportunistic dog food manufacturers were born. They realized they could cheaply get slaughterhouse byproducts (including diseased meats, tumors, etc.) and grain floor sweepings not fit for human consumption. It was mixed together and cooked for days with tons of antibiotics to kill bacteria. Obscene amounts of preservatives were added to maintain shelf life. The profit margin potential was huge, due to the low cost of the raw material and the retail markup, which increased as the country recovered economically. The marketing race began to convince the public to buy kibble.

Corporate leaders of the new pet food industry tasked THEMSELVES with creating safety standards. And, yep, standards were REDUCED from extended feeding trials to a simple chemical analysis of pet food. Veterinarians were paid to endorse specific brands. With no oversight required, profit, not pet health, fueled this new industry.

I respect vets, and they are generally dedicated to animal health. But their qualifications are for surgery, conventional treatment, and drug prescription. They receive biased nutritional information in school, because pet food companies like Hill’s and Purina often write textbooks and sponsor nutrition classes, endorsing their brand rather than emphasizing ingredients. So vets today continue to encourage the use of dry dog food, but they still receive research funding from major pet food corporations. Conflict of interest, much!?

Winners: Meat packers. Grain processors. Kibble manufacturers. Advertisers. Veterinarians.

Losers: Dogs.

Nowadays, more pet owners are choosing healthy alternatives.

Some people feed their dogs cooked meat and vegetables. I prefer a raw diet because cooking food destroys essential enzymes and nutrients. Yes, there are bacteria in raw food. But dog’s guts are prepared to handle lots of bacteria that ours aren’t (remember, they eat poop on the regular). And those nonexistent kibble safety standards cause epidemics of illnesses and deaths every year (and of course the ensuing kibble recalls). Plus, raw bones don’t splinter like cooked bones. Speaking of which…

Raw bones are NECESSARY for a dog’s diet:

1)     All the calcium your dog needs.

2)     Chewing bones is nature’s way of cleaning their teeth.

3)     The time it takes to eat meat with bones provides challenging mental stimulation, and gives dogs’ enough time to get digestive juices flowing.

4)     Chewing is a muscle workout for their head and jaw.

Some yummy options are chicken quarters, poultry necks, and pigs feet. Add variety with ostrich, duck, deer, bison, etc. Fish (whole or just the heads) provide Omega fatty acids. Include non-secreting organs like brain, kidney, eyeballs, liver (especially), heart, and lungs to balance the diet. Green tripe is the most nutritious part of a raw diet.

You can add raw fruits or veggies, but do your research! Avoid foods that are harmful to dogs. Remember, dogs are mostly carnivores.

How much you feed your dog depends on their metabolism and exercise level. If your dog is putting on the pounds, scale back. If they look skinny, feed more. Give your dogs a few days to get used to this new diet and get that nasty kibble out of their system, but once you do, your dog will be healthier and LOVE you at dinnertime. If you're in Southern California, check out the co-op at www.socalbarf.com for HUGE discounts on raw food!

No guarantees that your dog will stop eating poop.