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Think about this: Dogs are carnivores, right?

Then why does kibble contain mostly vegetable matter and grains?

These are the ingredients from a popular pet food brand for overweight dogs:

"Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, soybean hulls*, whole wheat flour, rice flour, chicken, soy flour, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), sugar, animal digest, tricalcium phosphate, sorbitol, water, salt, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried green beans, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), zinc sulfate, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, ferrous sulfate, glyceryl monostearate, manganese sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite. A-4091

*14% - a source of fiber" (Ingredients copied from ingredient list from popular pet kibble sold at most supermarkets.

What is the first ingredient? Corn! Corn has no benefits to humans, and certainly not dogs. Our systems and dogs' systems just cannot break corn down.

The next ingredient chicken by-product meal. What is that? "By-products?" Is it really chicken? The third major ingredient corn again, then soybean.

Near the top is also "animal digest." According to wikipedia, animal digest is "a common ingredient used in pet foods. As defined by the AAFCO, it is produced by chemically or enzymatically treating animal tissue (such as flesh, bone, organs, etc.) from slaughterhouses and other sources, in a process akin to rendering." Chemicals.

If you read the labels of many of the dog food kibbles you can purchase in your average supermarket, you will find that most read akin to this list.

If you would like to feed your dog healthy, and get him off all the chemicals, consider raw-feeding (a/k/a BARF). BARF stands for Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.

Some of the benefits of feeding raw include a softer, shinier coat, cleaner teeth, and less vet bills! If your dog has allergies (and many dogs do have allergies to certain grains), raw feeding will most certainly lower your vet bills and will most likely get your dog off medications for allergy itching.

Another benefit of feeding raw is being able to add your own supplements, should you choose to. It's not required. Most people do add a bit of garlic (powder or crushed) to their dog's food, as it helps with flea control (first hand experience with this!).

There are quite a few books on raw feeding out there (a few are recommended on Rambo's Blog) and there are groups that will help you with the conversion, should you wish to convert or even if you would like to do more research on raw feeding.

You might think that raw feeding is expensive. It is actually less expensive than feeding top quality kibbles that contain meat. Watch the sales and visit your butcher. Buy in bulk if you have freezer space. Check freecycle lists for people cleaning out their freezers. While humans do not eat freezer burnt meat, dogs will eat it. They are not as fussy about texture as we humans are! You can also ask your butcher if they will save all the meat and bones they normally throw out for you. Some will gladly do that if you supply them with a bucket, as they must pay to dispose of meat waste.

Learn more about this author, Cheryl Bowman.
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