Is “un-kibble” food a healthy full meal option for your pet?

Is “un-kibble” food a healthy full meal option for your pet?

Understanding the difference between feeding your pet human grade fresh food or human grade kibble is more important today than it has ever been. Let’s talk about why!

When feeding your pup, there is a clear choice of convenience over quality food for your pet. The difference between the crunch sound of fresh ingredients in a fresh food meal versus that of kibble is dried up nutrients that can no longer be considered as fresh and live food. Can you imagine eating a protein bar as a meal every single day? While it would make our lives a lot easier by taking away the time to prepare and cook food, I think we can all agree that our diet would no longer be considered nutritious or beneficial for our health.

Kibble could very well incorporate fresh whole food ingredients at the beginning stages of production but the end product is still something that dries out nutrients and those important vitamins and minerals that your pet would receive from straight up, real food. What kibble companies have to do instead is add powdered vitamins and preservatives, along with the drying process, to make sure that your pet is receiving enough nutrients to sustain their health and the longevity of the kibble's shelf life as well.

Recently, there has been a wave of new versions of kibble that claim to be natural, human grade, and overall “better” for your pet. What they are actually trying to sell you is convenience, and trust me we know it is appealing! Let’s take a second to see where kibble originated from so we can get a better understanding of why you shouldn’t be feeding it to your pet as a full meal to begin with.

What led to the start of dry food for pets?

During World War II, all available metal was sent towards the war effort so that meant that canned pet food was no longer an option. To keep up with the high demand, pet food companies instead created a cereal like product, using by-products, that could have a long shelf life and be sold in bags– no longer cans. These efforts transformed into a booming business which saw major profit over the mass production of low quality, long lasting dry food.

Shocking, right?!

Now knowing why dry food for pets and versions of kibble started in the first place, it really makes you think about why it still continues today. Kibble is of course the easier and more convenient way of feeding your pet, less mess and less of a cost, but is it really great for your pet’s health? At the end of the day, do you think eating a protein bar is going to maintain one’s health and overall longevity? I didn’t think so.

Consider using human grade fresh food as a topper!

One thing that you can do as a pawrent to ensure that your pet is receiving a balanced and nutritious diet is using fresh food as a topper. We have seen many pet owners begin to use fresh food as a topper because it is the more affordable option of giving your pet quality food and also gives them peace of mind that their pet is still receiving the benefits from fresh, live food and ingredients.

Final thought

The bottom line is that kibble is for our convenience as humans, not for your dogs or their health.