While a dog can technically survive on a diet of dry kibble, it can hardly be said that they are thriving. Or are they? Scientific studies are now starting to reveal what many have suspected for some time: that commercial kibble is causing a host of diseases and illnesses for dogs, while measurably decreasing their lifespan.

It's true that dogs are, for the most part, able to survive on a diet of commercially produced kibble. Historically, commercial dry kibble was largely carbohydrate-based during times of meat shortages, however, there is no need for this trend to have continued to the present day.

That being the case, it seems baffling that the majority of commercial dry kibble is primarily made up of plant-based carbohydrates, with a very small quantity of low-quality protein. A dog's digestive system is simply not created to facilitate the slow digestion required when consuming carbohydrates, including grains and plant food: nor do dogs have the molar teeth required to adequately grind plants and complex carbohydrates. Historically surviving primarily off live prey, wild dogs could survive many days between feeds, with their internal physiology facilitating the consumption of a large amount of protein in a very short period of time. Descended from the wolf, dogs are clearly carnivores, with their internal physiology, gut layout, and teeth structure providing unavoidable and unambiguous evidence of this fact. What Are Dogs Built To Eat?ĭogs existed – and thrived – in the wild for hundreds of years before becoming domesticated by humans.

Not only does a diet of processed food see dogs presenting with human-style health ailments like diabetes, cancer, and obesity, causing worried pet owners to search for tips to help your dog lose weight, studies have shown that switching to a raw food diet can measurably increase a dog's lifespan. This new unnatural diet is causing dramatic negative repercussions for dogs' health, wellness, and even their lifespan. But as we are now learning, dogs are no better equipped to handle cooked, processed foods than humans are. This same time period has seen a dramatic increase in the domestication of dogs, and the change in our eating habits has unavoidably caused a change in the way we feed our pets. The past 100 years have seen humans largely move away from farming and rural environments towards suburban areas, consuming enormous amounts of convenience foods: some of which would be unrecognizable to our ancestors just two or three generations back. There is no doubt that humans' eating behaviors have dramatically changed in the past century. Today, we are thrilled to have a guest blogger, James Woller, owner of Release the Hounds and Jet Pet Resort, write an article for us that further supports the reason why not to feed kibble but to go raw instead.Īs per our company's mission statement, we are dedicated in educating pet parents the benefits of raw feeding, which ultimately contributes to your pets' well-being and longevity, so without further ado.

Dog life expectancy chart by weight