A lot of dog owners these days are wondering if they should feed their dog kibble or raw food? Well we wonder the same thing! This post looks into each type of diet; the decision is yours to make, however.
Raw Diet
There are several reasons why people feed their dog raw food. Some think it's a more natural diet for pooch, while others are not a fan of the contents of processed food.
Raw food is certainly not as convenient as kibble. But it does have some advantages. First you know exactly what is in the food. Second, you are in complete control of portion sizes and the ratios of meat to vegetables. Raw food doesn't have to be a pain to prepare every day, either. You can prepare ahead of time and in bulk to save a lot of stress. And for those who don't have time, you can even buy pre-made raw food meals.
Just to make it more complex, there are several types of raw diets. Bones and Raw Food (BARF) and the Ancentral diet, for example. They differ in the amount of meat, organs, and vegetables included.
Kibble
Kibble is processed dog food that usually contains meat, corn, vegetables, and “fillers”. They are dried down and cooked into the kibble pellets that we are familiar with.
It is important to look at the ingredients list on the dog food bag. Is there an identifiable meat listed as the first or second ingredient? Many dog foods use lots of corn as the main ingredient. There might also be “animal byproduct” or “animal meal” listed – this could be road kill or rejected parts of other animals from human food processing plants. You can also check out reviews at DogFoodAdvisor.com and they will go over the ingredients carefully.
Another potentially important consideration for you is the type of facility used to make the kibble. Some brands are now processing their kibble in human-grade plants. These are factories that have met the standards that CFIA and FDA requires for all human food processed in Canda and the United States. Dog food companies may also be transparent about where the animals were farmed. Some kibble can also claim to be organic. Do some research and learn what is out there. There are some high-quality kibbles available. They will not be the cheapest available, but they may give you some assurance that your dog is eating a healthy dinner.
The Scoop on the Poop
We at ScoopaPoop certainly notice a difference in the dog waste we collect from dogs on different diets. Raw food poops tend to be more powdery in texture, and have less odour. They resemble wolf scat, in case you were wondering what it looks like. Whereas kibble poops tend to look like your typical dog poop, and usually have much more odour and varying consistencies. From just a poop perspective, the raw poops seem to be more natural!
Final Words
A lot more research is needed before we can say which diet is best. Also, dogs are most likely like us, where no single diet is best for everyone. Instead, you can look our for things like the health of a dog’s skin and coat, energy level, and general digestive tract health to tell if their diet is right.
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