Kibble is a dry, processed food fed to cats and dogs. Although it seems a popular choice for many pet owners, it isn't the best. Kibble is made from various ingredients, all of which hold little to no nutritional value.
While kibble presents few benefits to your dog, it's often deemed the most convenient to feed. However, as time goes on, more pet owners are becoming aware of the negatives that kibble presents. To learn more about feeding kibble to your pet, read on.
Exploring the Ingredients
It's no secret that kibble contains poor ingredients:
- Low protein sources
- Carbohydrates
- Oils and Fats
- Preservatives
- Stabilisers
- Flavouring agents
- Low-cost fillers
The nasty ingredients found in kibble can be difficult to digest. In turn, this could result in potential issues with your dog, such as stomach problems and allergic reactions. There are many types of kibble on the market today, and the likelihood is that they're not all great.
How is Kibble Made?
The kibble-making process is relatively simple, containing just a few steps:
- The ingredients are combined into a mix
- The mix is cooked under pressure at a high temperature into hard kibble
- The kibble is shaped into small chunks
- Artificial flavourings are sprayed over the kibble
- The kibble is bagged up and ready to be distributed
Due to the extreme temperatures used to cook the kibble (usually up to 200°C), the structure of the food changes and the ingredients lose all nutritional value. Our beloved pets haven't evolved to eat this type of food, so why do we feed it to them? Dogs require a diet packed with protein and essential nutrients, which kibble doesn’t offer.
Is Kibble Good For Your Dog?
No, kibble is not good for your dog. While it’s an affordable and convenient option for pet owners, it won’t offer many benefits to your pooch. To live a long and healthy life, dogs should be provided with the right diet - and a healthy one at that.
Acrylamides are compounds formed when food containing grains and starches (found in kibble) is cooked at a high temperature. Increased levels of acrylamide have been linked to kibble, and long-term exposure could potentially cause cancer. For your dog to have the best diet possible, with access to all the nutrients and proteins it needs, we do not recommend kibble.
Are There Any Benefits of Feeding Kibble?
There are few benefits to feeding your dog kibble, but none of which are of nutritional value:
- Cheaper alternative
- Easy to store
- Requires no refrigeration
- Available in most supermarkets
- Quick to feed
As you can see, feeding kibble only benefits the owner. This proves why kibble remains popular, as it's an advantageous choice in terms of cost and convenience, resulting in your dog missing out on the high-quality, protein-rich diet that they require.
What About Premium Kibble?
Premium kibble does exist, and it’s sold at a higher price point than your average supermarket kibble. While it’s likely that premium kibble uses better protein sources, fewer fillers, and offers hypoallergenic options, the cooking process remains the same as average kibble.
This means the kibble will be cooked at an extremely high temperature, causing the food to lose all nutritional value. Although choosing premium kibble may seem the better choice, it still fails to provide your dog with the diet they need to thrive.
The Best Food Option for Your Dog
So, if kibble isn’t the best option for your dog, what is? We understand how difficult it can be to find the right diet to suit your pet. All dogs are different, and some may require an alternative diet compared to others. However, kibble is likely the worst choice out of them all. In our opinion, the best species-appropriate diet for dogs is a raw diet.
Kibble vs Raw: The Key Differences
If you’re torn between feeding your pup kibble or raw food, let us step in and show you the real differences.
| Kibble | Raw |
|---|---|
| Not species-appropriate | Species-appropriate |
| Minimal protein | High protein |
| Contains little amount of nutrients | Contains all the nutrients required |
| Difficult to digest | Easy to digest |
| Highly processed | Not processed |
| Linked to dental issues | Helps keep teeth clean and healthy |
| Causes allergies | Little chance of causing allergies |
| No ingredient transparency | Clear and minimal ingredients list |
In conclusion, a raw food diet for dogs is better than feeding kibble. The benefits of raw food heavily outweigh the drawbacks that come with kibble.
Key Takeaways
- Kibble is a dry, processed food fed to cats or dogs
- Kibble isn’t recommended as the best diet for your dog
- The best species-appropriate diet for dogs is a raw diet
Kickstart Your Dog's Raw Diet Today!
Whether you’ve recently purchased a puppy or have decided to switch your dog's diet from kibble to raw, you’re likely wondering where to find the best raw dog food. Well, look no further! At Mersey Raw, we work tirelessly to ensure dogs across the UK are provided with quality raw mince meals that are packed with everything your dog needs.
We aim to encourage more owners to consider a healthy, species-appropriate diet for their four-legged friends. We’ve seen great results from raw diets for dogs, and we want you to as well.
Our full range of raw mince meals has something to suit all preferences, with a selection of animal sources to consider. We also have a handy calculator tool available on our site, allowing you to find out exactly how much raw food you should be feeding your dog.
If you have any questions regarding feeding a raw diet to your dog, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our friendly team remain on hand and looks forward to speaking with you soon!