Kibble vs. other types of food
There are many schools of thought and choices when it comes to feeding your pet. There are people that feed kibble bought at the grocery store, people that cook food at home and those that feed raw. Each has their pros and cons and I hope to touch on a few of them. I will supply links so you can get further information and, if you are thinking of changing the way you feed, you can make an informed decision on what works best for you and your pet.
What I have found is really important is to have a veterinarian that supports your decisions. Always talk about any change in diet with your vet but remember your vet is not a nutritionist. He or she is a vet.
Henry and I are fed a raw food diet. There are many reasons my mom decided to feed raw - here are a few:
- I have been overweight for most of my life and had tried all kinds of kibble, canned food, homemade diets and other things to get the weight off. Mom decided to try raw when we didn't get any results with the other foods. That's when I started losing weight.
- Many raw feeders will tell you their pets that had allergies or health issues no longer have those problems now that they're eating raw. That is true with me; I used to have dry, itchy skin and it is no longer a problem.
- The food recall of 2007. I was already eating raw at the time of the recall but with all the information that came out after the recall was over, my mom was glad she wasn't feeding me something that could have potentially made me sick or caused me to die.
Kibble - pros and cons
My mom doesn't like kibble but a lot of people do. I guess it's convienent and easy to feed to pets. My big sister, OmaKitty, eats a high-grade kitty kibble only because she won't eat anything else that Mom tries to feed her and she's healthy. That being said, the US Government has no office that regulates what is in kibble. A pet food company can put virtually anything into their food and there isn't anyone to tell them they can't do it. Additionally, there IS a minimum daily requirement (MDR) for dog foods that is set by the government however any food that doesn't make an animal sick (or worse) passes the MDR. I'm not even going to talk about the "by-products" and things they are allowed to put into kibble because it's gross.
I strongly believe that if you are going to feed a kibble, it should be a high-grade, grain-free food like EVO, Orijen or even Core which is made by Wellness and can be purchased at stores like Petsmart and Petco.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that kibble has received a lot of negative press over the past few years and a lot of it is probably deserved. I'm glad that the food recall got the attention of pet owners and the government and I hope that in the future, food companies are more careful and aware of what they're putting into the foods.
Next up: Homemade meals