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SAY WHAT?? |
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When
I heard the comment – “Dogs need kibble!”
– the only thing I could think of was – Say what? How can someone really
believe that.
First off is the fact that dogs have been with us in recognizable form
for many thousands of years. There is
no agreement on just when dogs became “domesticated” but 35,000 years
surfaces as a viable time in history.
Kibble dates back about 50 years!!!!!!!! So – please enlighten me on how these
creatures became dependent on “kibble” for their survival? Oh,
yes. We do have Chihuahuas and Great
Danes (and all the wondrous other forms of canines!), which clearly stretch the imagination when
it comes to placing these animals in the same category as their ancestors -
but – they are all dogs and furthermore, they are all wolves in varying forms
– or nearly so. By that I mean that their DNA is almost identical and, for
example, digestive systems haven’t changed much during all those years. They have “short” systems and grain
digesting critters have “long” systems. Grains
as we know them are relatively new to our world. The tiny seeds formed on natural grasses
that permit them to renew themselves for another trip in this world have
little to do with what one sees in the grains that enter the digestive system
of food animals. Big changes have
happened in the formation of food production grains but little has happened
to assist the digestive systems of animals that have to live with these
products. Back
to kibble. “Kibble” is a generic term
(in English it is kibble – in Spanish it is croqueta)
which describes processed food based on a grain source. So – how can it be that dogs have to have kibble for their
survival? Clearly they don’t! Do not expect a dog food manufacturer to
agree with that statement. But,
oh the scary things that surface when people decide to avoid kibble and “do
right” by their wonderful canine companions!
For example, people cook up big pots of rice and feel very good about
giving it to their dogs and furthermore they usually mix it with kibble! The last thing a dog needs is more grain in its diet. People hear that there are some of us who
feed a raw diet to our dogs but don’t bother to learn just what that means
and what is involved in being certain that the “raw diet” is balanced and provides
all the nutrition a dog requires. They
throw their dog a chicken wing and then pile the bowl full of kibble and
believe that they are on the right track.
Sorry, but no way is that going to do much to improve the dog’s
health. To
justify what they are doing I hear things like – “Oh, but MY dog wouldn’t eat
the raw vegetables so I don’t bother with that part of the diet.” Well – that is a very important part of the
diet and those vegetables must be pulverized as would result from a trip
through the food processor. At that
point I often hear –
“That is too much trouble. I don’t have time for all that extra work.” To be sure, feeding a dog a raw diet is a
lot more work than opening a bag of dog food and pouring it in a bowl. Whether or not one “goes raw” and does it
well is a matter of priorities. Meanwhile,
it is surely better for the dog if he is fed a top quality kibble than for
him to be getting rice and chicken which is totally and completely
unbalanced! For starters there is no
calcium in that mixture and the calcium/phosphorus balance is critical to
good health. So – if you feed a
home-prepared diet please learn what your dog needs to assure him good health
now and in the long haul. If you feed
kibble make it the best but – please do not believe that dogs need kibble to survive – it just
isn’t so.
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