Why Dry Food Is Not A Healthy Diet For Cats And Dogs

May 18, 2015

|

By Jodi Ziskin

 

 

As a Healthy Pet Coach, I focus on educating pet parents on ways to provide their fur babies with a bio-appropriate diet. The emphasis is on fresh food over processed foods. Homemade is great, but not everyone has the time or desire to make food from scratch - and that is perfectly okay. There are many excellent commercial foods available in a variety of forms including raw, freeze-dried raw, pre-mixes, and some canned foods. The one type of food I steer people away from is kibble.

 

Dry pet food is a processed food that was created approximately 100 years ago as a convenience for people. Unfortunately, it is a truly unnatural diet for cats and dogs. It is the 'fast food' of the pet food world.

 

With few exceptions, dry food is manufactured using very high heat. This destroys many of the nutrients found in the raw ingredients. Some estimate that 50% of the amino acids are destroyed as well as nearly all of the vitamins and minerals. That is one of the reasons synthetic vitamins and minerals are added. The thing is like people, cats and dogs do not assimilate synthetics very well. In addition, the once healthy omega 3 fatty acids in the food also become rancid during the cooking process.

 

Of course, the heat also eliminates most of the moisture content. On average, dry food contains around 12% moisture. Compare that with the 75 – 80% liquid content in natural prey, raw, homemade, and canned foods. Pets drinking copious amounts of water can consume around 50% of what is available in the aforementioned food forms. This is a far cry from what they actually need.  

 

What does this all mean? Many pets on an all-dry diet become chronically dehydrated. This is especially true for cats, as they naturally have a very low thirst drive and will often not even drink water until they are 3% dehydrated (which is serious).

 

A dry food only diet has been linked to obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome/disease, constipation, kidney disease, liver disease, joint problems, skin issues, impacted anal sacs and more.

 

How Dry Food Can Lead To Obesity

Because of the lack of nutrients, pets will eat more dry food just to try to meet their nutritional requirements. Most dry foods also contain grains, which have no place in the diet of obligate carnivores, like cats. When stomach acids break down these grains, it causes a spike in blood sugar. Insulin is then released by the pancreas to bring the blood sugar back to normal levels. What the insulin can’t handle then gets stored as fat in the body.

 

Dry Food And The Clean Teeth Myth

Simply put, dry foods do not keep teeth clean. That’s like telling you to eat granola or crackers and not brush your teeth! Starches from dry food (even grain-free dry foods contain starch, that's what holds the food together) adhere to teeth and become the breeding ground for bacteria (plaque). The best way to keep the teeth clean is to brush them or use enzyme-based oral care  products made especially for pets.

 

It is important to have your vet check your pet’s teeth during his or her annual exam. Most pets will need a professional cleaning from time to time.

 

Why Pets Love Dry Food

In order to attract pets to their food, pet food manufactures add flavor enhancers. This is a spray of fats, artificial colorings and flavorings, including MSG, which is added as the food cools. Not only does this help the food become more visually appealing to YOU (trust me, your pet does not care what color his/her food is). The flavor enhancers actually cause your pet to become addicted to the food!

 

I have had people tell me that they had a cat or dog that ate dry food his/her whole life and lived to 15. When I ask if that pet had any health issues, usually the response is either sensitive stomach, kidney disease, arthritis or skin issues. This isn't a coincidence.

 

Of course there are some pets that  live log, healthy lives on dry food. There is also that 90 year old guy that goes to a bar every day for whiskey,  smokes cigars and is perfectly healthy. Sure, it can happen, but do you really want to take that chance with your pet?

 

For bugetary reasons, sometimes kibble is a necessary part of the diet for  dogs - especially large ones. It is important to offer the best quality food possible. Avoid foods made with by-products, corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors or flavors, and BHT. Keep in mind that ingredient labels can be deceiving. Just because a named meat is the first ingredient, doesn't always mean there is more meat than carbohydrates. For example, let's say the first ingredient is chicken but the next five ingredients are grains and starches, then the food is higher in carbs than meat. 

 

Some of the better kibble brands for dogs include Instinct, Nature's Logic, Acana, Orijen, Merrick, and Fromm. All are made from human grade ingredients.

 

Cats really should avoid dry food all together. 

 

No matter what form of food you select for your pets, it is important not to feed the same thing day after day, month after month, year after year. This can lead to food intolerances and even nutritional deficiencies.

 

To learn more about how different types of food can affect the overall health of cats and dogs, I encourage you to visit the websites of veterinarians Dr. Karen Becker, Dr. Jean Hofve, and Dr. Patrick Mahaney.

 

 

 

 

 

Tags:

kibble

doghealth

cathealth

nodryfoodforpets

catnutrition

dognutrition

Please reload

Featured Posts

5 Natural Remedies For Pets With An Upset Tummy

January 14, 2015

Playtime Is An Important Part Of Your Cat's Day

October 1, 2014

February is National Pet Dental Health Month

February 2, 2015

1/10
Please reload

Recent Posts

Kruuse Makes Well-Designed Products For Pets

May 9, 2017

New Healthy Foods and Treats That Will Have Cats Demanding More

May 1, 2017

The Cat Rescuers Film To Launch Kickstarter Campaign On April 24, 2017

April 21, 2017

CHOOSING THE BEST PET INSURANCE FOR YOUR CAT/DOG/BIRD/RABBIT

April 19, 2017

A FABULOUS DAY AT THE ORLANDO CAT CAFÉ

April 13, 2017

Cannabis and Calming Top Trends at Global Pet Expo

April 5, 2017

Feline Tooth Resorption Is A Serious Dental Disease

February 7, 2017

February Is National Pet Dental Health Month

February 1, 2017

The Natural Cat Litter By Weruva Is Pretty Great

January 30, 2017

How Ozone Therapy Can Help Pets Suffering From Infections and More

January 26, 2017

Please reload

Search By Tags

#nationalcatday

#teamcatmojo

#whosavedwho

Alternative therapies

Bed

Boo Boo's Best

Buster

Cat Behavior

Cat Nutrition

Cat Welfare

Cat care

Cat food

Cat-Hi

Catification

Catify to Satisfy

Catmosphere

Catnip alternatives

Cattoo

Christmas dogs

DIY cat projects

Daniel Quagliozzi

Dog Food

Dog Health

Dog Nutrition

Dog care

FIC

FLUTD

Feline Dental Disease

Freeze-dried raw

Global Pet Expo

Halloween

Holistic care

Inc.

Ingrid King

Integrative care

It's a Tea potty

Jackson Galaxy

Jackson Galaxy Foundation

Kat Von D

Kate Benjamin

Kitty Krak

Kruuse

Leaving cats alone

Lil Bub

Loved Ones

Natural cat litter

Nordic Naturals

Omega-3 benefits for pets

Omega-3 oil for pets

Orlando Cat Cafe

Pandora Syndrome

Patrick Mahaney

Paw Balm

Pet Insurance

PetLinks

Primal Pet Foods

RAWZ

Rain coat

Roaming Runner

Rogz

TNR

Thanksgiving Recipes for pets

The Cat House

The Cat Rescuers

Tooth Resorption

Treat Ball

Vet Bills

Vital Essentials

Weruva

Wholelife

annual exams for cats

best pet bowls

bio appropriate diet

calming

calming for cats

calming for dogs

canine arthritis

cannabis for pets

cat

cat adoption

cat art

cat cafe

cat care

cat coloring book

cat dental health

cat diet

cat enrichment

cat exercise

cat food

cat furniture

cat health

cat lady box

cat litter

cat lovers

cat nutrition

cat nutrition cat diet

cat play

cat town cafe

cat toy

cat toys

cat treats

cat urinary tract health

cat vaccines

cat-hi

catcafe

catconLA

cathealth

catifesto

catification

catnutrition

cats

cattowncafe

catyhose

chocolate

complete and balanced raw food for cats

complete and balanced raw food for dogs]

conscious cat

convenient raw diets for cats

convenient raw diets for dogs

declawing

do

dog care

dog dental health

dog gifts

dog health

dog lovers

dog nutrition

doghealth

dogifesto

dognutrition

dogs

evacuating with pets

evacuation

freeze-dried pet food

gifts for cat lovers

gifts for dog lovers

gifts for pets

grooming

healthy pet coach

holiday gifts

holiday gifts for dog lovers

holiday gifts for dog people

holiday gifts for dogs

holiday safety for pets

homemade food

honeysuckle for cats

how to play with cats

hurricane

hurricanes and pets

jackson galaxy

kate benjamin

keep pets safe

kibble

kitty litter

listeria in pet food

litterboxes

molliemorrissette

my cat from hell

national cat day

national pet dental health month

natural pet food

natural pet remedies

nodryfoodforpets

nordic naturals

novel protein for pets

nutritious pet treats

oral care for pets

ozone therapy

patrick mahaney

paws for veterans

pet bowls

pet care

pet dental health

pet dental health month