Doggie Diet Dilemma

Fresh, Raw, Plant-Based, Sustainable? Which Diet is Right for Your Dog?

Posted by Billy Francis

What’s in your dog’s food bowl? There have never been more dog food options on the market, which makes deciding what to feed your pooch more challenging than ever. Do you stick to kibble, or is it time to switch to a raw diet? Do plant-based meals give your canine all the nutrients she needs? If you want to reassess what to serve your pup at mealtime, or if you just want to know which foods will keep your best friend happy, healthy and full for longer, here’s the scoop on dog food.

“I’m waiting until I find out more.” Photo by Ayla Verschueren on Unsplash

The Benefits of a Fresh Diet vs. Processed Dog Food

More than 70 years after its introduction, processed dry dog food remains the most popular meal served to a hungry pooch. Walk down any pet food aisle and you’ll see row upon row of kibble in all shapes and sizes, for all dog types and ages. But, in recent years, consumer behavior has begun to change, with fresh human-grade food offerings becoming prevalent in grocery and pet retail stores. So, which diet is the way to go for our furry friends?

Processed Dog Food

Dry Food (Kibble)
Dry food is the most convenient and cost-effective way to feed your dog. It stays fresh longer than other types of food and can be stored for lengthy periods at room temperature due to its low water content. Kibble is crunchy by nature, which promotes healthy gums and reduces plaque. The process of extrusion also allows a well-rounded array of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients to be added to kibble. Veterinarians can also prescribe a specific dry dog food like Hill’s Science to meet your dog’s individual health needs and bolster deficiencies in her diet without the need for additional supplements or medication.

The FDA requires dry dog food to “be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled.” However, checks and balances for dog food are far less stringent than they are for human food. Pre-market approval is not required for pet food products, and the state and source of ingredients are not heavily scrutinized, so you’ll never really know the quality of ingredients in your dog’s dinner or where it has come from. Cheap kibble contains fillers like corn and preservatives that offer few health benefits to dogs, and can actually be harmful.

A common dilemma for pet parents who feed their dogs kibble is whether grain-free food is better than kibble that incorporates grains. A 2019 study by veterinarians from the University of California, Davis uncovered possible dangers of certain popular grain-free food with high legume content having a link to canine heart disease. This doesn’t mean all grain-free kibble is bad for your dog, but it does show the importance of proper research before you decide on a brand for Fido. Just because it’s on the shelf doesn’t mean it’s good for your dog.

Generally, dog owners should look out for dry food that lists a meat protein as its main ingredient, rather than grain. Taste of the Wild boasts real meat including bison as its primary ingredient. Grain can be a useful carbohydrate that gives your dog energy. Look out for foods containing the most digestible grains like brown rice, whole wheat, or oats. The Honest Kitchen Food Clusters Whole Grain Chicken & Oat Recipe is a great pick for kibble that features meat but also includes a healthy grain. Dogs are not strict carnivores and can eat fruits and vegetables to get nutrients, too. If your canine’s kibble contains additional veggies like Rachel Ray Nutrish, it should provide him with a well-rounded diet.

The best dry food depends on your pup’s age, size and health needs. Age-specific diets like IAMS ProActive provide additional nutrients and vitamins to help with growth and development or recovery from age-related conditions such as arthritis. Large dog breeds might benefit from Purina Pro Plan, which focuses on ingredients that assist mobility, an issue for larger pups. On the other hand, small breeds should avoid large kibble, which can be a choking hazard,and stick to something their own size like Hill’s Small Paws.

Wet Food
Similar to kibble, wet canned food is made when a batch of all the ingredients are cooked together. This process makes the starchy ingredients gelatinize and creates the familiar jelly inside. Canned food is a lot fattier than dry kibble, so it’s not a great choice for dogs on a diet, and is thought to contribute to dental disease. Blue Buffalo is a healthier option, as it doesn’t contain any corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, or preservatives. If your pooch is on a wet food diet, help keep his teeth sparkling white with our tips for better dental care.

FDA- and Fido-approved.Photo by Facebook.com/thefarmersdog

Fresh Food


Fresh food is FDA-approved for human consumption, which guarantees higher standards than kibble. Whether you’re cooking Fido’s meal yourself or signing up to a subscription service, fresh food helps put your mind at ease because you know exactly what is going into your pup’s bowl. By choosing high-quality ingredients and customizing each meal to suit your dog’s needs, you can help promote your best friend’s overall health and wellness. For those considering a switch to fresh food, a delivery service might be the way to go. Ollie provides fresh food for your pooch straight to your door, offering four vet-crafted recipes full of nutrients that are frozen to prevent bacteria. Farmer’s Dog is tested on humans first and doesn’t contain any preservatives. Or, save big by cooking fresh food yourself with our guide to preparing DIY meals for your dog at home. The downside of a fresh diet for Fido is that it can be expensive and time consuming. Fresh food is also more susceptible to bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Finally, it can lead to a nutritional imbalance in your dog if you don’t have the right mix of ingredients.

The Best of Both Worlds

Still struggling to choose? Try a combination of fresh and kibble, like UnKibble from Spot & Tango. It’s more affordable than fresh-frozen options, is made using real ingredients, and can be personalized for your dog’s needs. Or, try the USDA beef recipe from Sundays For Dogs, which is gently air-dried instead of being heated to high temperatures, and can be kept on the shelf.

Raw vs Plant-Based Dog Food

Raw diets, also known as ancestral diets, focus on uncooked meat with limited processing. At the other end of the spectrum, plant-based dog foods avoid meat entirely. According to scientific studies, dogs are omnivorous, which means they can survive on meat or vegetables, or both. So, how do you decide which to feed your dog?

“I give this snack five bones!”Photo by Bianca Ackermann on Unsplash

Raw Food

Historically, domesticated dogs would enjoy a raw diet by default when they were fed meaty leftovers, which mimicked the food of their wolf ancestors. Even after the introduction of kibble, working dogs like greyhounds and sled dogs were fed a raw diet, as this was thought to improve performance. These days, adopters of a raw diet claim that dogs slump after eating processed food in the same way humans do after a fast food meal. Although raw diets can be made using fresh ingredients, not all fresh food diets are raw, as they often arrive gently cooked.

Switching to a raw diet is said to improve digestion, skin and coat health, reduce allergy symptoms, and keep your pooch lean for longer. In a similar way to the human keto diet, dogs who eat minimal carbohydrates and lots of protein will enter a stage of ketosis. This means their bodies are burning stored fat rather than running off sugar, as they would with a processed food diet. However, like fresh diets, a raw diet can be costly and laborious, and ingredients can harbor dangerous bacteria. Most advocates of a raw doggy diet buy ingredients in the grocery store or from independent butchers, and prepare meals for their mutts at home.

Looking for something more convenient? Companies like RAW WILD and Barf World deliver frozen raw options straight to your door. Or, give your dog the benefits of a well-rounded kibble packed full of nutrients, probiotics, and the protein power of raw food with Instinct Raw Boost.

Plant-Based

Plant-based is the most cruelty-free option for dog owners. The argument for a well-researched vegan diet is that protein can be provided by plants without the need to harm other animals. In addition, the whole foods included can be a healthier choice than run-of-the-mill, meat-based meals. Just like vegan diets for humans can be lacking in protein and certain vitamins, the same can be said about a plant-based pooch plan. If you elect to switch your dog’s diet to plant-powered, make sure your dog is still getting everything she needs by adding supplements that contain nutrients that could be lacking in vegan food, such as taurine.

Wild Earth offers balanced vegan kibble that contains cruelty-free, superfood ingredients for targeted health benefits, and additional extras to make sure your dog is still getting the nutrients she requires. V-Dog Kind Kibble prides itself on being good for your dog and for the planet. If you want the benefits of a plant-based diet with fewer risks, switch to a food that is plant-first instead. Karma Balanced Nutrition harnesses the power of plants, but also contains some animal protein.

“It’s the only world we have.”Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Is Dog Food Sustainable?

Reducing our carbon footprint is more important than ever before. One way to do this is to consider how the pet food we buy harms the environment. Pet food is estimated to contribute to a quarter of the environmental impact of meat production. These staggeringly high rates of emission may make you consider a switch to a plant-based diet, or at least make a move to more sustainable options.

Fortunately, there are several companies that make sustainable dog food. Chippin offers wild-caught silver carp dog food that is caught by fishermen in the U.S. Silver carp is an overpopulated fish, so electing to use it instead of more well known fish helps restore biodiversity to our waterways and protect the Great Lakes. Jiminy’s has jumped on the insect farming bandwagon, providing a protein-rich food source with far less damage to the environment than farming animals for food. Jiminy’s Cricket Crave Dry Dog Food is an eco-friendly kibble, oven-baked in small batches with cricket protein powder.

Just like every dog has different needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle, every owner is in a different situation when it comes to providing for their furry companions. A customizable fresh food diet or a raw diet can both provide necessary nutrients with less filler, but can be time consuming and costly. Plant-based diets can be catered to meet your canine’s dietary needs if you take care to add supplemental nutrients. Kibble remains the most popular and convenient way to feed Fido, as long as you choose the right brand for his needs and avoid dry food that’s full of filler. If you plan on switching your dog’s diet, consult your veterinarian first, so you can make an informed decision about what goes into his bowl.

What do you feed your dog? Leave a comment or tweet us @BringFido!

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