ONE SIMPLE WAY TO INCREASE YOUR DOG’S CHANCE OF A LONG LIFE

Did you know you can make one change and see a tectonic shift in well-being, especially for your dog?

In my free dietary guide for longevity, I share 10 tips that I curated – tips I intentionally chose because they apply to both us and our dogs. But one of the tips I share that is a huge game changer for your dog’s long-term health, for your dog to have the best chance at a long life and a healthy life is this: avoid processed food, especially ultra-processed food for your dog.

You can download the full guide HERE if you haven’t yet. I just want to go a bit deeper here on this one red flag and culprit bringing poor health.

Kibble is the most commonly fed dog food in the US and it’s ultra-processed. Canned dog food isn’t much better if at all, by the way. Many of those cans have BPA lining - a chemical linked to cancer. Too many commercial dog foods are full of bad ingredients, including:

·       high-glycemic-index ingredients like corn, rice, peas, & potatoes

·       low quality proteins

·       rancid fats

·       dangerous toxins like heavy metals, mycotoxins and glyphosate (linked to leaky gut & cancer!)

Kibble may be cheap and convenient, but there are other convenient options that aren’t much more expensive. Besides, sometimes it’s a matter of shifting perspective and priorities. If you buy expensive lattes everyday, but think you don’t have the budget to upgrade your dog’s food, shift your perspective and make coffee at home. If you assume every other type of food is too expensive, take a closer look at some options – you may be surprised. Carna4 baked food, for example, may fit your budget even if freeze-dried raw or dehydrated food does not. The harsh reality is that you can either pay a little more now or you’re likely to pay a lot more later from all the medical issues that an ultra-processed diet brings up – both for your dog and yourself.

Commercial dog foods contain wildly varying levels of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate), and yet all can call themselves “complete and balanced” if they meet bare minimums and don’t exceed those that get to toxic levels. “Complete and balanced” is not the end-all-be-all to evaluate a dog food. It’s not the best standard, though it’s important. It’s based on bare minimums recommended by The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which isn’t exactly a regulatory agency anyway.

So what is ultra-processed food versus processed food? I mean, most everything involves some process, right? Olive oil is considered healthy and used commonly in the “blue zones” where 100 year-old people are most widely found. It’s processed to be extracted from olives and bottled. Sure. But it’s a whole other level of industrial processing to create Mickey D’s “happy meals” or dry dog food like kibble.

For kibble, we’re talking about the extrusion process, cooking at high heat multiple times. Are there any nutrients left?

We’re binding with carbs to make it stick together. We’ve got artificial preservatives, flavors and colors that our dogs can’t even see. Meat meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal and all those other “meals” are ultra-processed. They’re also often found in the first three ingredients of dog food – the ingredients that weigh the most.

What about the sourcing of the meat? You probably don’t want to know in most cases. Ever heard of 4D meats? Animals found dead, dying, decomposed and diseased. Even euthanized dogs were found in some dog food. And deadly doses of euthanasia drugs that could kill a horse. At least there have been some dog food recalls to protect our dogs, but not enough, and they come too late for the dogs who’ve died from contaminated food later recalled. It often seems no one in power cares about them. And it certainly seems no one cares enough about farm animals who deserve humane treatment even if they’re being bred for food.

As for ultra-processed dog food, it’ll often include fish oil these days, but fish oil goes rancid when exposed to heat like the heat involved in kibble production. Better to leave it out then. And how about the sourcing? Again, you probably don’t want to know how sick those farmed fish were or how many dolphins and turtles died in the trawling net that caught the salmon whose oil was wasted when it was cooked at high heat in your dog’s ultra-processed food that promotes disease more than health.

You can dive into more data at dogagingproject.org, petfoodstudies.com, petsumerreport.com, and truthaboutpetfood.com. In a recent Washington Post article, dozens of large studies were mentioned where “scientists have found that ultra-processed foods are linked to higher rates of obesity, heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. A recent study of more than 22,000 people found that people who ate a lot of ultra-processed foods had a 19 percent higher likelihood of early death and a 32 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease compared with people who ate few ultra-processed foods.” Royal Society Open Science Journal recently found “Dogs eating dry food had significantly higher GlycA levels than dogs consuming other diet types.” Higher GlycA levels are linked to cancer and heart disease.

You see the connection between human health concerns and dog health concerns?

You see the link between ultra-processed food and disease for our dogs and ourselves?

These studies highlight the need for intentional choices when it comes to what we eat and feed our animals. 

Ultra-processed food promotes inflammation. Inflammation is at the root of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. Simple carbs like most bread, pasta, and kibble for dogs turn to sugar and become pro-inflammatory. Sugar is known to feed cancer and worsen diabetes.

No one benefits from eating fast food or other processed food often - not you, not your dog. Starchy foods you and your dog eat regularly can cause problems like diabetes and obesity. Studies show Americans get half of their diet from processed food on average - way too much, and that the majority of dogs in America eat only processed food - way way too much. Processed foods like frozen & boxed meals and fast food tend not to have nutrient density that would promote health. Processed foods have preservatives, artificial colors & additives that make organs work too hard.

If kibble is all you can afford to feed your dog after comparing costs, then consider this. When cooking for yourself, save some for your dog to add to his or her bowl. Not the saucy, seasoned cooked meal, but the pieces of the vegetables you aren’t cooking anyway or the leftovers rinsed of sauce and spice. Even better would be making a habit of gently cooking a portion for your dog a few times a week when you’re meal prepping anyway - either steam or gently saute in olive oil, for instance. My dog has embraced lots of cooked veggies from broccoli and cauliflower to spinach, green beans and carrots. He loves raw string beans and carrots, too. I don’t even need to mulch them for his digestion because he chews them into tiny pieces himself. And how about when you’re making eggs? Throw an egg in your dog’s bowl a few times a week whether cooked or raw. I do both and my dog’s system handles them well.

I founded Well Beings Unleashed to support dog parents and help protect dogs like mine as they age and face health challenges so they have better outcomes and lead joyful lives for as long as possible. We are our dogs' guardians and can be their best health advocates along with our own for better daily living and long-term well-being.

Right now, I’m offering a free 20-minute holistic health consultation to address either your health concerns or your dog’s needs. If you're a fiercely protective dog parent like me who wants to take the best care of your animals and level up your own health practices, comment here or contact me through my website Contact Page if you want in.

Wishing you and your dogs longevity and healthy food,

Zannah and Django