by Erin Jones, photography by Nikola Tzenov
A Dog’s Life: The Great Kibble Upgrade
Some corners of social media have begun to resemble the Food Network but for dogs.
“Let’s feed my toddler a Halloween dinner,” says TikTok user @celinetails in a post. Her “toddler,” a massive Doberman, looks on eagerly as she shows her 2.8 million followers the process of plating his dinner: raw ground lamb, freeze-dried fertilized quail eggs, dehydrated baby octopus and grass-fed beef bone broth powder.
Another account, @chefsanddogs, posts primarily videos of fancy dog meals — some not for the faint of heart — for its 2.6 million followers. One showcases an elegant spread of crocodile tail, ox tongue, lamb brain and a caviar and flower topping, all of which the dog devours in seconds.
While social media may highlight some more extreme and attention-grabbing dog diets, non-traditional dog food diets are becoming increasingly popular. Just ask a few local butchers.
Bullock’s Country Meats and Farm Market in Westminster offers dog food made from a combination of ground raw animal meat and organs. Wagner’s Meats & Mount Airy Meat Locker also offers freshly ground meat-based dog food. Both offerings are popular, with waiting lists that vary from a few weeks to a few months. Liam Dempsey of Bullock’s says that the store has seen an uptick in the popularity of its house dog food in the last year.
What has been prompting the shift away from traditional dog food?
For some, the need for a special diet is born out of medical necessity. Liz Lamb of New Windsor is a prolific creator of homemade dog treats, which keep her three Jack Russells — Oakley, Stan and Gracie — waiting in front of the oven in expectation when she bakes. But her journey to being a home cook of dog food began four years ago with her beloved late Jack Russell, Buddy.
Buddy was born with a liver condition that prevented him from processing meat protein. “He was on a high-carb, low-protein [diet], so that’s the total opposite of what [commercial] dog food is,” Lamb says. With guidance from her veterinarian and a specialist, along with her own research, Lamb set about to craft a diet for Buddy that his body could tolerate. Cottage cheese was a staple of his diet; she also cooked eggs for him.
While her three dogs today don’t have the dietary needs that Buddy did, Lamb continues to make fresh dog treats from scratch. She follows a basic recipe of flour, eggs, pumpkin and peanut butter, and then makes variations from there. She sometimes adds parsley, grated carrots, apples, zucchini or cinnamon.
She says that allowing the treats to dry in the oven and then freezing them provides a long shelf life without the preservatives in many store-bought dog treats.
“You don’t need the chemicals or the preservatives,” Lamb says. “Preservatives aren’t good for the liver and kidneys, which I learned from Buddy.”
Concern about preservatives and other forms of chemical processing is another factor causing many dog owners to rethink the food they’re giving to their best friends.
After researching the dog food process, Kerry Mandrik of Mount Airy switched to homemade food for her black mouth cur named Dawg. What did she discover when she did a bit more research? “Looking at the gross ingredients and then how it’s all compressed, and they spray on the flavor and the color, and it’s burned into nuggets. It’s the whole process,” Mandrik says.
Mandrik avoids processed foods herself and believes in eating whole foods. Discovering the process for making traditional dog food solidified the decision to extend a whole-food diet to Dawg.
Before Mandrik transitioned to homemade food, Dawg literally raised a red flag. “The dog food that we were feeding her had three different-colored nuggets in it, and it was a pretty good dog food,” Mandrik says. “We noticed that she was picking up the red ones and throwing those aside and not wanting to eat those. We at first were saying, ‘She doesn’t like red,’ and then we realized she’s telling us something.”
Today, Dawg’s meals consist of cooked beef or chicken, brown rice, sweet potatoes, green beans, shredded carrots and blueberries.
Mandrik says that since changing Dawg’s diet, she has also seen changes in other ways.
“I noticed a huge change in her coat, and everybody says to me what an amazing coat she has and how soft she is,” Mandrik said. “Her eyes are more sparkly. She has more energy. Her whole demeanor is just happier and more sort of uplifted. She’s always been a great dog, but you can see a change with the food.”
Another cause for the increased interest in homemade dog food is the deeply familial bond that people often experience with their dogs. Dr. Laura Owens, veterinarian and one of the owners of Airpark Animal Hospital in Westminster, says that she has seen many clients seeking an alternative to traditional dog food.
“I think this stems from the attachment people have to their pets and their desire to feed them like part of the family,” Owens says. “People want to find the healthiest way to feed their pets and are drawn to diets that make the feeding a positive and enriching experience.”
Owens points out that it is important to acknowledge the role that marketing plays in pet food and ensure that diets are more influenced by veterinary guidance than by trends.
“We recommend that pet owners discuss diet changes with their veterinarian to make sure they are choosing a diet that is appropriate for their pet’s life stage, energy needs and medical concerns,” Owens says. “Pet food marketing has really replaced the science of pet food, and that has had some profound effects on pet health.”
Grain-free dog food became popular several years ago, and it has proven to be dangerous, according to Owens. She says that grain-free dog food has had some correlation with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a potentially fatal heart disease.
“If I am presented with a diet that I am not familiar with, the first thing I do is make sure that it is not grain-free,” Owens says. “I have personally seen at least a dozen cases of DCM and have seen dogs die from it.”
Owens recommends referencing resources like Petfoodology (Sites.Tufts.edu/petfoodology), a website published by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, to better navigate the bombardment of pet food marketing. Petfoodology offers resources to help assess diet options, evaluate pet food companies and prompt questions to better discuss a dog’s diet with a veterinarian.
Owens says that most pets do well with a traditional diet. “Knowing that they have a complete and balanced diet with access to any nutritional information or safety information that we might need usually outweighs any perceived downsides.” However, a specialized diet could be prescribed as a treatment for a number of chronic conditions.
For example, Owens says food allergies can often cause a dog to itch itself continually and develop skin complications.
“Usually, the culprit for food allergies is the protein component of the food, which is the meat source. We often try a protein that the pet has never had before, called a novel protein, or a protein that is broken down into small components so that it does not trigger an immune response, called a hydrolyzed protein,” Owens says. “These are usually diets that a veterinarian prescribes because the over-the-counter diets can have contamination from other ingredients used at the same processing facility.”
Other medical conditions may be treated with a dietary change. For a more intensive exploration into this option, Owens says that working with a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist can be helpful in the creation of a home-cooked diet that is both balanced and addresses the medical condition. “The nutritionist can make sure all the nutritional needs are met while allowing the pet owner to have more control over the ingredients and preparation of the food,” Owens says.
Owens also recommends the website Balance It (Balance.It), created by veterinarian and Board-Certified Nutritionist Dr. Sean Delaney. The site provides resources and guidance for pet owners who prepare home-cooked diets.
Once your pet’s health provider recommends altering your dog’s diet, Owens cautions against making an abrupt change. “Any diet change, even if it is appropriate or necessary, can cause gastrointestinal upset. We always recommend transitioning to a new diet gradually over one to two weeks by slowly mixing in the new food in increasing amounts.”
Regardless of diet, Owens says that a dog’s body condition is the most important factor in its life span. “Dogs who are overweight or obese have a statistically shortened life span, no matter what they eat. One widely published study showed dogs with an ideal body condition lived on average two years longer than their overweight counterparts,” Owens says. “Work with your veterinarian to make a comprehensive dietary plan to help keep your dog slim and trim.”
Just as dogs delightfully come in many colors, sizes and personalities, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to dog diets. Pet owners are not alone in navigating the many options thanks to veterinarians, veterinary nutritionists and the many resources they can provide. In addition to your veterinarian, you can also ask your dog about it. After all, the red bits of kibble she’s leaving behind could be a message you should pay attention to.