09/12/2024
Look at those nutrients. The vast majority of which are ONLY found in meat. The vast majority are absent in vegan diets.
If you're lucky, a vegan pet food manufacturer will include some D3 and taurine from a conical flask, as they're legally obliged, but what of all those other nutrients?! You think, despite all the science to the contrary, they're all just spare bits and bobs for the little meat-eaters? I'd say that's quite a gamble.
I mean, does your vegan kibble even contain a joint pack (glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, etc)? Critical building blocks of healthy joints, considered optional extras in kibble-land. This way, WHEN your dog's sh*tty joints are stiff with arthritis by mid-age, you can buy it from us then in capsule form!
What is the omega 6:3 ratio in your vegan kibble? Because the only non-meat source of DHA, an essential nutrient for dogs meaning it must be included, is algal oil. Some brands claim to use it....but it's pricey. So, ask yourself - how much omega 3 from algal oil is going in versus all the horrible, refined seed oils they used? I say ask yourself as the vegan kibble companies will not give an answer, and I've tried. Proprietary information apparently (you want between 3 - 5:1, for the record).
Blood is a fascinating one - EVERYTHING they need in its most bioavailable form. They LOVE it. You should see the difference between haem iron to plant iron when consumed.
And don't get me started on carnivore versus herbivore fibre (the subject of my talk at the Natural Dog Expo with Habib and co next year...I have found some VERY surprising things about plant fibre...).
Clearly, meat and fat and organ and bone and blood and hide all contain a whole BEVVY of nutrients that the pro-kibble lobby either don't know about or don't discuss, I'm not sure which is worse.
The truth is meat, pound for pound, is the best food source on the planet, by a very, very long way. The problem is it costs more than grain so manufacturers don't like using it. They want to use as much plant filler as possible. So they concoct a whole heap of stories to defend their use of it. And whatever they do include are utterly pulverised by the ultra-harsh processing procedures.
Tune in tmrw on The Den, where I give part 1 of a 2 parter on protein and dogs. In the first part, I need to get the basics done - what is protein, what does it do in the body, all that, but we also delve into how much protein does a dog actually need? I mean, do you fully understand where they got this 18% protein-in-dry food from?! You will watch those slides through the fingers of your hand, I assure you. We also touch on can dogs have "too much protein" and finally take a look at the impacts of cooking on meat protein.
There's absolutely no way I'm going to get done in 30mins but I love this topic.
That's tmrw, 1pm GMT, over on the Den, live, with QnA after. Hope you can join us!
Barks 'n' Bubbles is a naturally focused Pet Store in Bray and Greystones. Grooming Salon in Bray. Your pets are our passion!
