Why Feed Kibble

Why feed kibble, otherwise known as dry dog food, instead of canned, homemade or the currently popular raw food diet? The main answer will probably be convenience. It is very easy to open a bag of dog food and scoop out the recommended amount for whatever dog is being fed. It goes in the bowl and with a bowl of water nearby the dog is set for the day. It won't go bad as canned or raw food will when left uneaten.

If people have irregular schedules they can pour a whole bag into a special feeder so their dogs can eat at will. This is a good way to be certain their dog isn't deprived of its necessary food just because they are unable to get home.

Other reasons for feeding kibble can be much less obvious. One important reason for feeding kibble is that crunching dry food helps keep a dog's teeth clean and clean teeth help keep a dog healthy.

Dry food also has an advantage in that it is much easier to determine just what nutrients a dog is getting. The amounts to be fed are clearly stated on the label. The nutrients are also readily available as well as which ingredients are used in making the food on these labels.

There are dry foods available for all ages, sizes, medical and weight conditions. If a dog has serious medical problems a special prescription food can be purchased from the vet. Puppies need a very different diet from adult dogs one higher in fat, protein and calories. Old dogs need still a different combination of nutrients. Small dogs have different requirements from large dogs. Really large dogs have very special needs and should be fed the foods labeled as having been created especially for them. Careful reading of labels can help the dog owner select the right food.

Kibble can be bought from the local grocery store or pet store. The principle difference in the ordinary brands readily available is that the maker can switch ingredients without saying just exactly what has been changed as long as they are within the general areas of what is listed on their label. The premium foods are required to either stick to the exact listings or tell the buyer just what has been changed in the food.

I mostly feed dry food to my cats and dogs. I even use an extruded food as my horses' hard feed. It seems to work well.

After sixty years of caring for animals I have to say I don't have any particular preference for which dry food I feed. I feed the type best suited to my animals' age and condition. Other than that I'm not very choosy as to which brand I select.

My dogs routinely live to their late teens and early twenties as do my cats. My horses tend to live into their late twenties or early thirties. There have been exceptions, such as the one dog that dug under the corner of a building and had it fall on her. Still she did make it to seventeen, it is just had she not dug her own grave, she probably would have lived to be 21 as one of my current dogs has done. It certainly wasn't her food that did her in.