Let's talk super foods to add to kibble!

First and foremost let's address the fact that kibble is naturally dehydrating. I spoke last week about how the dehydration puts a strain on the digestive tract. We can fix this by simply adding water and letting the kibble soak in warm water for a couple of minutes before feeding. Or, if you want to add moisture but also add a ton of nutrients, then level up and add bone broth or raw goats milk!

Bone broth is nutrient dense and supports the immune system and promotes overall gut health. It also promotes joint health as it is loaded with chondroitin, glucosamine and collagen that protects the joints and strengthens the bones. Bone broth also contains multiple amino acids that have an anti-inflammatory effect and healing effect on the whole body, so it helps with dogs that suffer from environmental allergies, hip and joint pain, arthritis, bouts of diarrhea, chronic colon issues…etc. These amazing benefits and healing properties are the same for humans as well, so make a big batch and drink some bone broth with your dog!

Raw goats milk is another favorite addition to my dogs meals. My favorite is made from Answers because it’s fermented, which gives the added benefit of probiotics, which is so important to dogs gut health (and ours honestly – so if you’re not taking a probiotics… do it now). Raw goats milk is seriously so nutrients dense, providing essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and enzymes that aid in digestion and supports a healthy immune system, combatting environmental allergies and dis-ease.

Now that we've addressed the hydration aspect, let's talk about the 20% challenge.

Studies show that feeding 20% fresh food to our dogs decreases dis-ease and illness. So, even if we are feeding kibble, we can make this small adjustment today to our dog's meals to create a healthier and happier dog as we continue on our nutrition journey.

So for those of you feeding kibble, what you want to do is decrease the daily amount of kibble fed by 20% and replace that 20% with fresh foods. 20% is the rule of thumb because you don’t have to worry about nutrient balance if only replacing 20% of kibble with fresh food. However, if you are replacing more than 20% over a long period of time, then you will need to balance the fresh food portion to nutritional standards as there is a risk of nutritional deficiencies. 

Two of my favorite foods to recommend for people that feed kibble are eggs are fish. Eggs are so versatile. Whether the egg is raw, scrambled, hard boiled, whatever, the nutritional profile stays the same, so however you are most comfortable feeding the egg, just start there. Eggs provide extra protein and healthy fats to the diet. Chicken eggs are easiest for me to find so that’s normally what I feed, but I love switching it up when I can find duck eggs and quail eggs.

Fish is a must. Kibble is high in omega 6s and low in omega 3s making it really inflammatory. So by adding fish to the kibble, we increase the omega 3 levels and therefore, decrease inflammation. Omega 3s are so important to skin and coat health, as well as brain function, and this is something that kibble is really lacking in. So the best and easiest way to include fish in your dog's diet is to buy canned sardines in water, which can be found at any grocery store. The rule of thumb is 1 oz of fish per 35 pounds of dog per day. I typically advise against using fish oils because it oxidizes and turns rancid really quickly. Also, most brands are not ocean friendly and really does more harm than good for your dog. So again, the quick, easy, and cheapest way to add those omega 3s that kibble is severely lacking is by using canned sardines in water.

Stay tuned for another video on super foods that can be added to kibble next week! For now, I hope those of you that feed kibble will participate in the 20% challenge and see the many benefits that fresh foods provides to your dog!

Blessings <3