5 Reason's Your Food is Not Much Better Than Your Dog's Food

Americans have a particular affinity for dogs as pets.  According to the SPCA 37-47% of American’s own at least one dog per household.  As most of us know, our dogs (much like Americans actually), love to eat!  All to often you will hear the words, “never feed your dog table scraps, that is people food.”  Yet when you go to feed your dog some kibble, you find yourself cringing at smell, ingredients, and price of the packaged dog food.  However, what most people do not realize is that the meals we consume today have a lot more in common with the kibble we cringe over daily.

Let's first take a look at a quick history of how dog food got to where it is today!

5 Reason’s Your Meal is Not Much Better Than Your Dog's Food

(and how you could both benefit from a nutritional rehaul)

1) Military Impact:  At the end of World War II, both you and your dog’s food transitioned from fresh food to processed.

• Human:  The modern woman of the 1950’s had no time to spend preparing food AND taking care of her family.  Instead, she opted for the quick and easy pre packaged TV dinner instead of preparing a home cooked meal that was traditionally expecte.  This lead to the popularity of frozen, processed, and packaged quick foods.

Only American Dog's Get Kasco!

• Dog: Before World War II, dogs lived mainly off of table scraps and organ meats.  Only the privledged could afford to buy dry dog food.  However, the prosperity that followed World War II made the dry and processed dog foods available to the majority of the American market.  This quick and convenient food was perfect for the modern pet as well!

2) Not everyone has equal access to food: Historically, the access to the healthiest foods have been restricted to the advantaged in our society.

• Human:  The availability of healthy food in low income neighborhoods is often limited and when available is unaffordable.  This leads to people having virtually no option but to eat the cheap processed foods which they can afford.

Please pass the bison, my dear fellow!

• Dog: The “healthiest” dog food options typically are higher priced than the affordable market brands.  This is also reflected in the nutrition facts and the amount of corn and by products which goes into these cheaper brands.

3)  Options:  When going to the supermarket, it is easy to become baffled by the amount of options available to the average shopper.  What most people do not realize, however, is that these options are picked out specially for you and that there are many tastier and healthier options which are harder to market.

• Human:  When looking at cereal options online, Walmart offers 1,423 options which include the traditional cereal, hot cereal, granola, and bagged cereal.  The majority of these products include high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial coloring.  These ingredients are linked to obesity, cancer, organ damage, and diabetes.

Too...many...options....zzzzzzzz....

• Dog:  Walmart offers 777 options for various dry and canned dog foods.  Most of these are marketed as being the cheapest, healthiest, and most delicious option for your dog.  However, most contain corn syrup, by-product,  BHT/BHA (a preservative linked to cancer), Ethoxyquin (a preservative originally developed as an herbicide), and Propylene Glycol (also known as anti freeze).

4) A huge market for revenue gain:  These unhealthy foods are putting a lot of money in the pockets of the producers rather than the local economy.

• Human:  Americans spent about $117 billion in 2012 on fast food.  This food comes from large corporations which mass produce the food for profit, not taste.

Let me help with those hefty dog food prices!

• Dog:  The expected market size for dog food estimated in 2014 was 22.62 billion.  The annual trends have been increasing yearly, likely along side the increase in availability to wet, dry, and packaged dog foods.

5) You would both benefit from a slow cooked meal: When it comes down to it, both you and your dog would benefit from a healthy home cooked meal. 

• Human:  you get a change to truly know and enjoy your food.  You can know where it comes from, how it is prepared, and what goes into it.  Buying whole foods local not only lets you eat healthier, but lets you gain a relationship within your community as well.

                              

A healthy dog is a happy dog!

• Dog:  It costs about 2 to 4 times more to feed your dog processed kibble than it does to simply prepare a healthy meal for your dog at home.  Just remember not to feed your pup grapes, yeast, chocolate, alcohol, Macadamia Nuts, Onion, Garlic, or Moldy Foods.  Even better, spending more time preparing food at home means spending more time with your favorite pup!

In conclusion, next time you think about what to make for dinner, consider passing on the frozen Hungry Man Dinner and spend some time with your dog friend preparing a healthy home cooked meal!