Hello Friends, this week we are going to explore some ways to boost the nutrition of your dog’s kibble diet. I would be remiss if I did not mention that a raw, and properly formulated, diet is the best way to feed your dog. However, we understand that a raw diet is not always possible. Dogs with a weakened immune system may not do well with a raw diet, and let’s face it, for large breed dogs or multiple dog households, feeding exclusively raw can be cost-prohibitive. I have 4 large dogs and feeding exclusively raw is out of my budget, so here are some things I do to keep mealtime exciting while making sure my dogs are getting what they need out of their diet.

The very best kibble in the world is still a “dead” and highly processed food. The extrusion process destroys some of the nutrition and all of the enzymes that were in the fresh ingredients. Just like we need fresh, live foods in our diet, so it is with our dogs. In addition to that, there really is no such thing as “complete and balanced” as dog food manufactures would have you believe because each dog is an individual and the levels of vitamins and minerals each dog needs are different. So what I do is I pick a variety of kibble diets that are formulated with quality ingredients, and I rotate through the different types. I feed through one bag and then I will get a different kind the next time. Some of our customers like to buy 2 or 3 different foods so they can rotate the kibble they are feeding every day, this is great too!

I have a list of things that I add into my dog’s kibble, to introduce some “live” food or nutritional boosters into the daily diet. I usually only add one or two of these things at a time, rotating through the list.

  • Eggs – Organic, free-range, and raw is best, but cooked eggs are good too! If you are feeding store-bought eggs, lightly cook those. The washing process of the store-bought egg can introduce bacteria into the egg because they wash the protective coating off the shell.
  • Yogurt or Kefir – Plain with no added sugar or sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes are very toxic to dogs.
  • Raw Goat Milk – my dogs love this! There are several brands available, they are raw and not homogenized.
  • Fresh Fruits & Veggies – This is hit and miss, most dogs have strong preferences when it comes to which ones they like. Let your dog try some, when you are chopping yours, and find out which ones they enjoy!
  • Freeze-Dried Raw Toppers – There is a very good variety of freeze-dried options for your dog. Freeze-drying retains the nutritional value of the food so it a great way to get the benefit of raw without the mess. Your dog will like it even more if you re-hydrate it!
  • Microalgae Superfood Blend – This one is a combination of Chlorella and Spirulina. It is high in protein, Omega 3’s, antioxidants, and other vitamins and minerals, making it an awesome nutritional booster.  The cool thing about this one is it binds to heavy metals. So if your dog has been vaccinated, or has been eating a lot of fish, feed this supplement to remove Mercury and other toxic heavy metals. Also, if your dog has been sick, this supplement is a good one to boost nutrition as it easily passes through the intestinal wall. I usually give some Goat’s Milk or Bone Broth with this.
  • Sardines – Canned Sardines are an excellent way to add Omega 3 fatty acids to your dog’s diet! I also feed raw Sardines but not at the same time as kibble. A little more on that in a bit.
  • Bone Broth – Nutrient-rich and also an excellent way to hydrate your dog’s dry food! There are many varieties you can buy or you can make your own!

In addition to this, if you can, it is good to add some raw food into the dietary rotation. Adding in the occasional raw meal is very beneficial if your dog can tolerate going from raw to kibble. There are many excellent prepared raw diets available that take the guesswork out of balancing your dog’s nutrition. If you are going to rotate raw frozen food into the diet, it is not advisable to feed any raw frozen food at the same feeding as your kibble, because they digest differently.

I hope this has been helpful and that you and your dog enjoy finding some nutritional boosters that your dogs enjoy!

Bon Appetit!