When you want easy, satisfactory, quick, and – most importantly – cheap food, who do you turn to? Certainly not the 5-star Italian restaurant on the corner whose main Gnocchi dish costs $32. When you’re looking for a cheap and convenient meal, you turn to the yellow arch’s, where the burgers are better, or the colonel himself because it doesn’t take long and it won’t break the bank compared to the $32 Gnocchi. But once you choose the easy, convenient and cheap option, you quickly remember why it is so cheap when you find yourself feeling far from satisfactory; your heart, lungs, cholesterol, and overall health are compromised every time you decide to go for the inexpensive option. That is why it’s called fast food.

Dog food works the same. Think of commercial pet food as fast food – it’s convenient and cheap. You can buy it when you do your grocery shopping and it’s only an additional $20 on the grocery bill, but it certainly isn’t the healthiest option for your pet. Just like we’re all convinced McDonald’s chicken nuggets aren’t really made of real chicken, you can be absolutely sure that half of commercial pet food ingredients are simply filler – food to fill your pet up but contains absolutely no nutrients. We don’t eat fast food every day, so why would you want to feed your pet the same?

We dive into the cold hard facts as to why commercial dog food and kibble is so cheap, and how you can make a healthier choice.

 

Fillers, preservatives, and more
Can you pronounce the ingredients in your pet’s commercial dog food? This is because the ingredients in your pet’s ‘food’ aren’t always food. Just like good quality meat is expensive for humans, good quality dog meat can also be more expensive, which is why commercial dog food companies use poor quality protein in their food. Commercial pet food is also high in carbohydrates; carbohydrates are cheaper, and still ‘do the job’ to fill your pet up. These carbohydrates can range from soy to peas and potato – as cheap as possible. As delicious as carbs are, they don’t dominate 90% of our diet, so why let it dominate your pet’s?

Commercial pet food also contains an unhealthy number of additives and preservatives. They have long shelf lives, and are made to be delicious and addictive so your pet thinks they are eating something good for them when, in reality, they are only eating it because the additive makes the carbohydrates and bad quality protein desirable. Kind of like a chicken nugget, right?

 

Production line processing
All commercial pet food, from kibble to wet food, is highly processed at extremely high temperatures. For example, kibble is cooked at high pressure and temperature to form a dough which is formed into pellets. This high temperature processing kills any chance of nutrition in the kibble. This form of processing can have an inflammatory effect (refer to our allergies blog) which can result in skin irritation and redness. Highly saturated fats are also used in kibble’s production line manufacturing, which can have a detrimental effect on your pet’s health. Finally, just like our vegetables are sprayed to make them look more appealing, so is your pet’s kibble. This kind of processing is cheap, which reduces the cost of commercial pet food.

 

No moisture

Another reason kibble has such a long shelf life is that it is made up of less than 14% moisture. This not only helps their shelf life but makes it easier for commercial pet food companies to transport your pet’s food. This may be why your pet drinks more water than usual, to make up for the hydration they are missing in their kibble.

dog eating kibble out of pet bowl

BUT THERE IS A SOLUTION!

Drool Pet Co’s raw pet food and natural pet treats contain raw meat including beef, turkey, lamb, chicken, and kangaroo all locally soured in Cairns, Australia. All the ingredients in our raw pet food and natural pet treats can be pronounced and recognised, and our products contain no:

  • Steroids
  • Chemicals
  • Gluten
  • Fillers
  • Grains
  • Salt
  • By products
  • Colours
  • Preservatives
  • Dyes
  • Growth hormones
  • Flavour enhancers

Our natural pet treats are handmade in small batches to ensure we have complete control over the cooking process and ingredients. We do not conduct any high temperature processing and our treats are made of 100% all-natural meat.

The best news? Our raw dog food and all-natural pet treats have absolutely no negative health implications. Actually, you will absolutely notice health improvements in your pet in as little as 30 days. Your pet will experience more energy, increased vitality, improved cognitive function, and much more when they switch to a raw diet or natural pet treats.

How much are you willing to spend to improve your pet’s health and ensure they are eating the best possible food? Our pet’s health is priceless to us, we would buy them the $32 gnocchi every day of the week if we could.