I recently went to Glen Highland Farm Border Collie rescue twice to speak to campers who were there for a week with their dogs doing activities (I gave back both honorariums to help support the camp later in the summer for inner city foster kids). I got this letter from a camper which is worth sharing:
I loved your presentation at the Glen Highland Farm dog camp, though, like many in the room, I was shocked that you recommended kibble as part of a dog’s diet (let alone 1/3 of the diet, as I understood your seminar). I started listening to your radio show after the camp, and was SO relieved to hear your conversation with the vet/lawyer (whose name escapes me at the moment, sorry), who likened kibble to mac-n-cheese. You gave strong advice to feed kibble. But there is NO place for kibble in a healthy diet. I’m writing to you now to urge you to please email this correction to campers who gave you their email address to you. Your commanding presentation style and strong credentials meant a LOT to people gathered in that barn, and they will follow your advice. (I did. I bought kibble for the first time in nearly a year after hearing you, thinking it was important for balance. So much for thinking for myself. argh… We all make mistakes in this area. There is no guidance beyond our own good sense.) An email correction would mean a lot to the people and the dogs that were present at the camp. I love your radio show, and now consider myself an avid listener! Please keep up the great work.
Best wishes, Jen and Moxie.
So I wrote Jen back after some reflection:
There are a few things you need to understand that may not have been clear in that interview with Elizabeth Hodgkins – she is a cat-only vet (in fact is the Official vet of my radio show CAT CHAT®) and while we share an adamant belief that any and all dry food is tremendously unhealthy – even deadly -for cats, that is not the same message for kibble for dogs. Elizabeth Hodgkins is a very close colleague of mine – we are in constant contact (she is on DOG TALK® periodically) – and I have the utmost respect for her. She has earned the right to have some pretty bitter views on the food industry (having worked at Hill’s for 8 years and Purina for 2) and the veterinary profession that supports it, which colors her positions. In any case, cats are her focus – she breeds, shows and sell ocicats and treats cats only. I develop my opinions and recommendations about feeding dogs from a variety of sources.
You are absolutely right that I was clear in my recommendation for using a high quality kibble as approximately 1/3 of a dog’s diet – and I in no way back off from that. FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON. Please realize that the vast overwhelming majority of dog owners in this country feed dry food exclusively – that was true of many at Glen Highland Farm, too, a much more educated and dedicated owner group than the norm. For me to say only 1/3 should be kibble – and only the finest kibble – is already revolutionary.
Change has to happen in increments and not be entirely shocking. I also said that those who have the time and resources to feed their dogs a balanced diet with a minimum of 3 food groups represented should go right ahead and do so – (protein, with constant revolving sources – carbohydrate like rice, potatoes, oatmeal, quinoa, pasta and a mixture of vegetables and fruits) But I still believe they need a supplement like Platinum Performance to really balance it.
Your comment that raw-feeders or all-home cooked feeders were shocked by my endorsement of some kibble does not surprise me. People want to hold to their nutritional ideologies and any wiggle room makes them anxious and defensive. That was my point, too – relax, this topic of dog feeding is something that should be logical and rational and not so fraught with emotion.
We need to take a step back and take a breath – many of the PEOPLE who worry about their dogs diets to an extreme don’t look fit or healthy themselves, they go without breakfast, they eat tons of refined sugars and flours, they eat fast food and chemical-laden lean cuisine and a salad drenched in chemical-laden dressing - it’s quite a contradiction. I can assure you that feeding dog’s solely raw chicken is a deficient unbalanced diet – and that feeding kibble alone is a dreadful junk food diet. However, moderation and balance can be achieved in many ways.
But to assume that everyone can or should or even wants to be cooking for their dogs or can afford the time and cost is elitist and short sighted in my opinion. My goal is to come up with ideas and solutions that are practical and can be implemented without people turning their lives upside down. I happen to think that high quality kibble in small amounts is just fine –that’s why I (who could do anything at all) feed some of it to 2 of my 3 dogs twice daily. I find highly active dogs more satiated with some kibble- they seem more satisfied and content compared to only the simple carbs that I cook and they also get at every meal, along with a generous cup of The Honest Kitchen raw dehydrated food. I do not share Ann Martin’s extreme views on commercial dog food (if you listened to that episode of DOG TALK®) but she has spent the better part of decades immersed in the food crisis so no wonder she feels that way -she knows a lot and I admire that. But she also happened to be factually incorrect about named-protein meal being worse than meat by-products (in fact, she had them reversed- the latter is actually horrible and the former is okay – but I let it pass, this isn’t a contest for rightness, just for information and opinions).
“Black and white” is the easiest knee-jerk way to respond to things that matter to us – believe me, I have had to develop an ability to weigh the good and bad of various topics over and over and over since I became a vocal and now respected voice in the dog and cat worlds – and I have had to learn to see shades of grey.
I’m sorry you are so sorry you bought some kibble! I honestly think it has a nice little niche in a dog’s bowl – all things being equal. One of my dogs cannot tolerate that much carb so she doesn’t get dry food – but if you saw my two tall, muscular, lean 100 lb Weimaraners who do get some kibble, they are proof in the flesh that the dry food I’m offering them is hardly a bad thing. There are so many caveats in which brand and whether they sell the company, and how truthful the label is, etc. – but ALL FOODS need to be under constant scrutiny these days (for example, the company that was all-natural Coleman Beef recently was sold to another company operating entirely differently. Whole Foods was forced to do a massive recall because this new company (Artemis??) can even use the Coleman name & label for 6 months but not adhere to anything done previously – and it’s legal I’m considering eating some Taste of the Wild myself – roasted quail from Arkansas is sounding safer right now.
Tracie
UPDATE:
Dear Tracie,
I enormously appreciate your response. With your schedule, it’s amazing you found time to compose such a thoughtful and comprehensive reply. Thank you SO much.
I did hear Ann Martin’s interview, which definitely revived my concerns about kibble. The protein meal/ byproduct issue is confusing. Perhaps this deserves a website to decode. Thank you for clarifying that you’re advising a plan that should work for most people and most dogs. Reflecting on all this, I realize I need to leave more wiggle room in my own views. There are so many strong beliefs out there, and it’s all too easy to react against vets and others pulling scare tactics that we must feed only commercial foods. But the other extreme is not necessarily right, either. As you said, the key is balance. We’ll use the bag we have in the manner you advise, and in the meantime, look into veggie stew recipes. Thank you again, and I really enjoy following your show.
