01/21/2026
Issues with Kibble
Some of the main problems with dry pet food:
1. Feed Grade Ingredients
Pet feeds that are allowed to contain diseased animal material and meat ingredients sourced from non-slaughtered animals - with no disclosure requirement. (Pet food Industry is not regulated)
The FDA says, “Processed pet food, including pet food consisting of material from diseased animals or animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter, goes through high heat processing, which is designed to kill harmful bacteria...”
Rendering is one of the processing methods of sanitizing otherwise putrid, inedible animal by-products and animal waste. Many ingredients in pet food today are from rendering dead animals/byproducts.
2. Highly Processed Ingredients
Consuming highly processed ingredients leads to other issues. Nutrients destroyed during the high-heat process, so flavour enhancers and synthetic nutrients are added as replacement.
Different types of acrylamide and other carcinogens are created in this process that could be detrimental to your dog’s long-term health.
3. High glycemic -Starch/sugar Carbohydrate content
Dogs digest kibble as a carb not a protein.
All kibbles brands contain 25-55% sugar.
This creates metabolically stressful insulin, glucagon and cortisol spikes throughout the day. The high carb/sugar content also contributes to the growing epidemic of pet obesity, diabetes and disease + increased tooth plaque.
4. Low Moisture
Kibble is a low-moisture product, which puts a dog in a constant state of dehydration. Dogs do not drink enough to compensate.
5. Increased Bacteria Risk
In dry pet food, there’s a risk for bacteria and mycotoxins to be present. Also, storage mites can multiply rapidly in dry food. Pets can develop a hypersensitivity to storage mites, resulting in itchy inflamed skin, hair loss and ear infections.
6. Goes Rancid Quickly
As soon as you open a bag of dry food, the fats in & sprayed on the food during production start to go rancid. Long-term consumption of rancid fats in kibble can destroy vitamins, which can lead to vitamin, protein and fat deficiencies.
Even more alarming, many other health issues have been attributed to rancid fats including malnutrition, hair loss, diarrhea, kidney and liver disease, cancer and death.
7. Added Colors and Chemicals
Many food dyes, referred to by the Center for Science in the Public Interest as the “Rainbow of Risks”, have been banned because of their negative effects on laboratory animals. This report finds that several of the nine approved food dyes could be causing serious health issues, including cancer and hypersensitivity reactions.
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