It's all bad. Some are less bad than others, but still not a good choice if you want your dog to live the longest and happiest life possible.
Although very convenient, It is highly processed and made literally by the truckload, also giving it a very long shelf life. It is produced at extremely high temperatures in facilities that are not well-regulated Even scarier, any kind of food that is prepared like that at really high temperatures (think barbecuing, grilling, roasting, baking, frying, sautéing, broiling, searing, and toasting) contain high levels of AGEs, or advanced glycation end products, compounds formed in the body when fat and protein combine with sugar.
When they accumulate in high levels, they increase the risk of many diseases, cause inflammation in the body and quite simply cannot be properly digested, creating even more inflammation, which creates sickness. Learn more about AGEs here.
If your dog is prescribed a prescription dog food aka "fancy kibble," it is still extremely processed, high in AGEs and contains other fillers that dogs can't digest, in turn, creating more sickness in the long term.
The video below shows the process of making kibble, in factories, with fillers including corn and cereals (both very difficult for dogs to digest), dyes and cooked in massive volumes at high heat. This is not a diet that will promote long-term health.
Also, remember that the veterinary business is in the business of keeping animals alive, not curing animals or keeping them healthy. The schools are funded by the dog food maker, the school is funded by the dog food guy, the dog food guy is also owned by the vaccine guy and the vaccine guy makes the laws on what makes what legal and what is approved. If kibble was as "healthy" as vets and dog food makers claim, perhaps there wouldn't be so many recalls. Click here to see an extensive list of recent dog food recalls.
Even more disturbing, Mars – the privately owned largest manufacturer of pet food in the world (Cesar, Eukanuba, Iams, Natura brands, California Natural and Evo, Pedigree, Royal Canin, Sheba, Temptations Whiskas) also own the largest veterinary chains in North America, Banfield, Blue Pearl and VCA, Read more on that here. It becomes really difficult to trust that kibble is safe knowing that vets who are recommending it are essentially employed by the people who make it.
Watch this Pet Fooled Trailer:
So what can you do?
- Stop feeding it to your dog
- Home-cook or feed raw. More on that here.