Thursday, November 12, 2020

Big Kibble: The Hidden Dangers of the Pet Food Industry and How to Do Better by Our Dogs by Shawn Buckley & Dr. Oscar Chavez

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Big Kibble: The Hidden Dangers of the Pet Food Industry and How to Do Better 
by Our Dogs by Shawn Buckley & Dr. Oscar Chavez
ISBN-10 : 1250260051- Hardcover $27.99
Publisher : St. Martin's Press (December 1, 2020), 320 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.

The blurb:  What's really going into commercial dog food? The answer is horrifying.

Big Kibble is big business: $75 billion globally. A handful of multi-national corporations dominate the industry and together own as many as 80% of all brands. This comes as a surprise to most people, but what’s even more shocking is how lax the regulations and guidelines are around these products. The guidelines—or lack thereof—for pet food allow producers to include ever-cheaper ingredients, and create ever-larger earnings. For example, “legal” ingredients in kibble include poultry feces, saw dust, expired food, and diseased meat, among other horrors. Many vets still don’t know that kibble is not the best food for dogs because Big Kibble funds the nutrition research. So far, these corporations have been able to cut corners and still market and promote feed-grade food as if it were healthful and beneficial—until now.

Just as you are what you eat, so is your dog. Once you stop feeding your dog the junk that’s in kibble or cans, you have taken the first steps to improving your dog’s health, behavior and happiness.

You know the unsavory side of Big Tobacco and Big Pharma. Now Shawn Buckley and Dr. Oscar Chavez (founder and owners of Just Food for Dogs) and Wendy Paris explain all you need to know about unsavory Big Kibble--and offer a brighter path forward for you and your pet.

Review:  If you have a pet or plan to have a pet, I recommend reading Big Kibble.  The authors are not unbiased - they have created their own dog food company that uses whole foods fit for human consumption.  However, their interests in drawing attention to the problems in the dog food by Big Kibble are aligned with the interests of regular dog owners. They  raise important points and draw our attention to facts that are easy to gloss over.

There are currently a small group large food and agricultural companies that produce most of the dog food. Feed is not subject to the same level of regulation or supervision as human food and the ingredients and processing of dog food as described in Big Kibble is horrifying.  Reading it reminded me of reading Upton Sinclair's The Jungle about the early days of canned meat production.  

Big Kibble also contains recipes for dog food so as you try to figure out what to feed your pet, you're able to make healthier food from home.  

About the Author:  Entrepreneur and founder SHAWN BUCKLEY and veterinarian and professor in clinical pet nutrition DR. OSCAR CHAVEZ are the owners of Just Food for Dogs, a pioneer and disrupter in the dog food industry, and the leading brand of dog food made with USDA approved whole foods, fit for human consumption.