6 Nutrition Myths That Can Confuse Pet Owners


I’ll be the first to admit this:

Trying to find the right advice about dog food can be damn near impossible…

If you do a quick google search about any of the common knowledge “do’s and dont’s” in pet nutrition you’re bound to get an assortment of answers.

The truth is, just like with human science, pet nutrition is constantly evolving and researchers are always finding out new things that overrule some of the previous findings.

When it comes to your pet, I know you wouldn’t want to risk feeding something that is potentially harmful or unhealthy for your pet, but its time to bust some of the more common myths about dog nutrition.

In this post today, I’ll clear up some of the misconceptions still circulating around.  

1. Kibble Cleans Dog’s Teeth


It’s been promoted by pet food companies for years that kibble will keep your dog’s teeth clean. Now, the more you think about this, the sillier it sounds.

Expecting some processed clumps of corn, meat meal and grains to clean your dog’s teeth is a stretching it a bit. Imagine brushing our   own teeth with a scotch finger every day. Good for Arnott’s and your Dentist, but not so much for your teeth.

If you’re thinking “I’ll just get my babies teeth cleaned at the Vet”…

You should maybe think again.

Studies  have revealed that dogs can experience a heap of side effects from being put under anesthesia such as: Deafness.

So it’s best to solve this issue by giving a daily dental chew which is unlike kibble, IS backed up by Science.  

2. Fat is bad for dogs health

You’ll often hear pet food companies boasting their low fat content. Well, as it turns out, certain types of fat is a good thing for dogs. Science tells us a dog’s natural diet is much high in animal fat than the modern day dog diet which is around 50% of their daily nutrient intake. 

There are Scientific studies going on right now that are showing shocking results about the benefits of a high fat diet. There are findings that a high fat, low carbohydrate diet is ideal for reducing risk of cancer in dogs.

We are also seeing research about fish oil and coconut oil being highly beneficial to dogs, which are both sources of dietary fats. 

3. Avocados are toxic for dogs


Recently on one of my blogs I posted a photo of my dog Units food. Which was topped off with some avocado. I was asked the question:

I thought Avocados were bad for dogs?

I had never heard of this and it made me question my methods for a minute. I did some more research and I found from various sources that it’s actually a myth. Avocado does contain a toxin called Persin (it’s actually in the skin), but despite the rumours, it is not poisonous to dogs.

4. Bones are bad for dogs


Have you been told not to feed your dog bones? Why do dogs even chew on bones?

The reason dogs love to chew bones is because on a deep instinctual drive that can only be described as self preservation.

In times of hardship and food scaricity, dogs in the wild would chew bones for the bone oil and bone marrow as a nutritional source. They did it purely out of survival for 1000’s of years. 

So how can a bone, something dogs were meant to chew, be dangerous for a dog?

Disclaimer: Cooked bones are not in their natural state so I do not recommend you feed your dogs cooked bones.  

5. Preservatives are added to pet food to ensure it remains wholesome and nutritious during distribution and storage


This might be true to some extent, but it’s not the main motivator behind it. Adding preservatives is really about money.

Commercial pet food companies produce in massive quantities of dog food for world wide distribution every year. If they used the meats they show on the pack, the world would have a protein shortage in no time.

They use low quality (Not fit for human consumption) meat and by-products and what happens with meats like this? It turns bad rather quickly as they are usually contaminated.

What is the pet food industries answer to that? You guessed it – Preservatives.

We all know technology has allowed canned food to be produced without preservatives for some time. So why add them? 

The unfortunate thing with processed pet food is they are always going to want to make the process cheaper, and use more and more additives to make it last longer.

6. Corn is a source of many excellent nutrients for dogs


What a load of rubbish.

Big name pet food processors would love you to think that their main ingredient corn is great for dogs, but the truth is its not.

For starters, dogs weren’t designed to eat corn so it’s NOT easily digested. Secondly, the corn they use in their dry foods is downgraded, and often contaminated. Thirdly, corn causes allergies in a lot of dogs. If you have a dog with allergies who is on corn based dry food, give him 30 days off the dry food in place of a meat and fat based diet and you’ll see the difference for yourself. It’s night and day.

Take aways:

Making small modifications to your dogs diet can add years to his/her life. You don’t need to be an expert, you just need to use a little common sense and be willing to understand that what is important is the scientific evidence at hand.

Your dog is counting on you to lead them to good wholesome nutrition, so if your looking for something that is grain free, preservative free, additive free, checkout the range at Pet Snacks and give your dog the healthy, natural treats they deserve.

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