What is a whole food? Whole foods are those that have all their nutrients intact, which means they’re unprocessed and unrefined.
Why do we want our dogs to eat whole food? The primary benefit of feeding our dog whole foods is that they contain more nutrients than processed foods like kibble, canned or dry formulas. They also provide more fiber for digestive health, which can help with things like constipation or diarrhea (or both).
Whole foods have been shown to support a healthy immune system and even reduce the risk of cancer in humans by up to 75 percent!
But, there’s a but. There are some drawbacks, too, because it takes time for animals’ bodies to digest these types of meals. Dogs don’t have the same enzymes as humans when it comes down to getting out essential nutrients from cooked meats—they may experience digestive upset if we switch entirely away from kibble altogether.
This includes bloating after eating something with carbohydrates such as rice or pasta, runny stools (which could indicate an allergy), and increased gas production due simply because there’s more air going through their intestines while digesting food vs. being consumed immediately afterward.
